Since I moved back to Southern Illinois, the place of my childhood, from Northern Indiana I have fallen completely in love with owls. We live in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest, and we have an abundance of wild fowl here. Most of all the owl strikes closest to my heart.
I began to put it together last year after only a few months of being back in Southern Illinois. I have always loved the bird from the time I was a child, but after the difficult move back and the emotional strain of the whole move, I began to see a pattern of my precious "owl sightings" , as I warmly refer to them as. I am smiling right now typing about my "owl sightings". Last year in the winter months I seen the most magnificent owl..the Great Horned Owl. Just days after that sighting I then seen the beautiful Common Barn Owl (as pictured above). Just a month after that sighting I then seen 2 screech owls just to the side of the house and they are only about 6 inches tall. The Great Horned Owl is amazing as they are monogamous with their mate and powerfully protective over their young. The Common Barn Owl on the other hand is...well..common. They are on every continent in the world. Behind the house this spring was the most amazing sound...owls...many owls hooting their mating calls! I was amazed! I stood outside on the back deck just listening and thinking this has to be my sign from God that He really, really loves me!
My family has this thing/idea that when we see certain things, that its a reminder that God really loves us. Such as my little boy, Tad, when he sees a penny or finds a penny thats Gods way of reminding him of His love. So my "owl sightings" are now my assigned love sign from God. So saying all that, the last 2 times I went Christmas shopping I have literally seen owls everywhere! The time before last I went into the mall in Paducah, Kentucky and seen an owl necklace and bought it! I was so proud of that necklace. I then went out yesterday for my anniversary and there were owls everywhere I looked.
My hubby, Andy and I, are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary and decided to go across the river at Cave in Rock to Marion Kentucky. Then we drove the beautiful drive from there to Paducah, Kentucky in to downtown to the river front. There we stopped at several antique stores just looking and in those I seen owls. Owl salt and pepper shakers, paper weights etc. Just before the night ended we decided to go to the book store to browse and there I walked by a display of a wonderful National Geographic book that was open to Owls! I couldn't believe it, so I went back to Andy and dragged him over to the display so he could see it and it was on another animal. On top of that Andy let me buy an owl ring earlier that evening because he knows that I love them so much.
So why blog about something so inane as owls, because God uses them to constantly remind me of His great love for me. I mean who am I that an omnipotent, omniscient God would show an owl to me? I am His child and these "owl sightings" are something personal that I can say "Yep, he let me see that owl..just for me." It is the same feeling you get when you and your husband share a look between you that only you and him know what it means. Its a secret code that only you can say.."Yeah, I got that..I know what you mean." These signs come at the most needed times, times when I feel lonely or sad, sometimes I see my sign when I am really, really happy. Those days when I am really, really happy like the other day, it just seems like God is saying, " Yeah I know you are really happy today and I just wanted you to know that I love you so much, I am the reason that you can be so happy. I enjoy seeing my children happy." So tonight as I sit here typing I know HOOoo really loves me...do you know Him? His name is Jesus and He is waiting for you to trust Him and accept Him. He wants to tell you that He loves you too.
1 O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,[b]
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
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