My Nest Is Empty

     Last year I watched a momma and daddy robin build a nest at my kitchen window.  Soon there were eggs and before I new it, hatchlings.  We watched them grow daily, the mom and dad bringing worms and cleaning out the nest.  They grew so quickly, and it wasn't long before the biggest birdie was out of the nest.  One day we found one of the fledglings in the yard making his own way in the world, and when I went to check again, the nest was empty.
     It's been almost eight years since we sent Caitlin off to college.  She was close, so she came home often that first year.  Then, the more involved she got in her school, the less she came home.  We got used to being here alone, my husband and I.  Three years ago, we moved our sweet Catalina into our home for what was originally planned as a one year term.  Through God's direction, she stayed with us for three years.  Now Caitlin is living twelve hours away, and Catalina has gone home to her family.
     It's only been a little over a week, and this house has gotten very quiet.  But, like that momma and daddy robin, we have done what we could to raise our own child and guide and mentor our adopted child.  Watching them step out and become the women God has created them to be, I am blessed beyond measure.  They are following his call and are working to learn all they can in order to fulfill that calling.
     I watch Caitlin do what she has always talked about - since she could talk.  And I will never forget the day when, after meeting with the woman who would become her friend and mentor, Catalina came home and said, "Do you know what she does?!"  It was at that moment that she knew without doubt what her path would be.  What more could a mother want?
     My prayer is that these two ladies, my daughters, one by birth and one by God's intervention, will continue to walk hand-in-hand with their Lord.  They are on different paths, but with amazingly similar purposes.   I pray they never lose focus of what they know is His divine calling upon their lives.  Caitlin and Catalina, may you each pursue with abandon the passions that lie deep inside your hearts, helping those who can't help themselves.  May your ears listen with compassion.  May you offer hope to the hopeless, encouraging the one who has a huge obstacle to keep trying and never give up.  When the burdens get heavy, and they will, I encourage you to make the time steal away to Jesus.
     The difference between my nest and that of the robins?  This one won't be torn down with the new season, abandoned now that the babies are gone.  This one will always be the place where love abounds.  Where support for your adventures springs forth.  Where you can come and be welcomed into my open arms.  My nest may be empty, but my heart is full.