This evening (August 7), we’ve been preparing for our interview with Whitley Strieber’s Dreamland Radio, which will be recorded on August 13. Since we’ll be interviewed separately, we’ve been trying to come up with different synchronicities for each of the 7 secrets. I imagined myself being asked what my best personal synchronicity was – and drew a complete blank.
A kind of panic spread through me and suddenly I was 11 or 12 years old, living in Caracas, and in a piano recital that was being filmed for a local TV station. As I sat down at the piano to play the piece I had rehearsed for weeks, my fingers froze, my mind went numb, and I heard nothing but static. Stage fright. I think I started crying, the cameras stopped, and then I was finally able to play the piece. The memory seemed like a clear warning to have something prepared. And then I remembered the message of the one-legged burrowing owl. I thought we had already used it as a post, checked, and we haven’t. I did write about it in Animal Totems, a book I co-authored with our friend Millie Gemondo. So here’s the one that stands out in my mind.
For the first 11 years of Megan’s life, we lived on a lake – a man-made lake that was dug as an enticement to buy homes in our development. It had a few alligators, a lot of ducks, and drew other birds and wildlife. For several years, we had a family of burrowing owls living in our back yard. They’re an endangered species, live in burrows they dig beneath trees and shrubs, and are slightly larger than a robin. They hunt between dusk and dawn and are rarely seen during the day.
One Sunday afternoon, Megan and her friend came racing into the kitchen, shouting about a burrowing owl perched on the atrium fence outside my dad’s bedroom. My dad had been living with us for about two years, ever since we had placed my mother in an Alzheimer’s unit. I knew that in esoteric traditions, owls are considered to be messengers between the dead and the living and my first thought was that the owl portended that my dad, who had Parkinson’s, was going to pass away soon. The fact that the owl was perched on the fence in broad daylight concerned me, too.
The three of us stood at the sliding glass door, gawking at the owl. Then I noticed that the bird was perched on just one leg. I thought that the left leg might just be pulled up, so we hurried outside for a closer look. It wasn’t the least bit startled as the three of us approached for a closer look. We realized its left leg wasn’t just pulled up; part of its leg was missing.
Unsettled by the whole thing, I convinced myself it didn’t mean anything. But at nine the next morning, the phone rang. It was the Alzheimer’s facility. My mother was on the way to ER, presumably for a broken hip. I rushed over to the hospital. She was in excruciating pain. X-Rays were taken, doctors arrived and left. By the end of the day, the prognosis was worse than a broken hip. My mother’s left hipbone- the same leg that was actually missing on the owl – had disintegrated completely. He wasn’t a candidate for a hip replacement because she didn’t have the presence of mind necessary for the rehab.
“So what are the alternatives?” I asked the doctor who delivered the news.
“We do wonderful things with pain management nowadays.”
Easy for him to say. She wasn’t his mother.
My mother was transferred to a nursing home, where pain management consisted of regular doses of morphine. She died three weeks later of pneumonia. The owl had delivered its message that Sunday weeks earlier.
Wow, Trish. That was really an amazing story. So sorry your mother suffered at the end of her life. That must have been so hard for you, too.
Mike – that story about the owls and the nursing home – incredible!
Connie – very interesting about the dove and your son's subsequent illness. Glad he's okay.
Maggie – we'll let u know about the radio show. I think anyone can listen to the regular radio show.
This story was so touching.
I unfortunately also have birds that are constantly flying into any window I am near. They have rarely died thank goodness.
I have even had birds fly into the window of a friends house before I have arrived.
I don't know how to stop it. I have put decals up,curtains and even a light but they continue to do it.
My main computer is in the study which is in the front of the house and I spend a lot of time there, I keep seasonal cling stickers on the window and have actually had the birds slam into the front door. I just don't get it.
So sad that the little owls couldn't go into the nursing home.
what an incredibly moving story, trish – just incredible! you probably remember the owl who came to me in the city the night i got word of my brother's death – and i seemed to have that one and/or another around the next few years in the city –
sad sad commentary on society and prohibiting the little man from carrying around the little creatures! just like recently when a local govt agency closed down the lemonade stand of a 7 year old little girl in her front yard! she didn't have a vendor's license! can you believe it!
anyway, a truly extraordinary story, trish – and i'm sure no piano stage fright today, lady!!! 😉
Mike, how very distressing that the residents of the nursing homes are deprived of such a wonderful experience! It's been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that interacting with all kinds of animals: cats, dogs, birds, horses, etc., has a healing effect for the elderly and for the infirm of all ages, even those who are mentally challenged. What a shame! If the owls are tame enough to be carried by the fellow, they certainly are tame enough to be trained and must certainly be leashed when he carries them, so they wouldn't get out of control.
"Wise as an Owl". They are, aren't they! cj
I wondered if you ever saw the owl again?
You mentioned a weird time of day for the owl. In todays UK newspapers there are stories about an old man who for many years has taken owls – he has saved – for a walk round the streets. By this I mean he has them on his shoulder or arm and shows them to residents of Nursing Homes etc. Now 'Health and Safety' have banned him from doing this. It's a funny old world.
A perfect, although very sad, synchro for you to share during your interview. (I knew about your Dad's PD but hadn't realized this about the circumstances of your Mom's passing. So very tragic!) Since I was a little girl I was always told that birds in certain situations portend serious illnesses and sometimes even death, depending. I think I've shared this before, but will repeat. Our youngest son was here visiting me one day and walked to our back door, which is all glass, (a sunroom). He called me to come look. Right outside the back door, laying on the concrete walk, a beautiful mourning dove had died. She had no visible external wounds, nothing. I got an intensely uneasy feeling. My son sadly, gently buried the dove under an oak tree in the yard. Her mate watched from a limb overhead, occasionally cooing grievously. The next day that son became gravely ill with life-threatening endocarditis, was in the hospital for many weeks and ultimately had open-heart surgery. He's fully recovered now. There have been other events with birds crashing into our windshield, crashing against a window in the house, etc., and these incidents never fail to be followed by something dire within the family. I truly believe our feathered friends are messengers from Spirit, sent to alert us to pay attention and prepare! Look at this WV: "preli" cj
Sorry you had to receive such a message and lose your mom like that. That was quite a message synchro.
Do hope the interview goes well. I stop by Unknown Country often but am not a subscriber….wonder if I'll be able to get a listen? And if so… when? Looking forward to hearing you both.
And at a weird time of day for these owls.
more owls…
A pretty definite one, I'd say.
Hope it all goes well. 🙂