How Bald Eagles Helped One Woman Process Her Miscarriage

Today while reading npr.org, I came across an opinion piece by Antonia Cerejido titled, “How Internet-famous Bald Eagles Jackie and Shadow Helped Me Process My Miscarriage.”

Bald eagles mate for life, and Jackie and Shadow, who have a YouTube livestream, were captivating audiences who tuned in to watch them dutifully care for their three eggs.

The author expressed that she felt an even stronger connection to this eagle pair as she too was expecting. I was touched as she mourned with these eagles as they realized their eggs were not going to hatch, and I was fascinated by the solace she found as she grappled with her own loss of her future little one.

The bald eagle is an amazing creature. That was a truth within her article; the other truth is there is power as we find points of intersection of shared realities that all living creatures experience: pain, joy, loss, life. We are more alike than we are different – as human beings and as inhabitants on this earth.

I was grateful for Antonia’s willingness to share her pain and her hope for it strengthened my resolve to look for overlap between myself and those whose paths I cross. By focusing on our similarities, we develop empathy. British-Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid writes, “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” I appreciated that Antonia found echoes of the diligent desire of this bald eagle pair to tend and care for their offspring within herself and used those echoes to heal.

When available for purchase (soon!), you’ll be able to purchase our life-size bald eagle trivia puzzle HERE

With love,

Cortney