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I have had several of my friends ask why I have a Red-Tailed Hawk on my home page, my business cards and other things that I own. What is the significance? To answer that, first let me explain my heritage. I am Irish and Cherokee. I love both of these cultures equally, and find it fascinating that both held great storytellers among the most honored members of their clans.
My grandmother was part Cherokee, and when I was a young boy, she often told me stories from the Cherokee Nation's lore. Many of these involved the Red-Tail, and from time to time, you may see some posted on this site. But that's another story.
She also told me that the Red-Tail was my protector and totem, and that it would be there to watch over me. I did not think about this too much when I was young, but as I have grown, some of the stories and a lot of her comments have returned to haunt me, perhaps as her way of telling me I needed to get with it and do something else with my life. (Thanks Grandma, you are a big part of why I choose to write)
Anyway, a few years ago, I began to notice that I was seeing Red-Tails at significant times in my life. Always it seemed that shortly after a sighting, something positive would happen in my life. These ranged from times when I might be feeling a little down and after a sighting I would receive some sort of pick-me-up, to an interesting happening on the golf course.Yes, I am one of those mad people who love to chase that little ball around and ruin a nice walk in a park!
As a result, I started really paying attention to how often this happened, and it turned out to be quite often. So as a way of paying homage to my grandmother and my Cherokee heritage, a Red-tailed Hawk is often featured in many of my stories and poems. The latest is featured under the prints page on this site and is entitled, "I Saw a Hawk Today". That really happened, and shortly after the sighting, I was moved to write the poem. If there are any of you that have had similar experiences, I would love to hear about them. Just go to my guestbook page and leave a message. Thanks for reading, and keep it up!
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