I don't know if you can see this all that well, but here's a picture of sandhill cranes flying over us as they head south for the winter. It always makes ne a bit sad to hear them leave. I was reminded of something I wrote 4 years ago right after I saw others making their seasonal trek so I went looking for it and decided I would post it with this picture.
It is dusk. I just opened the door to let the dog in (okay so I forgot she was already in) and was greeted by the very loud sound of a flock of cranes flying over my house. They make a tremendous racket and it doesn't matter how many years I have heard the cranes in the fall I am always struck by the consistency of the formation they make, the instincts they have, and the volume of the call they make as they journey along their long trek south. Tonight I wondered what it was they were calling out to each other and I thought about each of you. We've made some long treks, sometimes through such unknown places, and sometimes in what appears to be the twilight just before the dark. And always through every trial there have been the others in the flock not only calling out those words of encouragement but also sometimes taking over the job as the one leading the way.
It's hard for me to hear the cranes in the fall, because their voices are what seem to call in the long dark winter, but tonight I felt like God gave me a moment to stand in the silence and look up at the cranes so that I could be reminded of all my friends both near and far that call out those words of encouragement and help shoulder the load that sometimes gets a little too heavy.
Thanks for being the ones who mean so much to me...Marleen
