The Hawk: A Messenger From God
I recently lost a very close friend, and was given the gift of officiating her service.
I have long had a special relationship with the blue heron, and have written about it previously in this blog. So I assumed last week, that I would again be visited by a Blue Heron. Imagine my frustration as day after day went by, with no Blue Heron coming to see me at my lake.
My friend and I had in common our daily gifts of God, as seen through the miracles of the natural world. She knew of my anticipating the Gift of God in each day, and the way that I await and anticipate those experiences.
A week ago Saturday, I was beginning to prepare her service; standing at my glass door, gazing out on the balcony and the lake beyond, awaiting my blue heron. The blue heron did not come.
But my friend sent me a Red-Tailed Hawk
Through the glass of the door, only 3 feet away, the Hawk landed on the banister, and we gazed into each other’s eyes. Majestic and glorious, I have never seen a hawk on my property, much less this close up. We stared for what must have been 5 minutes. I have heard that this never happens, Hawks do NOT seek out people. But my friend had. She had come to see me! To give me solace and guidance, and honestly, and in her own way— to have a bit of input into her service.
In Native American Cultures, hawks are visionaries and messengers. It is my belief that there is never a moment when God is not trying to get a message through to us. We are just too busy and unaware of what we need, and what we see, to be aware of them.
But THAT day I received the message of the Hawk. I have discovered for myself through seeing life with a new pair of glasses, there is always a gift in each day if I look for them. This day, that gift was a Hawk.
The Hawk is able to soar high above the earth on the breathe of the Spirit of God. The Hawk gave me the gift of recognizing that if we are able to free ourselves of our past… our pains… our sorrows… and soar above our earthly lives, God can help us to gain a greater perspective. If we remain earthbound, the possibilities of life are much too limited.
Soar high above today, and catch a glimpse of a bigger pictures. Hawks are given keen eyesight, and we can access that if we are willing.
‘For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face-to-face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.’
My friend, and her gift of a Hawk, was a freely given gift of love. Soaring above, gaining a new perspective, I need to remember that God IS there in the every day. That there is unconditional love to receive, and to share with others. There is a new perspective in everything. To everything there is a purpose. Even in death.
