Winter Blessings

Happy New Year!!!!

A new year has begun!

As all the warm well wishes for each other have been exchanged and the days are now beginning to get longer again, here at Elkenwolf winter is showing off it’s unique beauty with icy temperatures turning water to magical ice creations that delight the senses, even if feet and hands are hard to keep warm while taking pictures.

As I sit here in the deep silence of winter I wonder what 2017 will bring. Out of nowhere a large bald eagle flies high over Reflection Cove taking my attention from my wandering mind to the giant wings moving in a powerful rhythm like the beat of my heart. It seems to know where it is going.

A week before Christmas, as we were getting ready for a big Solstice event, I saw a bird fly towards our living room window and heard the big bang. It all happened so fast it took a few moments for my mind to register what just happened. My partner was the first to lean over the couch to see a little woodpecker lying with it’s head in the snow underneath the window. I remember walking over reluctantly not wanting to see the hurt or dead bird. The moment I saw it lying there motionless it was clear that I needed to check on it. I pulled on my coat and boots and hurried outside. As I rounded the corner of our deck I saw the bird still lying there motionless, the red feathers startling bright against the white snow. I also saw another woodpecker nearby on the ground, hopping away under the deck as I approached and then flying into a tree close-by.

Picking up the unmoving bird very gently with both of my hands I could feel that it was still alive. It had it’s eyes closed but as I positioned it in my hands it moved it’s feet and held onto my fingers evoking sweet memories of the feel of little bird’s feet of my beloved childhood friend: my budgie Hansi.

The woodpecker’s eyes were tightly closed. I hoped that the warmth of my hands were keeping it warm as I stood there looking for any signs and wondering if it could survive both the hard impact with the window and the shock. I spoke to it softly telling it that I hoped it would recover and fly again. Then I also said that it would be ok for it to let go, if that is what it needed to do and that it was loved.

As I stood there in silence waiting for a response the little woodpecker started to blink its eyes. Not knowing what else to do, I held the woodpecker and waited, watching it continue to blink slowly. Then a call from a nearby bird roused me out of my silent watch and I felt almost prompted to turn towards a bush and crouch down. The moment I did this the little woodpecker pulled its wings out of my hands and flew to the tree just behind the bush. It’s mate immediately joined him there. It hesitated for a few more moments, then to my delight flew to another tree nearby, it’s mate following close behind.

You can probably imagine the joy I felt seeing the two of them fly off together, leaving me with a feeling of deep gratitude in my heart and an awareness of the preciousness of life. One morning a few days later I awoke to a loud familiar drumming sound on the metal roof. Instantly I wondered if it was my little friend sending me a message, that all is well.