One cold, busy Monday afternoon in December, my children and I were running errands in a local city square. There were snow mounds crusted over with black and mixed with street salt. People bustled about and cars lined up in traffic all around us as we stopped at a red light preparing to head home.
Suddenly, my son yelled out from the back seat, "There goes a bald eagle!" I quickly looked up and to my incredible surprise, he was right. We watched a beautiful bald eagle fly right over the square--the traffic, the busy-ness, the dirty city snow piles. White tail feathers and head seemed to sparkle as time seemed to stand still for a moment. She soared beyond our sight, and we were left screaming with astonishment and delight!
I've lived in this area for more than 4 decades and never once saw anything even close to this majestic bird fly by. To be honest, I hadn't ever spent much time looking.
This story reminds me what it means to be an Urban Ranger. Seeing that eagle fly over us made us feel humble. We are so small compared to the wonders in nature around us. And we recognized that sighting as a gift.
Urban Rangers are always seeking these gifts, and are always ready to receive them when they appear.
