My Bird Experience

When I was about twelve years old we were living in the high desert.  One weekend we visited an elderly couple and I was left to my own devices.  The couple's home was surrounded by wild hills and large, scrubby juniper bushes.

I remember something had happened that day between me and my mom.  Maybe an argument.  I got in trouble for it and I remember feeling pretty down about it.  I felt like a bad person but that was mixed up with a lot of teenage hormone related emotions, too.  So, all in all, I was feeling pretty unhappy.

I took off into the hills by myself and climbed to the very top of a steep hill.  It was a pretty tall hill.  The whole hill was covered in trees.  When I got to the top of the hill I climbed a tall juniper tree.  I found a good place to sit on a branch.  From this vantage point I could see out over a large open valley.  It was so far to the other side that I could see a bit of blue haziness toward that end of the valley.

I don't remember what time of year it was, but it was not too warm.  There was no wind that day.  The trees were very still.  I heard no rusting of a breeze at all.

As I sat in the tree I prayed through many tears that I felt hopeless.  I wanted to know that God loves me and that I was not such a bad child as couldn't be accepted by Him.  I wanted to ask for a sign but I didn't want to be greedy so I decided to not ask for a bear to show up.  I looked out into the distance and I noticed far away there were birds flying out over the valley.  They were small dots with wings.  I asked God if he still loved me, to send one of these birds to fly over my head.  Then I would know.  I would have hope.  If not, then I would live life as I desired without trying to be a good person.

I sat there praying this prayer over and over in my head with my eyes closed.  I heard a roaring sound in the distance.  It sounded like it was coming from the valley.  I did not open my eyes.  The roaring sound go louder until a physical wave of wind hit me.  I had to reach my hands out and grab the branch above me to keep from being knocked from my perch.  The wind lasted for a little bit and then it died completely and the whole area was as dead of wind as before.

At this point I opened my eyes and cautiously looked up.  There were 3-6 of these huge birds flying in a tight circle directly above my head.  One flew between my tree and the one next to it.

This is why I believe there is definitely someone out there watching over us.