What the owl? Birds, Memorial Day, and future questions

Memorial Day weekend, besides being my wedding anniversary, it is one of the traditional weekends in my family. For years we would gather at my Aunt Helen's house and put together the flower arrangements for family members that have passed on. One doesn't appreciate it as much as a child, but as one gets older one can feel the reasoning behind it.

The virus has created a new issue for grave decorating. My aunts are both immune compromised and could not come out with us. It was up to my mother and father to take the reins. They decided to do fresh flower arrangements and small flags to give honor to those who had passed away. When we started on our trek, I had no idea it was going to be one of the coolest days.

The only grave of a person I remember was my Grandma Gardner and Grandpa Sid. Sid passed away when I was 5 and I only really remember him calling me princess and having lemon drops from his pockets. I also remember him taking naps. All I could see was his boots hanging off the edge of the bed, he was quite tall. My grandma passed the year before I graduated in high school. She taught me so many things, including how to properly shuffle cards and to never cheat. She liked to shoot magpies in the garden and talked to the plants in every windowsill. I think I get a lot of my energy from her side of the family.

After dropping her flowers off and introducing my little man to her and telling stories about her, we made our way to the Moreland cemetery. I remember this cemetery a lot as a kid because of a water pump and getting drenched in the process. We placed the flowers on the site. I heard rustling above me...and thought it was a squirrel. We continued to chat for a bit and I could hear the rustling again, except it was a hell of a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I looked up to see what it was, a huge owl! I have never seen an owl outside in the wild, only in a zoo. I tried to get a photo of it, but it flew to a nearby pine tree. It was squeaking with its mate! This was the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life.

I have always felt drawn to animals and it seems carrion birds are drawn to me. Falcons and hawks are some birds that I always see driving around. They are in my life and tend to show up when I need them. I know calling it my spirit animal is considered cultural appropriation, but the closest I can think of is they are drawn to my energy. Whatever one calls it, falcons and hawks are my favorite energy calling, often seen, and much loved birds.

In my research for future stories, I hope to meet someone who could help me go through the steps to find out if falcons truly are my spirit animal. I want to give honor to ancestors and energies in the proper way.