Legend has it that when a hoot owl is heard near a home, if something good immediately happens, another blessing is sure to follow.
There could be some truth to the legend as the story of the hoot owl appropriately named Grace is hovering in the hearts of many Yazooans who have followed her inspiring story.
“God puts things in your path,” said Douglas Williams, who discovered Grace on Highway 16. “He wants us to be still and listen. Grace has shown me that.”
Douglas, who is a teacher at Manchester Academy, was driving down Highway 16 in rural Yazoo County when she came across the creature that would change her life.
The lonely road was empty, no cars, as Douglas made her way with no idea of what she was about to uncover.
“All of a sudden, I saw a white car pulled over to the side of the road,” Douglas said. “There was not another car in sight. And then I realized there was something in the middle of the road in between the two yellow lights.”
Pulling over to inspect the small object, the man who was driving the van soon appeared to Douglas.
“Instantly I could see that it was an owl,” she said. “The man who pulled over said, ‘I think it is sleeping.’”
But the owl was not sleeping. She has been struck by a vehicle and remained injured in the middle of the busy highway.
“The man there was so sweet, almost like an angel on the sidelines watching over this owl,” Douglas said. “He told me, ‘I drove about a mile down the road and had to turn around. I couldn’t just leave it here.’”
It wasn’t long before fellow animal lover Rosemary Knox happened to drive up to the scene.
“I knew Rosemary, and I knew that she loved animals,” Douglas said, with a laugh. “I knew she had a heart for animals, and we could figure out what to do.”
Rosemary said Douglas was determined to save the owl’s life.
“She stopped traffic right there on Highway 16 to help the owl,”Rosemary said.
Grabbing a beach towel from her vehicle, Douglas had her mind set on rescuing the injured animal. Placing the towel over the surprisingly calm creature, Douglas scooped her up.
“She never moved,” Douglas said. “It was just like holding a puppy or a kitten. There was no aggression, whatsoever.”
Douglas then made her way towards Jackson to an emergency veterinary clinic. She admits that she was more frightened than the animal.
“She just sat in my floorboard, looking up at me, rocking back and forth,” Douglas said. “I was scared that any minute, she would start flying around in my car. And she has huge claws by the way.”
But the owl never moved.
Through a series of phone calls, Douglas was then introduced to Bob and Patt Lowrance, a couple in their 80s who have rescued and nursed back to health injured birds for over 30 years.
“It felt wonderful handing the owl over to the Lowrance couple,” Douglas said. “I knew she was in good hands. They have a gift for nursing these birds back to health.”
In fact, Bob and Patt Lowrance have a volunteer service called Birds of Prey, geared towards rescuing and rehabilitating Mississippi’s magnificent birds of prey called raptors.
Douglas went back to teaching her first grade classroom after the rescue. But the creature remained in her mind. She kept constant contact with the Lowrance couple to check on the owl’s recovery.
“I shared the story with my class and reminded them that God has a way to sending us a message,” Douglas said. “Don’t worry about anything. If He is going to take care of the creature, He will take care of us. And that owl was a reminder. She wasn’t afraid, but she was taken care of that day.”
The first graders decided to name the owl Grace.
“God showed such mercy and grace that was what we wanted to call her....Grace,” Douglas said.
Rosemary also kept contact with Birds of Prey.
“Mr. Lowrance told us that once Grace could catch a mouse and eat it on her own, she would be ready to return home to the wild,” Rosemary said. “She was able to do that yesterday.”
Douglas, Rosemary and Bob Lowrance were meeting to released Grace as of press time.
“My class is excited to death about this release,” Douglas said. “This has turned into a happy story, all around. Grace has reminded us to have no fear and be still.”
