Wednesday, July 25, 2012

feathers & hawks

feathers.
i find them everywhere.
i have vases & jars...filled with found feathers.
i always take pictures before i touch them.

a couple of years ago...i stopped in at this little shop, 'Mystikal Scents'.
stones, gems, tarot, herbs, books...the kind of stuff that always draws me in.
one of the healers behind the counter waved me over.
she took my hand and told me i've had a lot of losses...
(yep, i am the last of my immediate family...the oldest of 3 siblings)
and that all the feathers i find are signs.  messages.  a spirit is close by.

that made so much sense.
not only because i've experienced so much loss...
but i DO find a lot of feathers...
and each time i pick them up...i feel connected...my heart races a little.
i feel a warmth spread through me.

a candle burns right now for my sister
who would have been 56 on july 23.
she succumbed to a long...five year battle...with breast cancer, in 2007. 

my brother, nov. 1955  -  sept. 2008
my dad, july 1917  -  may 2001
mom  -  march 1923  -  dec. 1989



the feathers i find...the visits in dreams...that strange sensation i get from now & then...
makes me realize they're still here. all around me.


“I am a feather for each wind that blows”
~ William Shakespeare


ANYWAY,
speaking of feathers...
some of the feathers i spot on the ground are from the Red-shouldered Hawk.
here's a hawk in the backyard.
not a very good picture...he was a little too far for my camera
and i didn't want to scare him away by getting any closer.

this past weekend...early morning...after sam & i went to the field across the road
to see if there were any more wild blackberries (nope!)

we heard the hawks.

we stopped. listened. followed the sound...and then spotted one.

high up in a pine tree...facing east...looking into the sun...
not the best camera angle.

>she's calling out to another hawk<

>and one flies in...can u see? under her...on the branch below<

>a third hawk flies in


and chases the other away<




males fighting over the female?
young ones competing for mom's attention?

and life goes on...in the hawk world.  we headed up the dirt road to our (dirt) driveway.
(no wonder i'm constantly dusting!)



SO,

if you happen to come across a feather...
smile.

someone you know who has passed on, is letting you know they're near.
just a little reminder...to celebrate the life you had together.


stay cool. be safe.
laura
(on to run errands, do chores and another massage app't. see you at your place...soon.)




24 comments:

  1. this brought tears to my eyes. i am always finding feathers and picking them up. thank you for sharing your message. :)

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    1. thanks T...always...for your kind...and warm...words!! :)

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  2. Lovely...nothing makes me happier than to find a feather.

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    1. i know what you mean...they feel so good in your hand!

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  3. Lovely post Laura ......I always wear a feather in my hair when I walk ......xx

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    1. i think i've seen pic's of you with feathers in your hair lorna...feathers are a good thing no matter where we put them, eh!??

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  4. I too find a lot of feathers. Usually from a hawk's kill. I hadn't thought of them in this manor before. But since my mother has been visiting my dreams lately, I think I'll adopt your thought on the subject. My mother used to refer to her seven children as her seven little Indians and place feathers in our hair whenever she found one.
    Nice thought on this warm summer day.

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    1. what a nice story stew!!! wow...my mother would NEVER think of putting feathers in the kids' hair...and certainly never hers.

      being adopted...i always though i must have some native american in me some where...

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  5. Beautiful.

    Also reminds me of these words from the poem/song, Do not Stand at My Grave and Weep:
    Do not stand at my grave and weep
    I am not there; I do not sleep.
    I am a thousand winds that blow,
    I am the diamond glints on snow,
    I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
    I am the gentle autumn rain

    I don't know the rest from memory. Shortly after my sister died from ovarian cancer in '98, I heard this for the first time. It was the post-communion meditation song at church. Needless to say, I cried, but it gave me comfort.

    I will think of your post from now on when I find feathers.

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    1. i read that poem at my dad's funeral...and even made copies for people to take home...

      thank you melissa! :)

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  6. How very thoughtful.

    Please have a good Thursday you all.

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  7. That's beautiful Laura - it's always a lovely moment coming upon a feather :D)

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  8. You gave me goosebumps. The first pic of feathers is beautiful. That is a powerful experience you had. I will keep my eyes open for feathers. Thanks for sharing your story here with us.

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  9. Such lovely feathers, and a wonderful story to go with them. I too always pick up feathers - and from now on i shall always think of you when I do, and smile.

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  10. OMG! I love those hawk pictures, Babe! Some day....:)JP

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  11. A great post Laura -- your feather pictures are beautiful anyway but even more so because you shared your story! I believe they are messages!

    A wonderful series with the red-shoulders too! I can nearly hear their cry....they're a very neat bird and wonderful that you got these behavioral shots.

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  12. Those are some beautiful feathers!

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  13. THANKS every body...for your kind words...and taking time out to read & leave a note! :)

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  14. Oh Laura I knew we were similar in our thinking when I read this post. It made me very sad hearing about your losses and I am so sorry you have to go through this but it made me very happy knowing you now know about feathers.
    I have so many feathers in my tractor and house, messages from someone, I pick them up or just photograph them and red tailed hawks make me think of my Dad and I have always thought it his way of telling me everything is going to be alright.
    Oh I love this post you are not alone.Hugs Laura lots of hugs. Life is wonderful.

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  15. Hi Laura,
    Thank you for your comments on my blog ..
    you ask about the owl .. It is a tawny owl
    very small and not yet Flyable
    you look here
    http://waldlaeufer68.blogspot.de/2012/05/unser-waldkauz-projekt-hat-dieses-jahr.html
    http://waldlaeufer68.blogspot.de/2012/05/waldkauz-jungtier-update-20.html
    regards Frank

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  16. What a lovely post Laura, I'm so sorry for all of your losses. I've never heard that about feathers having that meaning before but it is so lovely.
    I love the pictures of your hawks. :)

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  17. From the heart, dear lady! This was from the heart. And they are with you--yes. :):)

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  18. THAN YOU everybody!! for all your kind words...and caring support!! it means a lot to me to have you take time to stop here...read...and even leave a note.

    so...save those feathers! and smile! :)

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  19. love the thought that a feather is sent by a loved one. You've had so many losses in a few short years. Sending wishes for many feathers your way.

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