John Heinmiller

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by David Garrity on April 22, 2002:

On Sunday night I was up late reading and watching television. As the time moved past midnight, the calendar rolled over to April 22, 2002 - the first anniversary of Johnny's death. Around 12:30 I heard a strange noise, I didn't know what it was. This noise repeated every 30 seconds or so, and continued on for several minutes. I turned off the television to see if the noise was from the TV, but the noise continued. I got up to investigate... the noise was not coming from anything inside the house. I looked out the window, but saw nothing. The noise continued. I went upstairs to see if one of my kids was making the noise in their sleep. At this point, it was around 12:45. Finally I opened an upstairs window. The noise seemed to be coming from directly above my head. At last I figured it out. In the crisp night air, I recognized the "whoo...whooo...whoooo" of an owl. I went to bed, and continued to hear the owl for another 15 minutes or so. In the four years that I have lived in this house, I have never before seen or heard an owl in this area. I felt certain that this must be a sign from John. I did some research on the Internet, and discovered the following: Among the different American Indian tribes, there are many diverse beliefs regarding the Owl. Presented here are some of those beliefs. - The Dakota Indians saw the Burrowing Owl as a protective spirit for brave warriors. - Native Northwest coast Indians believed that owls represented both a deceased person and their newly-released soul. - The Kwakiutl Indians were convinced that Owls were the souls of people and should therefore not be harmed - The Lenape Indians believed that if they dreamt of an Owl it would become their guardian. - To the Mojave Indians of Arizona, one would become an Owl after death. - In the Sierras, native peoples believed the Great Horned Owl captured the souls of the dead and transported them to the afterlife. - California Newuk Indians believed that after death, the brave and virtuous became Great Horned Owls. I also heard a recording on the Internet of the call of a Great Horned Owl; it was the same sound that I heard the night before. Miss you Johnny.

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