The Return Part 1: Goose In the Bag

Jessica and I were returning from an uncommon and exceptional time of spiritual sharing up at the Y.M.C.A. camp in Estes Park. We had a quick bite to eat for lunch with my wife, Kris and decided to head over to City Park. We would talk and hold times of silence and then talk some more. It was a beautiful day to sit with a friend outdoors.

I do not know about you, but it is a common thing for me to get stuck, wander into, or intentionally want to stay in my head centered approach to God, life, spirituality – you name it. Jess, on the other hand is free and open in her being connected to the divine in all things. She breathes that way, moves in her heart centeredness naturally, and is simple (not simplistic) in her approach to mystery. We are a pair! I am 30 years her elder, God Father to her oldest, Finn, and had the privilege of performing her wedding to a great guy named Kevin.

There we were the odd couple. Just sitting quietly when we were both captured by this taking –place-right- in-front-of-us tragedy! A goose dove under water and came up with a long white plastic bag over its head clinging all the way down to her body. She was in travail shaking her head only to cause the bag to clutch more closely. Panic and fear soon overcame her. It was horrible to sit and watch.

At the same time I realized I was being flooded with feelings I couldn’t even name. I wanted to help her in the most raw and compassionate way – when all of a sudden she turned and started moving toward the shore! She got to land and started heading right for us…it was surreal. I had this inner sense that she was coming to me so I got up and walked toward her saying softly, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.” “Let me help you.”

I reached down now as she was standing right in front of me. She backed away, still struggling with the bag over her head. “Don’t be afraid, I want to help you.” I was feeling so connected to her…literally in my chest. I reached down and slowly pulled the bag off of her head.

She just stood there and looked at me. I told her to go and rejoin her friends. She did and thankfully, I had a friend sitting on the bench that I could re-join as well.

We were both overwhelmed and so very grateful she was going to be ok. Jess and I just looked at one another.

I will explore this further in future blogs because it will take more than one. You see, I have had another 3 experiences with geese in the following three days with each experience carrying an important message.

What I realized was that this was not new for me. It was a return to claiming the ancient truth of the Celtic Christians. That everything is inter-connected; that the divine is present and at work in all things; and that my experiences are doorways to revelation of God’s love for us all. Long ago I had to be taught not to trust my experiences. After all, the wild goose is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and setting her free has more to do with my sense of being bound as much as it did hers! Now it is time to claim my own inner authority. God is alive and moving in a variety of ways in all of our lives. Didn’t Jesus say, “Consider the birds of the air?” How about the geese on the pond? Stay tuned!