Although Costa Rica has over 800 species of birds at certain times of the year, it’s good to see some old favorites. They are like old friends. I pointed out a robin to my kids. We stopped and slowly crept closer in hopes of getting a look at the rare creature. The big orange breasted bird kept hopping just far enough ahead of us to stay distant. I told Coco that’s how we know it’s spring here.

Her spring is different. Instead of melting snow, she feels the Trade Winds begin in December. And the rain stops. There is the same feeling of relief as we know we’ll be getting a break from the deluge of rain and rain. It compares nothing to trudging through the winter months of snow, but she can relate a little bit.

These babies were nesting out on my mother’s patio. A sure sign spring and summer are here. The same thing happens in Costa Rica. We have nesting birds right outside our window at home. The same things seem to happen everywhere: life, death, happiness, sorrow. It’s just the packaging is different from a red robin’s breast to the color of our skin to the foods we eat. We all still eat, love, give life, and screw it up and bounce back again.

After holding Addison up to the nest, we hid in the living room so the mother could return. I couldn’t tell exactly what kind of bird the mother was, but the babies chirped and held open their beaks again, waiting for life to come - like it always does.