The Nest
From the telling of bert
It was a few years ago now, the Christmas of 1988. We didn't usually put up many decorations for just the two of us, but that year Lou's family were coming. So a few days before Christmas we went up to the cabin to cut a tree and get some juniper for decorations. There were always trees that needed thinning out.
With my heavy boots on and my saw over my shoulder I set off up the valley. As I crossed the valley, through a grove of young aspen, I saw a nest in the topmost twigs of an aspen sapling. I carried on without thinking too much about it at the time and found an Englemann spruce that was just about the right size.
It was being dominated by a huge Douglas fir. It wasn't going to survive anway, so it was alright to cut it down. It wasn't too big so I was able to carry it easily.
On my way back I got to thinking about that the nest that I had seen on my way across the valley, it would make a nice Christmas tree ornament. I traced my footsteps so that I wouldn't miss it. It was higher than I thought but the branches near the top were really just twigs. So I was able to cut it down easily, still attached to it's little twig.
I was expecting it to be empty, so I was rather surprised when I found that it contained an egg; and curled around the egg was the skeleton of a tiny bird. It wasn't a fun decoration any longer; it was a very sad little package that I was holding.
I guess that the bird's mate had met with some disaster, and rather than leave the egg unprotected, the remaining bird had starved to death. They had built their little nest well. It had protected its sad little burden through the hailstorms of July, through the heat of August, through the winds of fall and the storms of winter. Carrying a message, and an example of love and self sacrifice, to this season of goodwill.
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