Your Story – Your Choice

One

Once upon a time, there was a large mountainside, where an eagle’s nest rested. The eagle’s nest contained four large eagle eggs. One day an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located in the valley below. The chickens knew that they
must protect and care for the eagle’s egg, so an old hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg.

One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more. While playing a game on the farm one day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. “Oh,” the eagle cried, “I wish I could soar like those birds.” The chickens roared with laughter, “You cannot soar with those birds. You are a chicken and chickens do not soar.”

The eagle continued staring, at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be with them. Each time the eagle would let his dreams be known, he was told it couldn’t be done. That is what the eagle learned to believe. The eagle, after time, stopped dreaming and continued to live his life like a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away.

Two

The great eagle, its huge wings covering its craggy mountain eyrie, was not immediately aware of losing one of her young as she tried to protect them from the fierce storm. The mother hen in the farm below was similarly unaware that something had dropped into the soft hay of her coop.

Reared to behave as a chicken, the young eagle never learned to fly, completely unaware that his nature was to be a king among birds. A passing hermit noticed him awkwardly holding his great wings while he strutted and pecked with the other chickens.

‘Don’t you know what you are?’ Gently taking the eagle in his arms. ‘Your nature is to soar the skies. Come stretch forth your wings and fly.’

The hermit’s action confused the eagle, however, as he did not know who he was, and he jumped down to rejoin the chickens. For several days the hermit persisted, each time taking the eagle to higher ground, saying, ‘Know that although you may live like a chicken, inside you beats the heart of an eagle, a great eagle, know that you are the king of birds. Go, stretch forth your wings and fly.’ But each time, the eagle appeared unaware of his true, unknown self, and awkwardly hopped back to join the chickens who were scratching for corn in the dust. The hermit noticed, though, how the eagle would cast a few glances at the sky, almost as if sensing something stir deep within his heart.

Finally the hermit carried the bird to the top of the mountain. Reaching a steep crag far above the chicken coop, the hermit held the bird aloft while repeating his words of encouragement. ‘Out there, among the heavens is where you belong. Go now! Stretch forth you wings and fly! Become the eagle that you are.’

But still the bird did not accept his true power. Not knowing what to do, the eagle’s powerful vision swept back and forth from his coop to the sky. He could see the chickens pecking at their food, and felt that he needed to be back there. Then, as if spying something far in the distance, he began to tremble and slowly stretched out his wings. It seemed to the hermit that the eagle was growing in stature and, just at the moment when he could no longer hold him, the great eagle let out a triumphant cry and soared into the heavens.

With my love and best wishes

David
X