It was cold and windy as I left the house to head 20 miles down the road into town for some materials with which to do some repair work on some furniture before I moved the next week. It's been a tough winter; more snow has fallen in the area than ever has been recorded. The temperatures have been colder than I remember any winter being in any of the many places I've lived. While the snow banks had melted to a mere six feet, there was still snow on all the fields and road corners. I am tired of winter already! Spring can't come soon enough.
As I drove down the narrow county road, the tree tops caught my attention. The tips of the twigs have turned reddish; they were beginning to swell in the lengthening days. As I was looking up at the trees, I was startled by a flash of black and white filling the span of my windshield. With grace, it flew out of view and into the tree beside the road. As I pulled to the side of the road, the creature's outline became clear: an American bald eagle. From his perch amid the swelling maple buds 100 feet above the road, he could could see the Maumee River overflowing its banks, the greening winter wheat in the fields, and the deep blue sky above him.
This unexpected gift gave me hope that the cold would soon swell into warmer days, the wind would be transformed into spirited breezes, and the trees would blossom into much needed shade.
Looking up has its advantages!
The Occasional Thoughts of a Meandering Sojourner
