Owl Be There For You

Welcome ladies and gentlemen of the farming community. Many know me as Gordie the barn owl.

I am welcoming one and all to understand why I return to this farm every year. I hope after explaining to you that you will understand that this farm means so much to me and that is why I return to it quite often.

One Stormy Night

Sonia Smith the youngest of the children came down to the barn. I could tell she was nervous, her two brothers had already returned to the house when the winds started to pick up.

I flew into the inside of the barn and watched over her as she was struggling to try to finish milking the rest of the cows and trying to stay calm.

A very fragile young lady of twenty who had already gone off to Agriculture college as her brothers had, was quite the independent one of the family. Yet there were several things like the wind blowing that would scare her.

When she heard me hoot, she looked around for me and it brought her comfort.

For several years after I was born in the upper part of the barn, a bad wind storm had knocked the roofing tiles off and the structure was never the same.

Sonia continued to tell her papa and her brothers that they needed to rebuild the farm yet no one would agree. Her papa had always said they had too much work to do, from the cattle to working the fields that there were not enough work hands to do the jobs they had. So Sonia had started to just not say anything at all.

Yet many nights when we were down at the barn she would be nailing a few boards in and doing her best to fix it up.

After this storm, I think she had wished she had done an awful lot more.

I could hear her call for me, as I was swooping around to find out where she was. My eyes are like radars and I usually can pick her out so quickly.

With the wind blowing the barn around, the cows not settling I could not find her anywhere.

Sonia, Oh Sonia

Finding the dear soul laying on the floor with a beam on top of her I had to do something.

Hoot, Hoot

Flying to the house with the winds against my face was not easy but I had to save my good friend. After all, Sonia was always looking in on me from the day I was born.

Sitting on the kitchen window ceil I was hooting like crazy, I could hear her mom calling out her name. I was not giving up, so I flew right into the house and kept making a circle to the window.

Immediately her mom ran to her brothers asking where was Sonia. When they saw me, they knew something was up.

Follow Gordie, he knows where Sonia is.

Running behind me in a terrible storm we went as fast as we could.

I flew in the side and when they got in and noticed boards all down they were both shocked. After they watched me they had found Sonia past out on the cement floor.

Lifting the boards they knew Sonia needed medical attention but the phone lines were all down.

They worked on her while I flew as fast as I could to the fire truck up the road.

The firemen did not know what to do when I kept flying at them, I even tugged on their arms. The one officer kind of pushed me back, the other had a good instinct and followed me.

A tornado was off in the distance but the officer and I went fast and the firetruck followed us.

They were able to get the boards off of Sonia and work on her, giving her CPR. I kept on Hooting to bring her comfort, I had to let her know I was there and that she was not alone.

Soon the doctors said her heart was beating strongly. She still was not out of the woods. She needed stitches and she needed a brace around her neck.

Now that the tornado had passed around us, the fireman went out to the truck and got all of the medical supplies he could. I have never seen anyone work as hard on anybody as they did.

I kept Hooting, I always told her Owl Be Hear For you, and that is what I was doing. Sonia was a wonderful young woman who loved animals from the farm but her greatest passion was for birds of prey much like myself.

She even took care of my good friend Grant, his wings were damaged but she fixed them. It was amazing to watch her heal him and not only that she had him up and flying in no time.

Two Years Later

Now here we stand, all together my good owl friends.

This is the place I call home, after all this was where I was born and my two children were born.

Sadly the new barn has been built due to the terrible storm, yet now we know it is safe. It is beautiful inside and I know my small babies and wife will be safe.

As barn owls, we all have a duty to protect and watch over the barn but also the owners.

Now my Sonia is married and her husband and brothers continue to farm here. As always I told her Owl Be Here For You, always.

As I will be here for my children, I will be here for her children. We are wise old barn owls, the wisest of all. We will watch over and protect those who care for us and their property.

As my dad used to say.

There was an owl who went hoot, hoot.

He wore a brown and white suit.

He liked to eat food that was red.

He never went to bed.

He could fly high in the sky.

Many would wonder why.

To serve and protect those who were dear.

For the bravery of a barn owl came with no fear.