A HAWK’S VISION

HAWK SOARING & SITING, Jamestown, NC

I recently noticed this red shoulder hawk perched on a nearby branch by my driveway.  The hawk sat motionless as I drew closer with my trusty iPhone at the ready to quickly capture an image before he bolted.  In all my years outside in nature, that’s the closest I’ve ever come to a vigilant hawk.

The eastern North Carolina Cherokee believe that when creatures cross your path, they’re bringing a message to share.  Circling hawks soaring on rising thermals are known for their keen eyesight and they are considered to be messengers of vision and clarity.  Folks are cautioned to consider that whatever you’re thinking about at the time may resolve itself and manifest in your life.  You will have the clear vision and wisdom to act accordingly.  It’s a reminder that we are not alone and spiritual guidance is always available to us.

Mankind has observed the traits of hawks for millennia and those have been incorporated into religions such as in Buddhism; the hawks represent union with the great spirit.  In Hinduism, hawks are associated with rejuvenation and hawks represent wisdom in Christianity.  The hawk was the symbol of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.

The sky is the hawk’s realm and a circling hawk grabs our attention to consider a message on its wings or in the wings for action when the time is right.  I’ve recently pondered the message that I now have more years behind me than in front of me.  That’s prompted me to savor each of those future moments even more acutely now that I have the time away from demands that consumed my working hours.  Time in retirement can be consumed just as quickly, but I’ve learned to see that and commit more time to being thankful and purposeful with the days left and act accordingly.

 

THE BURNT TOAST THEORY

World Trade Center, NY,NY

The Burnt Toast Theory is a way of positively rationalizing setbacks so that you can navigate a positive outcome or prevent greater harm.  Our Creator has set the laws of the universe into motion and doesn’t normally interfere with them.  But some have even suggested that in some instances the unseen hand of Providence may be in play when negative things happen, such as burning your toast to start your day may cause just enough of a delay in leaving home that it saves you from an accident that never happens.

People are suggesting that the assassination attempt on president Trump which resulted in a torn right ear prompted him to hit the floor which may have saved his life from another shot.  The fact that he turned slightly to reference a graphic was also in play.  I’ve experienced a number of very close calls in my extended life that might have had terrible outcomes that I never had to experience.  One incidence that comes to mind was the night I was unaware of a man shadowing me to a dark parking spot on the Mexico border and had his hand on my rental car’s door handle just as I was prompted to lock the door.

The concept quickly came to mind as I remembered the legion of stories that emerged after the 911 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York.  There were many people who were inconvenienced on that fateful morning and were detained from being in one of the towers as the terrorists flew commercial planes into the buildings, killing almost 3,000 citizens.

One woman was contemplating her future at home since she had just been laid off from her job in one of the towers within 24 hours of the incident.  She was rehired by the firm and had never been processed off the payroll.  A chef at Windows on the World had to take the time to replace his eyeglasses on the way to work and wasn’t present.  A man was driving his brand-new vehicle to an 8:00 meeting on the 73^rd floor of Tower Two and had a mechanical problem.  So, he drove to his dealership at 7:00, but the mechanics refused to start work until 8:00.  An attendee at a conference realized that a publication was missing from their booth, so he volunteered to go back to their off-site office to retrieve it.

All of these real-life examples should encourage us to consider the burnt-toast theory as a mental mindset to get back on track when something goes wrong and be thankful that nothing worse happened!  

 

THE BOND BETWEEN US

God with Us

Carry On

Living a full life is a blessing denied to many beyond our understanding, but it also comes with the determination to carry on in the brief time we have to live apart.  We lose parents, grandparents,  aunts and uncles, close friends, soulmates, children, etc.  However, we can embrace peace, faith and hope in the understanding that we are an eternal soul with a mortal body.  The bond between us is merely paused for a season.

I’ve found the following observation to be useful:

“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to.”

--Elisabeth Cabler-Ross