Having the Vision of an Eagle

I don’t know when I fell in love with bald eagles. I know it was a long time ago – even before I was bald. Maybe because eagles are America’s symbol of freedom and are found on every dollar bill. Maybe because they are so majestic with a wingspan of up to 90”. Maybe because they mate for life.

My daughter made an eagle statue that sits in our bedroom. On the wall of my office is an original signed picture of an eagle’s head.

Until today I’ve never personally seen an eagle in flight. The only time I really saw an eagle was at the zoo. I was in awe at their size. I am in awe that they can soar at 10,000 feet at over 30 m.p.h. Everybody who really knows me can tell you that I am a magnet to any motivational poster that has an eagle on it.

Mary Kay and I came out of church today. We saw a lot of people with H U G E cameras parked on the side of the road. When we walked over to find out what was happening we found something that was awe-inspiring.

Babies. Two eaglets. There they were in this massive nest. The photographers told us that the nests can weight 1000 pounds. Then we saw the mom and the dad. (Apparently the female is slightly larger than the male – but we couldn’t tell) They were perched in opposite trees watching their young. The eaglets were huge – in six weeks they’ll almost be a large as their parents. I found later that they won’t have the “white bald eagle crest” until they are 4 or 5 years old – when they reach their sexual maturity as well.

Several people had cameras that looked like they were paparazzi cameras. One of the guys grabbed a pair of binoculars out of his truck so Mary Kay and I could get a closer look. Amazing. When one took off in flight everyone watched where he/she landed and took their cameras for a closer look. About 50 feet above us and just across the street perched this magnificent creature that became our national emblem in 1782!

You could see our national bird focus on something that could have been a mile away. According to baldeagleinfo.com . . . “The eagle can probably identify a rabbit moving almost a mile away. That means that an eagle flying at an altitude of 1000 feet over open country could spot prey over an area of almost 3 square miles from a fixed position.”

We starred as he/she took focus and then flew majestically to what we thought must have been some prey.

Vision. That was it. That is what always captured my heart – the vision of an eagle. Eagles always represented leadership to me. As Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it . . . you can do it.” Again, the vision of an eagle.

It reminded me of the Habitat for Humanity dedication Mary Kay and I attended yesterday. Valpak always give the new homeowner their first piece of mail – with a $100 check inside. Next month many of us from Valpak will work on a house that Valpak sponsors.

At the dedication the 30-year old mother of three talked about how her Habitat house will now provide a home . . . and stability . . . to her three young girls. One of the girls was so proud to show Mary Kay her new bedroom. After the dedication the mom told us how blessed she was. She said that even if she did lose her job she could work at McDonalds and still be able to provide her three girls a home in their Habitat house.

She has the vision of an eagle.

In two weeks Eric Hipps, our College Recruiter, and I will go to Anaheim for the National Delta Epsilon Chi convention. Over 1500 collegiates will be there. I’ll make sure I talk about vision. I’ll make sure I talk about dreams. I’ll make sure I talk about what Walt Disney said about vision and dreams. I’ll make sure to describe what I saw today.

I’ll encourage them to never give up. Regardless of the economy, regardless of the challenges, regardless what anyone else tells them. Why? Eagles soar with their keen vision trained on their next conquest. Just like all of us should do.