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The Tale of Four Feathers

Posted on August 19, 2011

Despite that I was tired, hot and sweaty, I found the incentive to do yard work. Starting with the edge trimmer, I worked my way around the back yard and then moved to the front. Near the gate my eye saw something in the grass. Small and grey, the object captured my curiosity. After releasing the trigger, the spinning green cord wound to a halt. Bending down I found a tiny, humbled feather. The trimmer hadn’t whipped it, but the feather looked like it had been plucked to pieces. Smaller than a dime and bent in the middle, only two or three single strands were attached to the center vein. It was the perfect representation of my condition: beaten, worn and stripped of energy.

I immediately knew who had made sure that I would find it…my grandmother. Affectionately called “Nana,” she has used feathers for the past year as her sign to me from the other side.

Holding the beaten feather between my fingers for a moment, I acknowledged that my physical fatigue matched the frayed state of the feather. “Thanks for noticing, Nana,” was my silent reply. Released from my grip, the dilapidated feather fell to the grass. Reengaging the weed-whacker, I resumed my work along the brick edging. Within five feet I encountered a second feather. This one was larger, and though a bit rough, it was in better condition. It told a story of recovery ahead, and that things would get better. I enjoyed a small surge of energy from that feather. I was tired, but I’d be fine. Getting the yard finished wouldn’t take that long.

I completed my loop around the perimeter of the front yard and walked back toward the gate to make a second pass. On impulse I turned around. There on the lawn I found a third feather right where my steps had taken me. It was the largest of the three and in perfect condition. I scanned the sky looking for birds. I saw none. I’d acknowledged Nana’s message: “Yes, all things are perfect, even if at first they don’t appear so.”

I unplugged the extension cord, looped it up, grabbed the trimmer and started toward the garage. Nana’s final sign showed itself on the grass near my right foot. Due to many past experiences, I truly believe Nana uses small feathers to communicate with me. True to form, a tiny feather lay on the lawn. I’d received my confirmation. I’d correctly interpreted her communication via the four feathers.

Fast forward two weeks. I stepped out the door for an early morning jog. Ten feet from the driveway was a tiny, white-and-tan feather. “Good morning, Nana, and thanks.”

A few minutes into my run I began thinking that I needed to write about the four feathers on the lawn. In my mind I started to lay out a mental picture about how I might write this later. As I did this, I encountered a second feather smack in the middle of the street. It was pure white, and its message was clear: “write the essay.”

Venturing on through the next mile-and-a-half, my mind wandered as I greeted fellow walkers and joggers starting their day. I’d let the four feather story drop from my awareness. One-quarter mile from home I thought; Okay, I’ve got to get that piece done today. Looking down after one step, I found the third feather of the morning. It was white and tan like the first one, only larger. Another sign from Nana telling me I was on the right track.

Ending my workout, I began the three-minute walk to the house. Just as I stopped jogging, my gaze turned to a crack in the pavement. It held the fourth feather of the morning. For me, the message was complete. The four feathers today complemented the story of the four feathers I’d found doing the lawn work two weeks prior. I quickened my pace to get home so I could write The Tale of Four Feathers.

Sent in by Dean K. Miller, Copyright 2011




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Comments

3 Responses to “The Tale of Four Feathers”
  1. Anonymous says:

    that’s so nice, I wish I could get something like that from my grandad, I miss him so much. I’m glad you still have your grandma close.

  2. Nel says:

    I’m glad you’re still “close” with your nan… I sometimes wish I’d get something like that from my grandad, I miss him dearly.

  3. Dean K Miller says:

    Anon and Nel: simply ask for them to leave a sign. Don’t make it all fussy and wishy-washy. Simply ask. They will oblige. It may not be what you want, or what you expect, but something will come into your awareness. Also, don’t fret over your request. Simply make the request and let your life continue on. Sure you’ll keep an eye out, that’s normal.

    Suddenly, one day, a song will come on the radio, a scene in a TV show, a different bird in your garden, something “off-the-wall: someone says will perk your interest. If you think that’s something from them, again simply ask and see what an answer feels like.

    Trust yourselves, and your intuituion, and don’t panic! There are times when a couple of days will pass without any feathers around, and then I’ll take a different walking route, change my routine somehow without thinking about it, and I’ll come upon a feather in a place or time it wouldn’t be expected.

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