Found on Google + on 8-3-15. Herons. St. Petersburg, FL. Rick Schwartz.

Timothy’s friends were watching when they saw him fall from the sky above and hit the water below. They flew over to where he had landed and as a group, they were able to pull him on to the edge of the pond. Several of the herons jumped on top of him and water was expelled from his bill.  Slowly, Timothy opened his eyes. He was grateful his  friends had saved his life. He was acutely aware he had barely escaped death.

The next several months were busy for the herons, for it was nesting time. Timothy’s friends were out in full force trying to impress the female herons with their strength and their agility in flying.  Every week they would look for Timothy’s happy disposition, but he was absent from the social gatherings. They missed his wit and his ability to make them laugh. They had gone to the nest he had built-in the tallest tree, but he wasn’t there.

Timothy had moved his home to a nest of reeds. He no longer had the desire to fly or eat fish. Every time he would think of those two things, a feeling of dread took over his mind. Fear grew inside his soul. He no longer believed in his ability to fly. The thought of eating fish made him choke. Because he was afraid and felt shame about his fear, he hid from the other herons. He missed his friends but he could not bear them knowing how far he had fallen in his own expectations for himself. He brooded in silence. He would eat only the smallest of mice and tiny insects. He loved fish but could no longer eat them. He loved to fly, but he had to stay grounded or he would die. His nights were sleepless because the feelings and thoughts of almost dying would come back to haunt him. He was miserable, but he didn’t know how to stop it. He thought he would feel like this forever.

Found on Google at http://www.scientificillustrator.com on 8-6-15. Great -blue-herons. Gina Mikel.

Night fell and as he tried to sleep, he saw a light in the far distance coming towards him. He kept his eye on the light and the closer it came, he realized it was a heron. She came and stood before him with a heavenly glow. It was his mother as she once was: full of dignity and spiritual strength. Her eyes were full of love and compassion for her son. (Continued in Part Four.)

Yu/stan/kema