Birds of Prey

I saw a hawk this morning gliding on the breezes outside my bedroom window. I have always felt a connection to hawks, falcons, eagles, anything in the raptor family. I was once told that the Native American horoscrope that is equivalent to Aries (my birthday) is the red-tailed hawk. I believe that is among the Lakota Sioux. Nevertheless, I have always welcomed the sight of hawks.

Several years ago, after a hard year in New Orleans, I would roadtrip to Colorado to spend my summers there as a wilderness guide. And, without fail, I would see hawks all along the road trip. I came to interpret their presence as a sign I am heading in the right direction.

Several months after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I started to see hawks in the sky. Of course, there were new feeding grounds for them with entire parts of the city that were once neighborhoods and now fields. Lots of good hunting, I imagine. But, again, I welcomed their presence and new I was in the right place as I was trying to rebuild.

Almost a year and a half ago, when my mom had been diagnosed with cancer out of the blue, I saw hawks. Every morning, out of the small window by our shower, I could see a family of hawks flying around and in and out of the only tree that is visible from the shower. They were letting me know that it was going to be all right. Again, regardless of how it felt, I was on the right path.

My mom died March 1st of last year. And two days after her death, I was sitting upstairs at my parents' house in Columbia County, New York. And I caught a glimpse of a huge hawk! I ran to the deck to discover it wasn't a hawk at all. It was a bald eagle. My mom's voice was never faint (except perhaps in her final days). So a bald eagle was a fitting message. It was extraordinary.

So, it is fitting that I saw a hawk this morning, two days after leaving my job, which is perhaps one of the final major steps toward making this trip a reality. I look forward to following the birds of prey on my journey over the coming year and beyond.