"But don't the trees seem nice and full?"

I wish I could take credit for that line, but it came from an e-mail my brother down in Tuscaloosa sent me this morning. Just as we here in East Tennessee have been adjusting to our oldest's moving away to college, my brother and his wife have been adjusting to their youngest's moving to college.

The line above is from an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, "Opie the Birdman." The episode starts with Opie's killing a mother bird with his new slingshot and his taking on the responsibility of raising her three young. The birds mature in the course of the episode, and Opie does, too. It is a hard thing for him to release the birds once they are able to fend for themselves, and he tells his father, Andy, that the cage seems "empty." In his wisdom, Andy replies, "But don't the trees seem nice and full?" Andy feels awfully proud that Opie has taken on those responsibilities, but as viewers we can tell that he is steeling himself for the time when Opie will move out to be on his own.

My brother and his family have had a lot of life-changing experiences down in Tuscaloosa this year, a devastating tornado, loss of friends, new jobs, blessed opportunities, growing relationships, and all sorts of trials of resilience.

Sometimes the promise of a tree full of birdsong helps to keep perspective.