Hovering Heron!

I have always believed that life's richest blessing come to us in unexpected moments. I had three of those moments Sunday. Here's one:

I went out for a walk. On pretty days I prefer to workout outside. Sometimes I run, sometimes I walk, other times I walk/run. I have a four mile route, a five, and a seven.

I took off at about 5;15 for the four mile walk up to the "circle" at Lake Jeanette and Elm Street Extension and back home.

Last evening it was very windy as you know - and a bit nippy. I was on the footbridge across Lake Jeanette, the one further out from town. Now, to set the stage I was walking a I suppose south southeast. The sun was setting south-of-west to my right. The wind was from my right as well, out of the west, or west southwest. I was about 2/3s across the bridge when a great blue heron crossed over the footbridge maybe 30 feet ahead or me and 20 feet high, flying roughly eastward with the wind at his back. I stopped to watch him. I was surprised as he made a long leisurely loop across the larger open water to my left. Gradually he completed his 180 degree turn until he was flying west, right toward me, toward the sun, and against the wind. When he got to where I was standing on the boardwalk, maybe 20 feet above me, his forward motion stopped. He was flapping his very big wings but only just enough to stay stationary relative to me. He just "hovered" there for about thirty seconds, or so it seemed. It was like I was watching "Bird in Flight" at an IMAX movie. His head turned slowly to the right and to the left scanning the water ahead. He completely ignored me. Then he stopped flapping, tucked his wings a little, and glided in a slow downward angle against the wind and off to my right, disappearing beyond the road bridge.

I am guessing that with the sun descending in the west that there was some way in which the light from the descending sun (which he was now facing) gave him an ability to see fish in the water without them seeing him, and he was hovering for that reason - to look for fish. He seemed pretty "purposeful," and I am thinking that this might be a familiar strategy - he gets a fish, he takes off, does another long loop, hovers, and gets another fish, etc. But I don't really know.

It was pure childlike happiness for me. It brought tears to my eyes. I consider it such a privilege whenever I get such a view of such a creature. This heron was beautiful. His legs seems perfectly relaxed. His wing span must have been four to four and a half feet.

Nothing in this world gives me more joy than such unpredicted sightings. I feel so at home outside. The trees, the clouds, the wind, the birds, the wildflowers, the spiders and bugs - these are my friends.

And the animal creatures - the animals are so "other" - there is such a profound mystery in their existence. Of course I believe that we were all made by the same creative mind.

Amidst such turmoil and ugliness of life, good and beauty shines forth still.