This morning a heron—the same one that seems to be there every day all day long—caught a fish in the icy pond at the bottom of the hill. My presence didn’t disturb her as she fished out small crabs and one six inch or so fish. She seriously did not appear to be stressed at all; not even when my phone rang. I left quietly so she could eat in peace.

It’s the morning of January 20, 2025, and here at Aerie along the Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay, it’s cold; temperatures won’t rise above 35 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s sunny, which somehow saves the day.

There’s a transfer of power taking place today, fyi.

Strength has two determinants: The ability to overpower if one so desires to do so, and the ability to refrain from such actions simply because one can. The first is the result of many factors including money, relationships, status, and position. The second is the result of character. It is a symptom of intelligence and humility. The vast majority of leaders in history shared the first, but only the truly “great” leaders embodied the latter.

True strength is the ability to overlook, to forgive, to accept without judgement, and to understand without pretense. Any other action is usually a characteristic of those who fear, those with low self-esteem. The need to overpower the weak and degrade the defenseless is the result of an absolute conviction no one but them can possibly lead, so they simply use what can best be described as “bulldozer leadership” by using the mechanisms at their disposal for their own sense of security, albeit a false one.

Strength is the ability to accept criticism and learn, the ability to recognize the truth despite its contradiction to one’s own belief system and accept that truth. A true leader delegates and discerns instead of dictating and determining.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. seemed to embody those characteristics. He recognized that the true power was when the people stood up—or in some literal cases, sat down—for what they knew was right, to destroy what was unjust and degrading. He knew such an ideology could mean his death from those without the strength or character to accept that truth. But he also knew that true leadership perhaps above all else means sacrifice for the greater good.

I am spending today at the river, watching the heron feed and the geese fly. The ice on the tide has gathered for more than thirty feet out and that hasn’t happened here in several years. At the Bay the current is strong enough to keep from freezing, but Buffleheads dive and rise continuously, oblivious to the goings-on just 100 miles to the northwest.

I wish things were the way they used to be, when leaders acknowledged, even if only publicly, another’s victories and strengths, when there was hope for inclusion and safety in truth. I really do.

Dr. King said, “A genuine leader is not a searcher of consensus but a molder of consensus.” Where is that leader?

I’m headed back to the heron to watch her eat fish. It’s going to be cold for a while, but I have hope things will change. King also said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”