On wings of Eagles

They that wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

          A week ago today, the skies were wet, windy and gray. My week had been a tough one. Listening to teenagers talk about their lives -running away from home. Hearing about them using Heroin, Meth and pretty much everything else and seeing their incredibly young faces tears at the linings of my soul. Knowing the tiredness of my spirit, after church we packed a few snacks and took off for the ocean.   

   

          Sixteen miles out of town a patch of blue appeared in the west, maybe just maybe we might see sun at the coast. The closer we drove to the ocean the brighter and sunnier it became. A grandson, enjoying driving the truck, requested that we skip our usual haunts and go South to a beach access.  Taking the turn to the access road the last dune hill revealed a crystal azure ocean set against a brilliant turquoise sky. “How wonderful!” I thought, “We get to have some sun.”

          We drove on the hard packed wet sand for about a mile and up to the right a large bird sat perched on a piling driven into the grass emblazoned dune. As we got closer, how thrilling to see that it was an Eagle, proud, majestic, symbol of strength and power. “Look!” I cried excitedly to my grandson, “An eagle!” He nodded and we continued to drive the brilliant stretch of sand. Here and there, we’d stop and get driftwood, pulling, pushing and tugging it to the truck. For some reason, I had decided I wanted to build a driftwood fence and today seemed an ideal day to begin the project.

          We piled back in the truck and continued to drive. Down the beach we could see a black dot on the right. As we neared, we were astonished to see another bald eagle, this one sitting atop the carcass of a dead seal. The eagle eyed us watchfully as we passed.

          “Cool” both my grandson and I thought, “Two eagles! What a day!”

          Peacefully continuing to meander down the sunny beach we continue to stop here and there on our driftwood hunt.  Any unusual objects were explored for possible treasure. Who knows if we could be the lucky ones?

          We tried to see the wreck of Peter Iredale down the coast but were still too far away, we continued our trek.  Ahead, large birds circled the dunes. “Look!” I cried, “Those must be crows! They are so huge!”  My grandson answered, “No, I think that must be vultures, they really are huge.”

         We drove closer and imagine our astonishment to find that the birds were Eagles. Diving, swooping, circling. He stopped the truck and I got out, stretching my arms wide to the sky as the birds swooped above. What enormous wind spans they had!  The experience was incredible for me. I had never seen more than two bald eagles at once in my entire 63 years, and here, this day there were so many eagles. We counted, one on the piling, another on the seal, and now, three, four, five, six, yes seven eagles!

          For me, it seemed like an a sign. I have been praying for strength, for renewal and here waiting at the coast to greet me were all these eagles, free, strong, soaring with apparent delight in the currents of the Pacific ocean breeze, feathers glinting in the sun.  It was a once in a lifetime experience. One of those moments you put away and take out and ponder, reliving the beauty and wonder of the moment, savoring its beauty and meaning.

          Yesterday, waiting for family, I ducked into Goodwill. I love digging through the treasures. It is like going to a museum to me, you never know what you are going to find. Digging through the pictures I found a large matted and framed print of an Eagle soaring high above the sea. Beneath the picture were the treasured words,

          They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary.  They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31.

          I bought the picture and lugged it to the car. I will hang it in my home someplace I can see it daily, to remind me that I don’t have to worry, God’s got this. My own strength, my own wisdom is so small. God’s isn’t. I have prayed, I have asked, His promises are true. He will renew my strength.

          Praise God……………….  Someday, there will be joy in My morning!

To all of you out there, take care and take prayer=

 as your doorway to our faithful creator…………..