The Porch Swallows

Hope. Home. Refuge.

Five little swallows!

What's going on in the world?

Last Saturday, a twenty-year-old kid attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

Republicans held their national convention this week in Milwaukee. You may care. You may not. I understand. 

President Joe Biden was diagnosed with covid as more Democrats pressed him to step aside and do what's best for his party. You may not care. I get that, too.

Oh, and a global tech outage happened. Living in the modern age can be exhausting and confusing.

In an attempt to relax and exhale, I turn to something that always makes me happy. Swallows! 

There's a mud nest in a light fixture on my porch. That nest was probably first made at least 25 years ago if not longer. My dad ordered me never to disturb or tear down that nest or even fix the broken light fixture. He loved those swallows. Let them be, he said.

And I have. 

They give me smiles and happiness every year when they return, likely family after family of swallows knowing exactly where a safe haven nest exists for their babies.

Today I came home to see those five little birds all in a row. Then in one grand swoop they flew out of the nest and over my head with their parents, one that sleeps perched on the edge of the nest, and the other on my internet cord watching the babies. There he is Friday night. Daddy bird.

The swallows aren't afraid of me or my dogs. I think they know I care about their little swallow family.

Needless to say these birds give my indoor cats endless entertainment through the window.

I was never sure why my dad was so charmed by these birds.

Every summer I read about swallows. 

According to some lore “swallow holds deep symbolism as a harbinger of homecoming. Swallows are known for their loyalty and their ability to return to the same nest year after year. This innate homing instinct has cemented the swallow as an emblem of familial bonds, stability, and the comforting embrace of home.”

Swallows also mate for life.

The home my parents, who were married for nearly 52 years, built in the country and where I now live certainly reminds me of the bond I strongly shared with my parents. The swallows in their nest must feel stability, too.

In the Bible, the swallow indicates the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus, according to numerous websites. Swallows usually appear in the spring, which is when Jesus was resurrected.

Words associated with swallows include joy, hope, and loyalty. These birds also are connected to fidelity, peace, and happiness. 

“But overall, swallows represent protection and guidance,” one site said.

Knowing my dad, he knew this and wanted me to remember that he would always protect me and that the wisdom he and my mom gave me would guide me through dark times.

Another curious aspect of swallow lore? British sailors often got swallow tattoos if they had sailed 5000 nautical miles. In that way, the birds are associated with the idea of return – return to home, which I have obviously done.

My dad actually served in the Navy during the Korean War. He never got a tattoo but I bet he knew what a swallow tattoo symbolized. 

Hope. Home. Refuge.

These words give me comfort in the home my parents built that keeps me safe and, in turn, I keep safe for my dad's swallows.