It was a gorgeous sunshiny day in June, late in the afternoon, when we took Mother's remains to the Odd Fellow's Cemetery in Sacramento, California. As I cradled the container in my arms I thought how appropriate that I was carrying the woman who carried me so many times. We parked at the front of the cemetery near the business office to finish up the necessary paper work. As we walked to the grave site I noticed the handsome redwoods stood reverently, as if out of respect to the many resting places they sheltered. There was a small opening dug in the earth above Grandfather's burial place. Mother had asked to be buried near her Father. We now would place her in the care of Grandfather and God.
When the rest of our close family members had gathered we said our prayers and goodbyes. We all tried to console each other as the soil spilled over her and the sod was returned to its place. We talked a while and the group slowly dwindled down to just the original four of us, my Brother, Step-father, Husband, and me. As we made our way back to the car, I left the lane to take a closer look at one of the redwoods. There seemed to be several different species on the grounds. I plucked off a sprig hoping to identify it later. As I turned to go back to the group, I heard a rustling overhead and looked up to see a large owl fly to another redwood across the lane. The bough that it had landed on bent and swayed from its weight. It was a brown speckled owl with a heart shaped white face. I called to the others to look at the beautiful owl. The owl and I made eye contact and a feeling came over me that I hadn't experienced before. We made a connection as it paused there on that bough. Then it gracefully flew off high into the sky away from our sight. I remarked to my brother, John, that it was almost like Mother's spirit was watching us. He came back at me with, " You don't think that Mom was reincarnated as an owl? " " No," I told him, " it is like her spirit was there in the owl; I felt something when it looked at us." He teased, " Well, I guess nobody will criticize you if you choose to believe that." It came to me that I was acquainted with a Native American back home in Michigan and I told my brother that I was going to inquire of him the significance of the owl to the Native American.
The feeling stayed with me. I told other people about it for days afterward. When we returned home, I looked up my acquaintance. He ran a business on the main street of our small town. I asked about the owl, without relating anything else to him. His reply stunned me. He said that it is associated with death. Then he went on to tell me that there were basically three interpretations of the owl's significance. One is that it is a " warning of a death to come." Another is that it " brings death." The third is that it " carries the spirit of the dead to Heaven." This depended on the regional origin of the tribe. The tribes in the northwest region he explained believe the latter. 
I then told him my story. Both of us smiled through tears. I told him that I had wondered what that owl was doing out at that time of day since they are nocturnal creatures. His quiet reply was, " They usually are not out during the day, unless they have a job to do." I told him that my brother's teasing had made me question my feelings; and that I was spooked by my interpretation of the event. " I was right, wasn't I? ", I asked him. He said, " You should never second guess your instinctive feelings, they are usually right."
I have related this story frequently since then and have met with skepticism from some. For those skeptics, perhaps I may temper your skepticism with the following. I will give you that it might possibly have been coincidence that I spooked that owl from his sleep in the tree when I walked under it. Please consider: Why did I pick that tree with hundreds in the cemetery? I had passed other trees along the lane before walking over to that particular one. Why did the owl pause in his flight? When the owl looked back at our group, why did I feel a connection so strongly? Why did it come to me so immediately to search out the significance of the owl from a Native American? If I had not thought to ask a person of this particular ethnic background, my experience would never have been reinforced. Could this whole sequence of events have been mere coincidence? Something else I ask you to consider if you are troubled by my seeming departure from Christian beliefs. God is omnipotent and exists in everything he created.(Rev 19:6) If I choose to see this happening as a sign from God that my Mother's spirit was with us that day and was safely chauffeured to Him by his creation, the Barn Owl, does this make me any less a Christian? God sends us many signs that we do not recognize. This one was received and understood.
