 |
| Singleton spotted a golden eagle in November 1992. |
(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator
George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere
in Time.” The column below, which was titled “God knew best when He created the
eagle” was originally published in the Dec. 10, 1992 edition of The Monroe
Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)
Today, Nov. 30, was my lucky day.
For reasons that I can’t explain, I ventured forth and found
myself once again looking out over the beautiful valley and river that is to be
seen from atop Nancy Mountain. The cool chill of the afternoon breeze made me
wish for warmer clothes, but within a few minutes, I had forgotten all about
being chilled.
I had come this way in hopes that I might see again, before
this year was over, my friend and buddy, the golden eagle, that I had seen on
various occasions as he sailed over the valley below.
As I searched the skies over the river and the distant
hills, I was about to give up and head for home and warmer surroundings. My
binoculars lay on the wooden log bench beside me. I had not bothered to take
them from their carrying case, because as of yet, I had not spotted my friend.
But then, way off in the distance, over the area of what is
Packer’s Bend, something caught my eye. I grabbed my binoculars and ripped them
from the case. As I focused the glasses on the object in the distance, I knew
that I was in luck. Slowly, ever so slowly, my friend, the huge golden eagle,
rode the afternoon air currents and gradually turned in the direction of Nancy
Mountain.
I rested my binoculars against the side of a tall slender
pine tree that grew there on the hill. I didn’t want to miss any movement of
this beautiful creature as he glided this way and that along the winding river
in the distance below me.
Slowly he would turn and bank sharply to the south. Then he
would level off and then gradually climb higher into the afternoon sky as
though he was seeking the better air currents.
The beauty and grace of this creature was something to
behold. Never once did he move his wings except to slightly tip the ends as he
gained altitude over the valley below, now decorated with the wondrous colors
of autumn.
I was seeing beauty and grace at its very best. How one
could witness what I was now seeing and not believe in God was beyond my
comprehension. Nothing this beautiful could have just happened by itself.
I realized that I had been looking through my binoculars for
over 20 minutes. A quick glance towards the river told me that I needed to rest
my eyes. Everything had become colorless and was running together. Regretfully,
I lowered the glasses, and as my eyes became focused once again, I could see
that my friend had positioned himself higher in the afternoon sky. He had moved
up more to the center of the large valley below me. Once again, with the help
of the binoculars, I could see the huge eagle in every detail.
Slowly as he turned facing the winding river, I could see
his left eye as it rolled this way and that. I felt sure that he could see me
standing there looking his way and admiring his every move. I wondered if for
some reason or another, he was showing off just for my benefit.
As he made a wide turn to the south, I could see the white
feathers along his breast. I could also see his feet, drawn up tightly against
his body as he performed ever so elegantly on the afternoon winds.
Slowly the wind currents carried him to his desired altitude.
Then he dipped his wing and circled to the right and to the left. It seemed
that he was doing his best to stay in full view of his admirer, there atop
beautiful Nancy Mountain.
Once again, the beautiful eagle let the air currents carry
his westward toward the winding river. Sailing slowly across the river, I could
see him viewing the large open field in the distance. It could be that he was
looking for his evening meal. He had no way of knowing, but I would have gladly
purchased him the largest steak in Monroe County, if he had come down from his
place in the sky and let me touch him or view him at closer range.
As he gave the large field a good looking over, I rested my
eyes once again. As my eyes came on focus, I realized that he was making his
way up the river, slowly moving toward the north. Then, as if he had changed
his mind, he did a steep turn and headed once again out over the center of the
huge valley.
The beautiful eagle seemed to stop in mid-air, as the eastwardly
winds lifted him high in the evening sky. Such grace and beauty is not to be
found easily; I knew I was once of the more fortunate this last day of November.
Slowly, this graceful bird dropped the tip of his left wing
and made a lazy turn to the north. Something told me that my beautiful friend
was about to depart from his high place above the colorful valley.
As he slowly faded into the distance, I knew that I had been
most fortunate to have witnessed one of God’s move beautiful creations in its
magnitude of greatness. As I sat down on the wooden log bench for a few moments
of thought, I knew also that the prophet Isaiah must have witnessed the flight
of a wonderful creature such as I had just seen before he wrote these inspiring
words of promise:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings as eagles;
They shall run, and not be weary;
And they shall walk, and not faint.
The crisp evening air had lost its chill; I departed Nancy
Mountain not once thinking that I was cold, but knowing that I had been allowed
to witness an event that will forever warm my soul and dwell in memory always…
(Singleton, the author
of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of
79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime
resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances
Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in
Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a
U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand,
lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964
and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from
June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks
to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe
County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe
Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that
appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared
in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He is buried in Pineville
Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns
are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County
Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week
for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work
and memory alive.)
No comments:
Post a Comment