Eagles Among Us

8.9.12

The 7th marked the 6th year of my dad being gone. Six years since his accident and untimely departure. If you knew my dad, you knew his appreciation of Bald Eagles. He had a collection of Eagles proudly displayed on shelves – he loved what they symbolized from a patriotic standpoint and I remember him talking about how, on the few occasions he’d been lucky enough to see one, they soared beautifully. More on that in a moment.

I remember the moments, days and weeks after the accident as a daze. I feel like at the time, I was watching these events unfold around me - they weren’t actually happening to me and my family. It was like watching a movie. Even when I think back to that time, it’s like remembering a movie I once saw. But I specifically remember sitting in the car at traffic lights thinking “What are all you people doing? Don’t you know that world has come to a screeching halt? Why are you just driving around like everything is the same? NOTHING is the same!” If you’ve been through a loss, I know you can relate. These people were just going about their normal days while my brother-in-law was haggling with the hospital in Denver to release my dad’s body so he could be flown back to Texas. (I don’t wish that on anyone). The people in their cars at the traffic light were impatiently running their errands and the world couldn’t move fast enough for them. For us, even though it felt like time was standing still, it felt like things were moving way too fast. They were off to the grocery store; we were off to select a funeral package. While they ran the kids to soccer practice, I was rushing around shopping. When I flew home from Atlanta, I thought I was just coming home because my dad had been in a bad accident. It wasn’t until I landed at DFW that my brother-in-law had to tell me that my dad hadn’t made it. After my meltdown, I realized I hadn’t packed anything to wear to a funeral. Isn’t that ridiculous? In this moment when my world came crashing down, I was worried about what I would wear! Just so you know, I bought a dress the perfect shade of UPS brown since my dad had worked there for so many years. I still have the dress, but have yet to wear it again. My sister and I also both bought necklaces to wear with ruby colored stones since his favorite color was burgundy and his first Harley was named “Ruby”(yes, his bikes had names). I also still have that necklace and have yet to wear it again.

Back to the Eagles…During all of this driving around, wishing the world would stop and weep with me, I kept seeing or discovering references to eagles. We learned that my dad’s accident had taken place in Eagle County, CO about 2 hours outside of Denver. While sitting at traffic lights, I noticed John Eagle Honda emblems on the backs of cars….several cars on several occasions. I saw a sticker for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw School District. I saw another sticker for the Desoto High School Eagles and yet another for the Richardson High School Eagles. Of course these weren’t all in the same place at the same time. I saw them over the 2 weeks I was home from Atlanta, driving all over Carrollton, Lewisville and Flower Mound. If you know anything about the DFW area, you know these three schools are nowhere near Carrollton, Lewisville or Flower Mound. Why were these damn Eagles popping up everywhere?!?

Fast forward 6 years and this morning I’m sitting at Chicago-Midway airport waiting to catch an early flight home. Given that the 6-year mark passed a few days ago I was reflecting on the past 6 years, how much I still miss my dad, realizing I think I miss him now more than ever. I wish he was here to meet my first child due in December. He’d be thrilled with the name we selected – Ellis Renee. My eyes started to fill with tears – you know the kind? The big alligator tears that sit on the edge, impossibly filling up your entire eyeball and waiting to spill over until you blink. Well, I didn’t want to be the emotional pregnant lady crying over her coffee, so I shake it off and start absent mindedly looking around to see what I could find to distract me. There were gift shops all around not yet open, a newsstand, and a young couple next to me fighting – clearly the early morning flight was more than their fledgling relationship could handle. As I continued my scan of the large food court area, my eyes focus on a museum or art display of some type that is also not yet open, but the window display was jumping out at me. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing…..this required a closer inspection. I clear my breakfast trash, grab my bag and coffee and make my way over.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!! Just when I’m reflecting about my dad and attempting not to have a very public, pregnant lady, emotional meltdown, this is what I see…..





I must have looked silly, smiling so big at a window display and busting out my phone to take a picture. Call it what you will – divine intervention, supreme coincidence, happenstance, fate. Whatever it was, it was greatness. Thanks Dad!