ON THE WINGS OF A HAWK 

On September 11, 2004, America changed forever. A plane crashed into the World Trade Center. Then another hit the other tower. Then, the Pentagon was hit, and finally, another plane crashed somewhere over Pennsylvania, leaving all passengers dead. It was a day when thousands of lives were lost, the country was left in shock.

In the little mountain town of Durango, Colorado, Lucy watched the TV in horror as the images splashed across her screen, incomprehensible images never seen before as bodies toppled from the towers, people screaming, crying, total chaos as America faced terrorism it had never thought possible on its land.

An unfathomable hate, a tremor of fear and a race to destroy whoever was responsible for that day spread across the land. Not many had ever heard of Al-Qaeda or knew where Afghanistan was. But one thing became clear as people anchored American flags to their trucks and homes, declaring that they would destroy whoever was responsible.

Lucy watched in horror, not understanding or believing what she saw, what she was witnessing on the TV screen. This didn’t happen in America, did it? It couldn’t, right?

The young men of her town rushed to enlist, ready to kill the enemy. Her love, her husband, Kevin, crashed through their front door announcing that he had enlisted. He was going to go to war along with all his friends. These were young men who had hunted most of their lives; they’d killed deer, elk, and other wildlife, but not one of them had ever killed a person. Most who left that day would never return, others would return broken in body and soul, and America would never be the same.

When Lucinda’s husband came back to Durango, he was in a wheelchair and would probably never walk again. They were no longer the hopeful children they had been. All the dreams that they’d stacked up as kids were gone. It was a dismal time for Lucinda and Kevin.

Lucinda’s best friend, Concha, is Navajo and Hispanic. Her uncle Charlie is a Shaman and he saw a gift in Concha the day she was born. He’s wanted to teach her the Blessing Way for a long time. As Lucinda’s trials increase, Concha knows she has to do something or her friend will die and decides to ask her uncle for help.

On the Wings of a Hawk is a story about love and healing. It is about survival and staying true to yourself and not giving up. This story will take you to places that perhaps you never dreamed of. Maybe, it will make you look in places inside of yourself you never thought of. No matter what, I know you’ll be touched and feel as though you know these people, maybe look at your relationships in new ways. You just never know.