I said it out loud that morning — ‘I haven’t seen an eagle here in a couple of years. I’d love to see one.’ A few hours later, I looked up and there she was, landing right in front of me at the cabin in Garden Valley. Not only that, she sat at the water’s edge for probably a full five minutes, letting us photograph her.
In many traditions, the eagle is a messenger — a symbol of empowerment, of rising above what weighs us down, of being seen by something greater than ourselves. She reminded me that when we speak our longing out loud, we’re not just wishing into the void.
The spiritual journey I’ve traveled through grief has taught me to pay attention to moments like this. We speak what we long for, and sometimes — not always, but sometimes — it answers. This felt like one of those times. 