As I walked through Loring Park yesterday I came upon a group of people staring into a rather short, small evergreen tree. The branches of the tree were sparse with lots of space in between. Nestled in the branches was a hawk, a rather large hawk, which seemed to be trying to catch a squirrel.

I joined the group of people watching this food chain life drama play out. One man with an enormous bulldog on a leash asked what kind of bird it was. After confirming that it was a hawk, we continued to stare on even after the squirrel had made its get-away, safe for at least a few more hours. The hawk seemed to be exhausted from the pursuit and rested toward the trunk of the tree.

After a few minutes of watching the hawk rest we each began to go our separate ways, to work, to school, to continue walking the dog. I left the experience with a huge grin on my face knowing I'd started my morning off with something quite special: an up-close and almost personal encounter with a hawk and a small sacred moment of grace experienced with total strangers. I carried the lightness of it all with me the rest of the day.

Hawks are visible around the Twin Cities with some regularity, sitting on the tops of light posts along the freeway, for instance.  But I had never been that close to one that was not being held by a handler. They are a mighty bird and I felt blessed to have happened upon this moment when I did. But what seemed equally as special was the sheer awe we lowly humans shared as we stood watching this beautiful creature. We, the ones-without-wings, can only imagine what it is like to soar above the earth completely on your own power. We can only dream of calmly sitting on the light post watching the frantic traffic go by or, even better yet, having the ability to  speed ahead of all the noisy, gas guzzling cars through the lift and power of wing.

And so we stood for a few moments in the middle of our busy lives observing the power and the fragility of this hawk. It seemed the least we could do on a too warm fall day. I pray the others in our little circle carried the beauty and blessing of the morning with them as I did.

"When
once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your
eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always
long to return. " ~Leonardo Da Vinci