From Feb. 23, 2021
I love the natural beauty and authenticity of animals. They just are what they are. No posing, no hiding.
And, without using styling gel or crunching their abs, almost all look gorgeous. (Some exceptions exist, such as possums. I’m sure they have other redeeming qualities.)
So, when I saw a hawk high in a tree at the end of my backyard this morning, I stopped to enjoy the view. Hawks radiate a bristling, inexorable energy. Avian Terminators, they are the proverbial hunting machine swaddled in thick feathers.
I know and respect their role as predators. However, I sometimes argue with the hawks in my hood. Some treat my birdfeeder as a prime location for groceries. I don’t like being the corner carryout to the detriment of my Cardinals. Ducks in a barrel – you get the picture.
But today this hawk had a message for me. He was perched on a semi-thick branch thirty feet up. The branch was seesawing up and down on this windy, wintery day, but the hawk didn’t waver, teeter or fly away. He just kept his talons wrapped around that branch. He moved with the wind.
Life lesson: Find your support – God, universe, family, friends. Wrap your toes, fingers, arms and heart around that love and don’t give up or give in, no matter the swirling currents around you.
One day after losing my father, I am so grateful for that reminder.
