There’s just something about seeing a bald eagle. It still gets me every time, even though, thankfully, it’s not as rare of an event as it once was. Once on the Endangered Species List, now they live in proliferation. They symbolize strength, resilience, and freedom. We could all learn a lesson from them. They show us what’s possible when we work together and when we put others’ needs ahead of our own. They remind us of what could be lost.
When our Toyota Highlander first rolled off the Malaspina ferry after three days floating through the Inside Passage, we were greeted by a bald eagle bigger than a small person with a wingspan the length of our car as we arrived in Haines, Alaska. We really didn’t know where we were going yet; we just followed the eagle, trusting in his keen, distant vision. It was one of those few moments in life that I knew for certain I was exactly where I needed to be.
My dad would always talk in awe of the bald eagle. He told me about Rachel Carson and how her book Silent Spring educated the world on the detrimental impact of pesticides on the natural environment and how her voice helped bring a ban on the use of DDT. Carson said, “One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, what if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?”
The moments matter. As I get older and reflect on some of the more precious times I’ve lost, I only keep my faith because I know what I felt was real and true and had meaning and purpose, and if nothing else got me to this exact moment where I am. It’s like God keeps giving us the chance to learn the lessons we’re tired of learning. We get exactly what we ask for. And then we let the opportunity pass.
And then it’s too late. Our friends change. The people we love die. We leave too much on the playing field, too much left unsaid.
And then we see another bald eagle, and I remember that I’ve always wished and hoped for more with my dad and that, in time, it happened. Is it weird to be a middle-aged, grown-ass woman and still need my dad? Rhetorical question. Sometimes, we just need to shed a skin, molt, or lose some old feathers so that some new ones can grow in. Acceptance. Forgiveness. Joy. Connection.
A few years ago, I was guided by Erin Kuehl on a journeying experience. As I traveled the mountainside, I gathered around a large fire with my angels and ancestors. My guide encouraged me to give all the guests a gift to pass around the fire. A feather was the first thing that came to my mind. A feather to feed the fire with oxygen, life, hope, and well wishes. Then, I needed something more specific, and I chose a bald eagle feather so that I could always be sure that the sight of a bald eagle would be a sign that my ancestors and angels were right there with me. I set intentions, trusted the process, and opened myself to the spirits that guide and protect me, and in the next week, I saw EIGHT bald eagles. They made their presence known to me daily, consecutively soaring over me as I traveled up and down I-29. The sight of the first baldie brought tears to my eyes. And with each one that followed, I felt the most secure sense of strength and courage, and I knew that I was exactly where I needed to be at that moment.
And over the years, it’s never stopped. At all those moments when I’ve needed to have a moment in my life, a bald eagle appears. They were abundant in the Boundary Waters up in northern Minnesota when our family was there this summer. One even showed me a honey-hole fishing spot on Big Lake, which was exactly where I needed to be at that moment.
Recently, Ryan was watching the Sunday Morning Show, and I came in to sit at the tail end of the show for the “And now we leave you with….” (fill in the blank with some beautiful and serene nature vista). We had all the curtains drawn from the row of sliding glass doors looking to the valley below and the cliff across the way. No sooner did I sit on the couch when I caught my husband’s reaction. He sat upright, eyes gaping wide out the glass windows, hands on the side of the recliner as he exclaimed, “Oh my God!” As I looked out the window for a moment, I thought I was looking at some torpedo, immediately in awe at whatever I witnessed. A moment later, I saw the hooked yellow-orange beak, the bright white feathers of his head, and the orange talons tucked in under and with the wingspan of what felt like the width of our house. All I could do was gasp; my jaw dropped, and my hand over my chest with awe at the sight of this beautiful creature flying over our home. This is another case of being exactly where we were supposed to be at this moment.
So, my friends, I invite YOU to take a moment to pause and reflect, to connect with the spiritual, the natural world, and to discover for yourselves the signs, the feeling, and the meaning of an eagle flying or the cardinal dashing, or the turtle, the rabbit, or the owl, or whatever it is you need to see to know that you are never truly alone and that the support of all Creation is here for your manifestation. That you are exactly where you are supposed to be at this moment.
By Meghan Nelson and Ryan Allen
Lumin Therapy provides integrative health and education for the mind, body, and spirit to those who are suffering or struggling to step into and live their heartfelt mission and purpose. Through the practice of physical therapy, medical therapeutic yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and resiliency mentoring, Dr. Meghan Nelson, DPT, and Dr. Ryan Allen, PhD, bring their more than 40 combined years of knowledge and experience serving individuals, families, and organizations to learn and heal and live without boundaries.
