My best friend died 15 months ago. There will be a celebration of life for her and remembrance of her birthday this month. I’ll not be able to attend due to my international travel. While I think of her often, most recently my thoughts were in connection with the common loon.
For some background … In college, a buddy of mine and I canoed to an island in Stillwater Reservoir in NYS’s Adirondack Mountains. Each night I heard the eerie, wailing call of a loon communicating with another. When I first heard it I thought something horrible was happening to something or somebody, until my college buddy told me it was a common loon!
Fast forward a few years from that experience. My best friend and I were at my shack in the Adirondack Mountains when I proposed a 4 mile hike for us to take the following day. I believed we would find loons on a local lake. True to many of our adventures, we went! We were in luck finding a female loon and her young nestled within the grassy and reedy edge of the lake. Thus began our shared love of loons!
Throughout the decades of our friendship, my friend and I supported each other. We each had challenges in our lives with new careers and responsibilities. Through it all we continued our search for loons, especially when we hiked in the Adirondack Mountains. This book was a special gift from my friend and I still have it 37 years later!
Another gift hung by my front door for years; now I keep it tucked on the ground in my backyard in Arizona for me to see each day. It reminds me of such fun times!
My celebration of my best friend prompted me to draw the bird we both loved … the common loon! It’s an amazing bird to see, to hear, and to learn about. Each time I see a photo or drawing of one, I think of the memories I had with my friend. We enjoyed shared time searching for, finding and watching this bird! It was wonderful!
A lovely tradition and lovely memories. There is something so magical and mysterious about the loon song.
Absolutely agree!
I’d love to see your picture. I have a best friend from the age of four. From attaching skates with our skate keys, going to the theater, walking with stilts, riding horses and bikes, to years later having children. She has list a child to leukemia, survived cancer twice and lost a son to a brain tumor. Yet, through it all she is grateful and her smile is endearing.
Hearing you say friend, best friend, I’m flooded with gratitude for my own. Beautiful sentiment,
Your friend, Nancy.
I tried hard to capture the moment in the drawing, except the grass and weeds were much more fully grown and providing more cover of the birds. Your friend was special to you; and Nancy you are special to me!
It is a perfect drawing and what a great honor to your friend and long
time friendship. I am sure she is smiling and basking in the memories as well.
You comment made me smile!