THE EAGLES’ NEST
{Homepage}{Next}

Long ago, there were two Eagles, they fell in love and got married and decided to have a family. Their nest was on the side of a high cliff. The mother eagle felt that before she could have any baby eaglets, the nest would have to be prepared in a very special way. This Eagles’ Nest was twenty feet long, eight feet wide, and four feet deep. It was big! They covered the bottom of the nest with thorns, briars, and sticker bushes, then they layered it with grass, and leaves, and soft feathers.

Two eggs were laid. Inside the first egg was a little girl eagle named Sarah. She was a very active little girl. She couldn’t wait to get out into the world to see how big it was. She kicked and scratched and clawed until she broke out of her shell. Sarah was very curious.

Inside the second egg was a little boy eagle named Timothy. He loved the comfort of his egg. No one bothered him. He could sleep, and think, and grow without being disturbed.

Days passed and Sarah was already thinking of how fun it would be to fly like her Mother and Father. Timothy had gotten so big that he grew out of his egg and crawled into the nest. He loved the soft feathers that his parents had puffed up for him to lay in.

Father watched the kids while Mother hunted for food and water. Then Mother watched the kids while Father got the food.

Timothy and Sarah were different from each other. Sarah was always busy, and she was already learning how to fly. Laying around in the nest made Timothy happy. All he wanted to do was eat and sleep.

One day Mother Eagle gathered Sarah and Timothy together and told them a story about "The Champion Flyer." "Eagles were born to fly" she said, "but only a few eagles become Champion Flyers. The true Champion Flyer learns to master the wind. The wind is the champions best friend. If you love the wind and make it a part of you, it will lift you and carry you places that you can’t go by yourself. Eagles are not Turkeys or Chickens scratching around in the barnyard. Eagles are the Kings and Queens of the sky." Mother Eagle finished her story by saying, "You have a strong mind, and you have a strong body. You can do anything, if you think you can. You are not a Turkey or a Chicken, you are an Eagle, and you can fly like an Eagle. To the top! Never stop! You can be Great! Great! Great! Great! Great!"

Sarah was excited about what her mother was saying, but Timothy didn’t want to listen. As hard as he tried not to listen, there was something inside of him that heard everything she said.

Finally Mother Eagle said, "Timothy, I want you to climb up on my back and go flying with Me."

Timothy replied, "I don’t want to Mother. Listening to your story has made me very hungry and tired. I want some food, and then I am going to take a nap."

"No son," said Mother Eagle. "You need to come with me. I promise that it will be worth it."

Timothy thought about it and said, "Okay, but when we get back I want to eat and sleep."

So they went for a ride. Timothy held tight to his mother’s back. The higher they got, the tighter Timothy held on. Then suddenly without any notice, Mother Eagle folded her wing and rolled over until they were flying up-side-down. Timothy lost his grip and was falling thousands of feet toward the ground. He was scared. He kicked his feet, flapped his wings, and yapped his jaw, but nothing he tried would work. He couldn’t fly.

Just before he hit the ground, Mother Eagle swooped down and caught Timothy and carried him to safety.

Meanwhile, Father Eagle was back at the nest, removing the feathers, and the leaves, and the grass. The comfort of the soft nest was gone. All that was left were the thorns, briars, and sticker bushes.

Timothy didn’t want to fly. Even so, Mother Eagle encouraged him and told him that he could be a champion flyer.

Before she took him back to the bare nest, she said, "You can be a champion if you really want to be. Your father and I are not always going to be here to take care of you. We are leaving for a while to give you some time alone to think about what you want to do. While we are gone, I want you to believe in yourself. Think about who you are, who you can be, and who you want to be. Picture yourself soaring through the sky as the master of the wind. Try to do things that will help you to grow beyond what you are comfortable with, and realize the greatness that is in you."

Timothy sat in the uncomfortable nest thinking. There was no place to sit without getting stuck by a thorn or a thistle. There was no food to eat, and Timothy was scared.

Mother Eagle finally came back and said, "Your Father and Sarah are waiting for us. Get on my back and I will teach you how to fly."

Timothy agreed to try. He climbed on Mother Eagles back and together they jumped off of the edge of the nest.

As they circled higher, and higher into flight, Timothy was impressed with how strong his mothers wings were.

"Are you ready Timothy?" She asked.

"Yes." He answered.

She folded her wing, turned up-side-down, and Timothy let go. He was falling. He kicked his feet, flapped his wings, and yapped his jaw. Nothing he tried would work. Then he heard his mothers voice calling, "Timothy, the wind is your friend, spread your wings and fly."

Timothy cried, "I can’t! I can’t!"

Mother Eagle called back, "Yes you can. Spread your wings and fly."

Following her directions, Timothy stretched out his wings. He felt the wind lifting him higher and higher. He was scared at first, but then he couldn’t believe how fun it was. Timothy steered and dived, he twisted and flipped through the crisp morning air. Timothy was flying, he was actually flying. This was the greatest experience of his life.

All of the time he was lying around in the nest, being lazy and bored, he had the power within him to soar through the air and become the marvelous creature he was intended to be.

Several years passed by. Timothy’s parents were older now and Sarah had a family of her own. Timothy had found a mate and they were preparing their family nest.

Timothy had become a magnificent Eagle-Bird. His vision was clear, his wings were strong and powerful, and he was no longer afraid to soar high in the sky. He was a true Champion Flyer - and one afternoon - while flying from the thorn patch he thought, "Thank you Mother for teaching me to love the wind."