Thursday, January 3, 2013

The Eagle

Today I had a long to-do list.  I was a pretty good way through it, thanks in part to a lot of help from my husband, when it was time for the run to the dump.  The car was loaded, one child was napping, the other was quietly watching movies, I had the grocery list in my pocket, and I was ready to go.  I got less than a mile from my house when I realized I had no idea where my dump punch card was. 

I did a mental check of my car, then decided to pull over to double check.  Our house is in a small neighborhood, surrounded by national forest.  By the time I pulled over, I was already away from any other houses, and next to a large field.  I glanced into the compartment where I usually keep my punch card, saw it wasn’t there, then something caught my eye.

My attention was drawn to a large group of birds, mostly magpies and crows, just to the side of my car.  There, in the midst of the other birds, was a huge golden eagle, looking right at me.  I had never seen an eagle in the wild this close before.  He was absolutely gorgeous.  He started at me for several moments, during which I was completely frozen, then he opened his very impressive wing span, and sprung into the air. 

I often forget things.  This is definitely not the first time I have turned around to head home.  This is, however, the first time that forgetting something has given me such a special gift.  Seeing that eagle take off was amazing, and something I will never forget.  It turns out that my forgetfulness today was the key to discovering something truly beautiful.

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