It was huge,
a bird,
a strange bird,
lifting from the cold
winter mist on my right.
What kind of bird was it?
My eyes strained.
A crane?
It had the strangest markings for a crane I'd
ever seen.
It was white on both ends, and then gray in the middle?
No, by golly it was BLACK in the middle!
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Then the full grown American Bald Eagle turned slightly
and
passed in review only a few feet before my very eyes.
© Copyright 2004
by Lin Stone
|
I
admit unashamed that my mouth dropped open in awe as I watched this symbol of
America fly before me. Its strength was serene. Its power was barely
tapped. Its concern for my presence was invisible. Secure in the
knowledge it was protected by the laws of God and man, the eagle hewed straight
for its distant mark and finally passed from my sight.
After a long moment I turned and marked the spot. I was
on highway 71 coming from Fort Smith Arkansas
towards Texarkana and about 1.5 miles beyond the town of Abbot. There was
a large chicken barn to the east from whence the eagle had lifted. I
wondered if the eagle had feasted on a chicken carcass that early morn.
I would gladly have chipped in the cost of the chicken to see
that symbol of America fly again before my eyes.
The eagle was sacred in America long before the first
Euromericans arrived. The eagle was so sacred that just to hold an eagle's
feather in one's hand was a privilege. Even today, tribal members sent to die in the
hospital will often recover after holding an eagle feather while the medicine man prays.
The first time an eagle's feather was used to bless me
I could feel a new power
added to my heart and shoulders.
|
Symbols are powerful.
Yes. The Stars and Stripes represent
America too,
but brings to mind the massive military might needed
at the battles
front. What is the flag but a scrap of
material with bright colors
emblazoned thereon.
Yet, as a symbol, our flag unites the nation.
What is the eagle but a large bird that even a small pack
of
sparrows can drive from their territory?
Yet, as a symbol, the eagle
represents freedom
for the individual -- the freedom to soar, to worship,
and to
range forever undeterred
where boundaries cease to exist.
Everyone should have the privilege of personally
seeing a full
grown American Bald Eagle lift up from
the mists and pass in review right before
one's face.
It is a life-lifting experience I shall always remember.
the end
Lin Stone is the author of How To
buy Land At Tax Sales, produced by Truman
Publishing. Browzer Books has published three other books by Lin
Stone: Short Stuff,
Tales From the Light Side and Water, Water. As an editor Lin has
organized several more books. This article, and many more are available
for reprint. Click HERE for instructions.
p.s. On a Saturday evening about a month later we were
on our way to Sallisaw Oklahoma and there suddenly appeared another full grown
bald eagle on our left. "Is that --?" I asked. "It
IS!" This one was about 50 feet off the ground. He paused in
front of us then drifted slowly off to the east. I got the car stopped and
jumped out. My wife is a naturalist. I know she was not as excited
to see him as I was because after she jumped out she grabbed my arm and shouted,
"I saw him first, you just talk faster." Meanwhile, I was too excited to
even think of who had seen him first.
p.p.s. The next morning was Sunday and as usual I had to
be at the chapel at 7:00. Lo and behold, as I
passed over a hill about two miles from here a grown Spotted Eagle appeared
before me and continued to follow the road in front of me for nearly a mile.
Since then I have seen a bald eagle soaring over the town of Mena. I was in the
city swimming pool. When I pointed out the eagle soaring in the sky to my
wife, others saw my finger pointing and soon everyone there had found the same
thrill I had already had...
It was their FIRST eagle.
Click
HERE for some REALLY TERRIFIC eagle photos.
I'm sending you to my
favorite.
Navigation to more is at top, on right.
About the author:
Lin Stone maintains a National Directory of the best health insurance companies on the web and a National Directory of the best car insurance companies on the web.
Hundreds of his other articles are available for free reading on the Internet. Just Click HERE to see an index to his works.
FESTIVALS
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Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? *
Scuba Diving Lessons
The Cold Water Canoe Trip written
and illustrated by Lin Stone is available in Adobe Acrobat for your immediate
download and viewing. Be sure to RIGHT CLICK on the link. This book
is free. Tell your friends, family and customers where to find it, or
simply pass it along in your emails, or, post it to your web site.
For the fortunate few, life isn’t complete without a
backpacking trip through Europe.
This rite of passage is believed to further the maturation process of college
students, according to sociologists. Of course, others have opined that copious
amounts of alcohol, sun and Amsterdam have something to do with it. Regardless
of your purpose, you still have to figure out what to take.
Using The Right Fishing Line
*
What about Circle Hooks? *
Ice Fishing
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