What It Means To Be A Joseph Eagle
Written by: Katharina Hoffman
To fly like an Eagle and shine like the sun, run like the river because this is where I belong. Eagles rise, eagles fly high, we soar we are mighty and we are strong. Like the cougars who prowl the rims and ridges, the eagles take to the big blue sky with a wingspan of six feet; we scream a war cry adopted by the Comanches of old. To be a Joseph eagle… keepers of the canyons, dwellers of the prairies, lovers of the mountains, and eye of the storm. A Joseph Eagle is something special, where else can you travel over prairies, canyons, and mountains all in one day? To be a Joseph eagle is to be strong, like our brother the Phoenix we rose from the ashes before and no flame will keep us from doing it again. To be a Joseph eagle is to maybe get mocked for the name Oregon on the back of our FFA jackets, but that name Joseph, commands respect. Lakes, rivers, horses, cowboys, cattle, wildflowers. To be a Joseph eagle is to be one with this place, this county, its home. Home of the eagles. Between the Outlaws and us, there is a sense of respect and honor. The cougar is our friend, and we fly above the wild places they roam. To be a Joseph eagle is to have a soul as beautiful as our home. Whether it be sports, clubs, cultivating the land, or caring for the cattle that graze by the thousands, to be a Joseph eagle is to love the land we are blessed to live on. To be a Joseph eagle is to be strong enough to accept a beating on the basketball court or the Parli Pro podium, strength to wrestle an unruly steer at the county fair, strength to bury a baby calf you worked so hard to keep alive, and strength so strong it’s gentle. Gentle enough to nurse a newborn calf back to health, gentle enough to understand, to listen, to care. To be a Joseph Eagle is to be brave, brave enough to get back up after a beat down. Brave enough to ride out those high and windy gails, brave enough to stand our ground, to fight for what we believe in, and brave enough to admit when we’re wrong. Golden like the sun, an eagle is a light to others, a leader, a bright hope for better things, a better tomorrow, a ray of sunshine on a dark rainy day, a resting place during a storm, and an example of a warrior that fights every battle that comes their way but still holds the humbleness of a robin, humble enough to help, to love and to be a leader. Navy blue, steady, serious, honest, and true. The color of a midnight sky full of stars, a promise of the new morning coming. Steady and easygoing, drama free, and as straightforward as a book.
To be a Joseph Eagle is to say “Here I am, this is me I come into this world so young and free, here I am so young and strong, right here in the place where I belong”
As an Eagle, this is our home, our nest, our resting place. It will always be the place that built me, that gave me wings, that showed me how to fly further, higher, and wilder. It will be the place where I found not myself, but where my heart lies. Us Eagles were a family “We are like birds of a feather, we are two hearts joined together, we will be forever as one, my brothers, under the sun” We are Joseph Eagles. I’ve seen every sunset, my Eagle eyes just taught me to do so.
To be an Eagle is to be so strong. Sitting on the eagle painted onto the gym floor hugging my knees, my head down a tear splashed onto the floor…I’m an eagle, I’m a warrior, I’m brave, I’m strong, I’m humble, independent, kind, and a leader. I’m a Joseph Eagle.