SHE ENDURED THE STORMS – A TRIBUTE TO JACKIE
- Teri Angel
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
“An eagle earns its honor from the storms it endures.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo
There are some beings who enter our lives without ever knowing our names, yet somehow they touch our hearts so deeply that their absence leaves an unmistakable emptiness. For many years, I, along with millions of people around the world, have watched an eagle couple lovingly known as Jackie and Shadow. Through a 24-hour nest camera in Big Bear, California, we were invited into their world. We watched them build their nest, protect their territory, endure brutal weather, welcome new life, and demonstrate a devotion that needed no words. Together, Jackie and Shadow hatched nine eaglets, six of whom survived to become magnificent eagles soaring over the Big Bear area.
But Jackie was something special. Anyone who watched her for very long knew she had a personality as big as the mountain she called home. She was fierce. She was strong. She was determined. She knew exactly what she wanted, and she was certainly not shy about letting Shadow know when she needed food or when it was his turn to take over nest duty. She made me smile many times. But more than anything, Jackie taught us about perseverance. We watched her sit faithfully on her eggs through weather conditions that seemed almost impossible to endure. Snow would fall until sometimes all we could see was the outline of an eagle buried beneath it. Yet Jackie remained.
The wind blew.
The snow fell.
The temperatures dropped.
Still, she remained.
She knew her purpose. Bringing new life into the world was her mission, and she was steadfast in fulfilling it. Perhaps that is why the news of her death has affected so many of us so deeply. After being attacked by other eagles, Jackie was found on the ground and received extensive care. Despite every effort to help her, she was simply too weakened to recover. When I learned that she had passed, I cried.
I cried because it did not make sense. I cried because sometimes nature seems unbearably cruel. I cried because after watching this magnificent creature survive snowstorms, freezing temperatures, fierce winds, disappointments and the challenges of raising young, it seemed impossible that her story should end this way.
And I cried for Shadow. I wondered what he understands about her absence. Does he look for her? Does he wait for her familiar call? Does he wonder why she has not returned? We may never know exactly how an eagle processes loss, but I have witnessed enough animals in my lifetime to know that grief is not exclusive to human beings. Animals form bonds. They recognize one another. They seek each other out. And many visibly grieve when someone they love is suddenly gone.
Loss is one of those experiences that rarely makes sense to the heart. Whether the one we lose is human or animal, there can be a moment when everything inside us cries out, Why? Why did this happen? Why this way? Why now?
We ask those same questions when someone is lost to war, addiction, violence, trafficking, illness, accident or any of the countless circumstances that can suddenly separate one life from another. There are losses for which no explanation will ever feel sufficient. Perhaps grief is not asking us to understand. Perhaps it is asking us to honor.
Jackie was more than “just a bird” to those of us who watched her. She became a living representation of something powerful—the strength, fierce determination and steadfast devotion of the feminine throughout creation.
She nurtured, but she was not weak.
She loved, but she was not timid.
She accepted help when she needed it.
She defended what mattered to her.
She endured storms without abandoning her purpose.
And when the snow piled upon her, she stayed.
There is a lesson there for all of us. The storms we endure leave something behind. They reveal our strength. They teach us what matters. They strip away what is unnecessary and show us what we are willing to remain faithful to when life becomes difficult. Maybe that is what Matshona Dhliwayo meant when he wrote, “An eagle earns its honor from the storms it endures.”
Jackie certainly endured her storms. And she earned her honor.
I will not apologize for grieving the loss of this magnificent being. Love does not require that the one we love be human. Connection does not need permission. When another living being touches our heart, that connection is real.
So today I honor Jackie. I honor the mother who sat beneath the snow. I honor the fierce protector. I honor the devoted partner. I honor the beautiful eagle who reminded millions of people to look up, pay attention and care about the lives with whom we share this planet. And I pray for Shadow—that instinct, Divine wisdom and the rhythm of creation will guide him through whatever comes next.
Fly high, beautiful Jackie.
You endured the storms.
Now may you soar beyond them.
Dear Angels, why does loss hurt so deeply, especially when it comes suddenly and seems so unfair? How do we make peace with something our hearts simply cannot understand?
Dear Ones, you do not have to understand a loss in order to honor the love that makes you grieve. Grief is love recognizing that something precious has changed form.
Do not diminish your tears by telling yourself that you should not feel them. The heart does not measure love according to species, distance, time or circumstance. When you have opened your heart to another living being, you have created a sacred connection.
You ask why some lives end in ways that seem cruel or senseless. From the human perspective, there will be events for which no satisfying answer comes. You see a moment in the great tapestry and wonder why one thread has suddenly disappeared. We see how that thread has woven itself through countless hearts. Look at how many people stopped their busy lives to watch two eagles care for each other. Look at how many celebrated when an egg hatched. Look at how many prayed when storms came. Look at how many hearts learned tenderness simply by watching a mother eagle shelter her young beneath her wings. Was her life insignificant? Oh, Dear Ones, never.
Creation is constantly teaching you that love is larger than the boundaries you place around it. So grieve when you need to grieve. Cry when tears come. Remember with gratitude. And then look toward the sky.
The greatest tribute you can give to one who endured the storms is to remember how beautifully they flew.
Angels Whisper: Some souls teach us with words. Others teach us with wings. Honor them all, for every life that awakens love within you has brought you closer to the Divine.
Today, I promise to soar freely like my bird sister Jackie with as much strength and resilience as I possibly can.
Teri Angel is a Joy Guide, Happiness Coach, energy healer, best-selling author, spiritual teacher, mentor, and inspirational speaker devoted to awakening peace within the human heart. As an International Peace Ambassador and founder of the nonprofit Angelspeakers Inc., Teri creates transformative workshops, sacred gatherings, and global initiatives that honor environmental stewardship, animal advocacy, peace consciousness, and the integration of ancient wisdom teachings into modern life.
Through her worldwide movement, Peas For Peace, Teri invites humanity to remember our divine interconnectedness—strengthening awareness of our oneness and inspiring unity through compassion, love, joy, and intentional action. During the Peace On Earth Tour, she was honored with the sacred name “She Who Blesses the Sacred Land,” a title she carries with humility and heartfelt grace as she continues blessing lands and waters around the world.
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To book a private session with Teri, visit https://angelspeakers.com
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