THE EAGLE HAS LANDED

AND PERCHED IN A TREE

IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD PARK

I couldn't believe my eyes. As I rounded the lake in my small suburban park, perched in a birch tree by the lake was a bald eagle. I stopped and stared, eyes wide and unbelieving. My husband took out the camera and moved down the grassy embankment to take pictures.

You've got to understand, my husband and I walk to this park and around the lake twice a day. Everyday. Rain or shine. All year round for over 10 years. We've seen the usual parade of park life: ducks, geese, nutrias, squirrels, jays, crows, sparrows, robins, cormorants and seagulls on occasion.

But never, ever an eagle. And we wouldn't expect one due to the closeness of the homes surrounding the little lake. And, by the way, I'm from Michigan originally, and what they call a lake here would be considered a pond there. So you see what I mean, seeing an eagle perching in a birch tree was an amazing and wonderful surprise. Another coincidence was having a camera with us. We just happened to be carrying a camera that day because there's a tree in the woods I'd been wanting to photograph for studio reference for one of my copper repousse' pieces.

I had to see this as a sign. And so on arriving home, I looked up the significance and symbolism of the eagle. Here's what I found in "The secret language of signs" by Denise Linn.

"This is a sign of great significance. To native people around the world, the eagle was a symbol of the Creator. The eagle connects you to the Great Spirit above. In ancient Egypt, the eagle was the symbol of the day and the full light of the sun, and was therefore considered emblematic of illumination. In ancient northern Europe, the eagle was associated with the gods of strength, power, and war. In many ancient cultures, the eagle was considered a messenger from the heavens. On Roman coins it was the emblem of imperial power. Listen carefully when this sign appears for you; it can signal a time of power and strength in your life of soaring freedom, of seeing life from new heights."

Right now, in our lives, both my husband and I are challenging ourselves, taking new risks, exploring new territory. The eagle landing in our lives that morning on our routine walk through the park was definitely more that coincidence. It was a sign and a very good sign for both of us.