Something Unexpected

I left the preschool today with a mission. I was planning to donate blood this afternoon. I ate a good lunch, drank plenty of fluids, and was prepared to spend the next hour or so doing something I enjoy very much. Honestly, I ENJOY donating blood. It has only been a recent addition to my life, and I am grateful each time I am able to do it. However, at least half the times I have gone with the intention of donating blood, I have ended up waiting a week becuase my hemoglobin was not high enough. I was certain that would not be a problem this time around. I thought I had a system in place. So, I went back to the little room to get my finger poked with the highest of hopes. The nurse poked my finger, squeezed it, wiped off a drop of blood, and took two drops of blood to check my hemoglobin. "Hey, wait a minute!" I thought. "Isn't she supposed to wipe it off three times and THEN take the drops for the hemoglobin check?" The number came back low. Sigh. I would have to come back next week and try again. I was very bothered, and talked myself into being annoyed at the possibility that she did the test wrong and THAT was why my number came back low. I grumbled as I got in the car to go home, and grumbled some more when I remembered that I had to stop at the grocery store on the way home.

I was still crabby as I got back into the car with my groceries. "Oh well," I thought, "I might as well stop at Silver Lake Park and take some pictures. Maybe that will cheer me up."  I pulled into the turnaround at the northwest end of the park and stopped for a minute to pull on my boots. I got the second one halfway on when two huge bald eagles screamed past the van, flying low. They landed in a tree just across the road from where I sat. I got out of the van quickly, working that second boot on my foot as I half-walked, half-ran to a better vantage point. Camera ready, I snapped several pictures, walking closer and closer until I had a relatively clear shot of the nearer eagle. They were such magnificent birds. I kept saying, "Thank you! Thank you, God!" It felt like an extreme privilege to be in the right place at the right time to get to experience them up close. Soon enough they were flying away again. I was pretty sure I spotted something (like a small critter of some sort) in the talon of one of the eagles. I was not fast enough to get a picture of them flying, but I did get to watch them. It's a memory I will cherish.

I drove home feeling foolish. Some days, I am truly an ungrateful idiot. When will I learn that life is bigger than the sum of the details? I was so wrapped up in complaining I almost missed something amazingly beautiful. I reminded myself that God still loves ungrateful idiots, but I do hope that one day I will skip over that part and learn to "be still and know that (he) is God." (Psalm 46:10)

By the way, when I got home and looked at the pictures, I was reminded that these were not postage stamp eagles. These were the real deal. If you look closely, you will see bits of flesh on the eagle's beak, a reminder that this is a wild animal who hunts in order to eat. And wow, I got to see it up close in the wild. I am truly blessed.