a lesson from the little ones

yesterday, tragedy struck the second and third grades. about a week ago, we discovered a bird's nest built in the tree right outside our two classrooms. there were two tiny blue eggs in the nest. our kids were beyond excited and the next few days were spent lifting child after child up to peer into the tree and catch a glimpse of this tiny miracle. we cautioned our students not to touch the tree or the nest, or else the mother bird might not come back to care for the babies. they were very careful, keeping guard to make sure nothing happened to the eggs. we eagerly discussed what would happen when the baby birds hatched. then the drama began. first, a middle school student picked up one of the eggs. the second and third graders came running to find us, scared that now the babies would have no mother. we talked to the middle schoolers, and tried to assure our students that we would just have to be more careful and we should pray that the mother bird would still come back. then joy of all joys, thursday morning the eggs hatched and two tiny, baby birds were in the nest! the middle schoolers, just as excited about this miracle of life, yet not as careful, kept pulling on the tree to see the nest. then, a well-meaning teacher, took the nest out of the tree to keep it safe, not realizing that by doing so she had just killed the baby birds. our students were distraught and spent all of recess digging worms to mash up and feed the baby birds. i didn't have the heart to tell them that that wouldn't work and the babies needed a mother. the nest was put back in the tree, yet it had fallen apart in all the movement and therefore was not as sturdy or well attached as it had been. and then, that evening, the skies opened up and the worst storm of this rainy season ensued. the next morning, the nest was empty. the students tried to believe that the mother had taken the baby birds away, until 2 precious third grade girls found one of the dead babies on the ground under a nearby bush. they gently wrapped it in a tissue and placed it an box and went to the mountain to bury it. i spent the next 15 minutes trying to console several crying 8 year olds. as if this was not enough, they also discovered that day that the family of slugs they had been watching had been taken to be used as fish bait, and only the mother remained and that she was sick.

now many adults might find this entertaining and even a little silly, especially the part about the slugs. they are just slugs, some of the most useless and disgusting creatures ever. i personally, hate birds and hate creepy, crawly, slimy things and therefore, was personally not too distraught. but when you are the one looking at the quivering lips and red, watery eyes of children who have just experienced death in a very real way, there is nothing funny about it. there was real pain there, and just because we are adults whose lives are full of bigger, "more important" pains, we cannot discount the pain a child experiences over the death of a bird or a slug. we were children once, and if we take the time to remember our childhood, i am sure we can find a time when we experienced true pain over something that seems insignificant now. but that is how we learn to deal with pain. if we did not have those tiny moments of pain as children, we would not be as well equipped to handle the biggers trials that come down the road. as i reflected on yesterday's sad events, i was reminded of jesus telling his disciples that if they wanted to enter the kingdom of heaven they needed to become like the little children. and i was struck with the truth of this statement. because, although my kids had been devastated by death yesterday, they were able to enjoy a beautiful writing ceremony and valentine's day activities and they were still able to laugh and have fun. they didn't forget about the birds, but they were able to focus on the joys the day had to offer. that is what we are all called to do. life is hard. it is not fair and it is full of pain and suffering. but we are called to focus on the joys. children often live in the moment, one minute crying over a dead bird, the next smiling and clapping about putting their writing in the school library. this can be a lesson to us adults, who often dwell on the bad things in life. life is but a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of time, and if we let the suffering get us down, we miss out on all the other joy life has to offer.