Our 4th of July Eagle
Ray and I got up Friday morning ready to head home from Bethany’s when Nate texted to tell us that a deputy sheriff had just stopped by to let us know that the river was up and that they were about to close our road. How’s that for personal service? I love living here!
With rain predictions of 100% and flash flood warnings until Saturday night, we decided to make one of those mid-stream corrections — so we wouldn’t do a mid-stream float! We decided to hang out with Bethany and family a while longer! Nobody had to twist our arms to make us want to do that!
Our house is surrounded by hills in every direction. When rain is really heavy on the hills north of us, we see the effects of the water cycle first-hand! Clouds drop rain; it flows down hills to streams and rivers (including our river!); and eventually flows to the sea where some of it evaporates into clouds that float back to land and drop more rain! Solomon said it this way:
All the rivers flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers flow,
There they flow again.
Ecclesiastes 1:7
Road closures for flooding aren’t even a once-a-year occurrence for us, but we’ve experienced them a few times during our twelve years living, as they say around here, “up on the river.” Water has never threatened our house. It usually just keeps us home for a few hours now and then — or away from home, like it did on Friday.
As usual, our river overflowed its banks only briefly, and by mid-afternoon, we got the all-clear and headed home. Our feelings were mixed. We loved our visit with Bethany and her family, but Mary Evelyn and Nate had been taking care of Mother for one day shy of a week; and we felt an urgency to take back that responsibility. We had a couple of necessary stops we had to make, but otherwise hurried along until we got to the special waterfall we look for by the side of the road. The weather system that had flooded our road was making the waterfall especially beautiful. We decided we could spare a few more minutes.
We bopped along at a clip but we had one more interruption before we retrieved Mother. Just as we were about to go into Nate and Mary Evelyn’s house, Ray saw a bald eagle fly low across their driveway and head off toward the hills. Ray called to me; and by the time I got to Ray, the eagle was soaring in the distance. I stood watching his dark body and his white-fanned tail feathers soar farther and farther until he disappeared.
This was my second eagle sighting on the river. The first one was sitting in a tree a few years ago and actually stayed put while I drove home to get my camera and came back for a photo!
In the busyness and the pressure you feel as you fulfill your responsibilities to mother and homeschool your children, be sure to stop and smell the flowers and gaze at the waterfalls and watch the eagles soar. Feel the wonder of what God does each day to grow the flowers, send the water falling off precipices, and keep the eagles on high. Share these wonders with your children and stay still when they share theirs with you.
Well, the eagle wasn’t actually a 4th of July eagle. He was a 3rd of July eagle, but that was close enough for us.
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Isaiah 40:31