Eagle Encounter

I finally arrived at the farm. The farm was a large family farm that was owned by lifetime birders. I saw a bald eagle as I enter the property soaring high above the trees almost taunting me with his presence. As I continued on my birding quest I saw high in a sycamore tree, the beginnings of an eagle's nest. When I was making my way back to the entrance I entered a clearing where the sun shone through brightly. Suddenly the sunlight was interrupted and a large shadow appeared on the ground in front of me. It was a creepy moment that made the hair on my back raise. I felt goose bumps on my skin. Even before I turned to see, I felt the movement of air, and heard the flutter of giant wings beating the air. As I directed my eyes to the sky I encountered a magnificent bald eagle, eye to eye. It appeared so pure and so clear against the winter blue sky. It was hovering above with only feet separating us. It was like our eyes were locked on one another. Its golden eyes, set into the roughed white of its head, searched with curiosity. Its yellow hooked beak and it powerful sharp talons were reminders of its dominance and authority. As suddenly as it appeared, it turned sharply and lifted on the breezes, its white fan of a tail glistening in the morning sun. Its powerful wings arched into a slight “V.” Then it was only a memory; a memory etched into my mind. This was not a photo moment, just a personal encounter.

A Rebirth of the Theater

It is a small mid-west Bible belt community. The community is rebounding from a series of mistakes that were the result of poor decisions made by the town’s teenagers. Their actions brought negative attention to both the school and the community. The school’s lacks leadership as the superintendent resigned early in the school year. In his lame duck role, he is at a loss as to what to do and supports an attitude of riding out the year with as little resistance as possible. This whole situation has left the parents feeling like nobody is in charge. There are those among them that will be quiet happy to run the show and as human nature might have it decisions would be made to benefit those making the decisions.
The play is the first for this first year drama teacher. The theater is not a real solid stone in the school built on an athletic foundation. The script for the play was an original written by the director. While the production was an adaptation, it was written with local flavor and subtlety addresses the community status and their desire to put the things of the past in the past and move on.
The production featured a cast starved for attention and recognition. A deflated budget, meant that the entire play had to be presented with left overs. The costumes were bits and pieces from the prop closets that were designed and sewn to fit the needs of the cast. Parents, some who are strangers to the school house, helped with the sewing and built and painted sets, provided snack for rehearsals and tried to help as they could. One of the parents was a musician and composed an original score for the production.
It was the rebirth of the theater. It wasn’t the actors that made the production special. Nor was it the sets or the music. It was the message of the courageous director that made the difference. There were students and parents, working quietly together, so quietly that some didn’t even know it was happening, which chipped away at the nagging problems of the community.
People were working together to make a difference.