JACKIE: AN AMERICAN ICON
It was early morning, August 10, 2026 when we heard the news…Jackie died. Her last flight was protecting her family and home from two other young eagles. Shadow waited day and night, perched on the branch they both sat on so many times, looking for her over Big Bear Valley. He waited for Jackie to come home…but she never did. She was picked up by the San Dimas Raptor Rescue team. They worked on her 24/7 for almost a month but she had other compromising health issues that she wasn’t able to overcome. She had finished her last fight for her family. But this wasn’t the first time for her. She and Shadow, her partner and the love of her life, had built their nest together in Big Bear. It was in 2025 Jackie faced one of the fiercest snowstorms after having three baby eaglets hatch. She stayed on the nest, never moving, steadfast, relentless, to save her new babies, for 62 hours. No food, no rest, and fighting the cold winds. Finally, the storm ended and Jackie stood up, flapped her wings and took a look at her babies. They never knew there was danger because she was their protector. The babies grew, left the nest, and Jackie and Shadow had two more babies. But, something was wrong. They died before they ever hatched. Jackie was found grieving in the nest. But, the happy news spread that Jackie and Shadow had two more babies. Why were so many thousands of people watching the lives of these two bald eagles? I can’t speak for others, but I can say for me I was enamored with Jackie’s strength, her focus, her courage, her confidence, her purpose-driven life. I loved the way she cared for her eaglets and the tenderness she and Shadow had in their partnership. She reminds me of the woman King Solomon writes about in Proverbs 31 “ She is clothed with strength and dignity…she carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness…her children stand and bless her..her husband praises her..” But what is more impressive is that the God of the universe created these eagles, and all the other creatures, to glorify HIS name above all names, the great I am. Nehemiah 9: 6 says “ Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all the starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in it. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you”. Thank you God for her life for she brought such JOY to so many of us. Farewell Jackie as you soar up to heaven to be with our Father…as for Shadow? He waited for a long, long time….but then came along “ K-D”…..