Pelican Offers Advice

As we walked along the path by the river, we were surprised to see a lonely looking Pelican floating along the water, occasionally sticking its head below the water and then pulling it up again. 

My friend recently lost her husband to a long battle with cancer.  She was enjoying the walk and we were having a lively conversation.  Suddenly, the Pelican squawked, and stared right at her.  It began a lively combination of swimming, and sticking its head under water, and shaking water off, and then starting the combination all over.   We were surprised yet again, by this unusual behaviour.

Elizabeth asked me what I thought the bird was doing.  My reply was that the Pelican was giving her a message about life.  Here is my interpretation of the message.

• Pick up the pace of what you are doing.  It is okay to be gentle for a while, however, you do need to get on with things.
• When you feel an emotion, dive into it, and find out where it takes you.  Remember that an emotion is symptomatic of something else going on.
• Hiding from the world view by burying your head will not change things.  Meet things head on.
• When you have explored something, shake it off, and move on to the next thing.
• Moving with the water’s flow is easier than swimming upstream. 

Blessings,

Judy

I Will Follow The Sun

This writing is from several years ago and comes from my journal.  As I read it, I once again felt the emotions from that day.

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 I was away at a funeral for my Uncle.  My Aunt and Uncle were a constant in my life from when I was born.  As their children were born, they too, became a constant in our family.  

While I was sitting in the service, I was thinking how different life is now that my Uncle is gone.  My Dad predeceased my Uncle by three years.  They were good friends, and did several things a week together.  After Dad died, my Uncle became more important because he was the Elder of our family.

My Uncle’s interment happened late in the day, around the time he would go to do chores when he was still farming.  He always wanted to get the chores done before the Sun set, and he started chores just after sunrise.  Lunch was always at noon, when the sun was high.  We actually could set our watches by what my Uncle was doing.

I realized as we were sitting through the last prayer in the service, that my Uncle was very much in touch with Nature.  I thought about all the changes that he had seen – he was 92 – and how he kept in stride with what was going on with agriculture, even though he did not have to “mind the farm” for many years because his sons and grandsons now are the caretakers of the land.  

I thought about all the times he pulled all of the kids on the toboggan behind the old truck so we could fly down the ditch through the snow.  I thought about him hiding Easter eggs in their yard for all of us to find, and their old black retriever finding most of the candy and eating it before we got out there.  I thought about all the Christmases and Easters and birthdays and Sundays that we spent at one another’s houses, having wonderful meals and telling stories, and being family.  I remember how he always checked the weather, and then compared it to the Farmer’s Almanac.  I think this is a good song for him.

I’ll Follow The Sun

One day you'll look to see I've gone
For tomorrow may rain,
so I'll follow the sun
Some day you'll know I was the one
But tomorrow may rain,
so I'll follow the sun
And now the time has come
and, my love, I must go
And though I lose a friend
In the end you will know, oh
One day you'll find that I have gone
But tomorrow may rain,
so I'll follow the sun
But tomorrow may rain,
so I'll follow the sun
And now the time has come
and, my love, I must go
And though I lose a friend
In the end you will know, oh
One day you'll find that I have gone
But tomorrow may rain,
so I'll follow the sun.

-Written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon

Blessings,

Judy

Wolf Insights

Wolf drops by from time to time to share some insights.  Although regarded as a predator, and therefore something to be fearful around, Wolf is quite gentle when she is treated with respect.  That is her first insight.

The natural order of all things is to separate into levels of dominance or seniority or skills.  Humans do not follow this natural order.  Often the weakest, the least skilled, and the thoughtless become leaders or seconds.  They are careless with Nature and with life.  Trust them not.

Keep the pack small.  When the pack is small, you are more mobile and can follow the food more easily.  Larger packs are more work and are more likely to give the leader trouble.  A kill does not feed as many and there is more greed. 

Train the young.  The youngest and weakest wolf is trained in the way to fend for itself or for another if that is what is called for.  I see your young and know that most cannot fend for themselves and certainly will not care for another.  This erodes the power of the pack and the species.

Hunt the sure thing.  It is not in our Nature to go after the biggest and the strongest.  The chase simply will wear us out!  We are caretakers and help keep the herd animals strong.  We take the weakest and let the herd keep its strong to lead and to breed.

Blessings,

Judy