so looking to the sky i will sing and from my heart to YOU i bring…
Author: loia
Loia writes a life, not a lane — Christian, writer, musician & singer.
Life stories and dreams — shaped by music, faith, memory, poetry, and silence. `'.,°~
https://loia.blog/about/
In 2012.. I was running on spiritual fumes.. living and working down in Florida.. driving an 18-wheeler and hauling orange juice concentrate.. Most days I’d head down to the seaports.. wait for the massive container ships from Brazil.. then hook to a bulk tank and run it to one of the orange juice factories scattered across the state..
One day.. I was rolling down a long.. deserted.. country road in the middle of nowhere when something big.. black.. and winged shot across my path and smacked the front of my truck with violent force..
It happened so fast I couldn’t tell what kind of bird it was.. I just prayed it wasn’t a bald eagle—there were plenty of them in that area.. Whatever it was.. I knew it had to be dead.. No way anything could survive the hit I felt.. My anxiety climbed as I pulled over and walked to the front of the truck.. preparing myself for the worst..
But when I looked down.. lodged in an open section near the bottom of the grille.. was a huge black vulture—one of the largest I’d ever seen.. And it was still alive..
For a few moments.. I just stood there.. trying to process what I was seeing.. The bird was incredibly calm and strangely quiet.. It looked right at me with an expression I can only describe as.. “Please help me…”
There was no way I was going to grab this thing bare-handed.. I was certain it would lash out with its beak.. So I found a big stick on the side of the road and tried to pry it loose.. No luck.. The bird was wedged tight.. and part of it was pressed against the radiator—which was extremely hot.. I knew time wasn’t on its side..
I kept trying with one hand on the stick and one on a wing.. but it wasn’t working.. I was starting to make it worse..
Eventually.. I realized the truth.. I was going to have to pick this thing up with both hands..
Fear hit me hard… But I also knew I didn’t have a choice..
So I took a breath.. Said a small prayer.. Had myself a quiet ellipsis moment haha.. Then reached in..
I put both hands on the bird.. To my surprise.. it stayed gentle—completely calm.. completely trusting.. Its eyes were locked on me.. almost talking.. It knew I was trying to help.. As my fear faded.. a strange confidence grew.. I grabbed all over its body.. trying to find the angle to free it.. At one point.. I even had my hands around its neck and head.. carefully working it loose..
Finally.. with one good pull.. the vulture came free..
I lifted it high in my hands.. expecting it to explode into flight—but it didn’t.. It simply rested there…
It had just survived something that should have killed it.. and it needed a moment to breathe.. The amazing thing was… it wasn’t even injured.. not a broken wing.. not even a wobble.. nothing…
We stood there together for about a minute—me holding it.. it staring at me.. No fear on either side.. Just this strange wild peace…
Then it looked at me one last time.. as if to say thank you.. turned.. and flew…
I climbed back into my truck and drove on.. replaying the moment in my mind.. I still can’t believe it survived the impact.. Not only survived it—walked away completely fine…
And then the old saying hit me.. “Tough as an old buzzard…”
Now I understand where that phrase came from… those birds are built like tanks.. And on that day.. something wild trusted me — enough to rest in my hands… an indelible memory…
Wow… i just googled ‘tough as an old buzzard.’ to see how it came about.. I knew none of this…
(Where it comes from) The phrase “tough as an old buzzard” grew out of american frontier language in the 1800s.. early 1900s.. People on ranches.. homesteads.. and in desert regions watched buzzards (vultures) survive things almost nothing else could survive.. blistering heat.. drought.. storms.. rotten food.. injuries.. and just plain rough living.. Why a buzzard specifically? Because vultures/buzzards are famously hard to kill………… Cowboys and farmers noticed that even old.. beat-up buzzards still lived incredibly long and stayed sharp.. Their survival was legendary…
It all makes sense to me now 😁
And I relate……….. I’m also famously hard to kill 😁.. but that’s another story for another day… 😎`
If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why?
So there are so many historical figures I’d love to meet.. I’ve already met Jesus — I know Him personally.. better than I know anyone else — so let’s scratch Him off the list…
George Washington is one that fascinates me.. Most people don’t know the hidden pieces of his story.. It was like he couldn’t be killed in battle — as if something.. or someone.. was watching over him.. I believe that someone was my friend Jesus..
Native warriors supposedly had a name for him that meant “the man who couldn’t be killed by a bullet.” Maybe that part became legend over time… but the testimonies are wild.. After the 1755 Battle of the Monongahela.. one unnamed warrior said..
“Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet! I had seventeen fair fires at him… and.. after all.. could not bring him to the ground.”
And there were more stories like that — one after another — people watching him walk through battles untouched..
But as interesting as all that is… I think I’d rather meet my own family members — the ones who lived and died long before I was born..
About five years ago.. I started digging into my family history.. and there are so many I wish I could sit down with.. Some of my great-great grandparents had incredible stories.. One grandmother even had the same birthday as me.. Another ancestor lived a remarkable life.. I’d love to hear in his own voice.. and one grandmother died just before I was born — she was excited to meet me.. but she never got her chance..
I have famous relatives too — Richard Nixon.. William Penn.. John Penn — and ancestors who came over on the Mayflower.. I even discovered relatives who were directly involved in the Salem Witch Trials..
So yeah… as great as the heroes of history are.. I think the people I’d most want to meet are the ones whose blood runs through my veins… the ones who helped shape my story before I ever breathed..
My friend Sobia and her sister Shamsa.. they have a children’s ministry in Pakistan.. they help the children forced to work in the brick kiln factories.. it’s unbelievable what’s happening there with these children.. I thought we were past medieval times.. these kids have nothing and no one to love and help them.. Sobia’s ministry is called JSBL Ministry.. aka Jesus Shining Bright Learning… but she and her sister’s… (3 sisters) love on the children daily and provide food for them and teach them.. so it’s kind of like a school.. it’s a wonderful ministry.. the sisters are trying to raise $3000 US dollars to help provide a decent Christmas for these kids this year.. so I told Sobia that I would help spread the word and get this video out there.. this is Shamsa in the video.. she just made the video last night.. I think.. and Sobia sent it to me this morning.. Sobia and I talk daily.. I’m so blessed to call her my friend.. it’s wonderful what she and her sisters are trying to do.. Sobia and Shamsa are these kids only hope right now.. it’s so so sad…
If anyone is interested in helping.. you can donate through Western Union.. here’s the info…
Name: Shamsa Emmanuel 33102-8903648-0 Ph.03212114958 Address: St. 4, lbn-e-marium colony Chak no 225 RB Malkhanwala Faisalabad Pakistan
Strange Cup Of Tea 🎶 Sister Hazel (acoustic version)
So I thought I would stick with Sister Hazel a while longer and give you a chance to get to know them.. this song “Strange Cup Of Tea” is another Hidden Gem from them.. it was released in 2000.. honestly.. they have so many great unpopular or kind of unknown songs.. I could stay with them for a long time.. I learned something about them last night.. their loyal fans are known as “Hazelnuts” haha.. I didn’t know that 😁.. and on this song.. Drew Copeland sings lead.. not Ken Block.. they switched it up.. I included a few other videos from them.. also.. I found out Ken Block founded a charity called “Lyrics For Life” to help children with pediatric cancer.. I thought that was cool.. I hope you enjoy…
So music means so much to me.. as you’re probably starting to see.. so I heard this song earlier.. and it brought back memories.. i once walked in on my mother.. she was alone and crying.. listening to this song.. turns out this song is special to her.. because it reminds her of me.. it’s the one song she has attached to me.. and I just noticed today.. that the song was released the year I was born.. 1973.. something I’ve never noticed… all these years…
Two times in my life.. I’ve caught my mother crying to music.. here are both those songs…
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 