We have a deer hanging out in our front yard. To be specific, it’s a young buck and he has set up camp in our front flower bed. Just about every morning he tucks behind the shrubbery and takes a nap.
At first, we thought he was sick or lost or confused. It didn’t make sense. Deer aren’t known to be bold creatures and yet this young buck was confident that he had found his place. And his place was next to our front door.
It started one morning while I was working at our dining room table. I heard the strangest sound. It sounded like a monkey. Here is a video that is similar to what I heard…
So I got up and tip toed to the window. And there he was. Lying in front of the living room window right beside the front door.
It was odd.
Then, the next day I heard the sound again. Sure enough…he was back. He’s been coming around consistently for 2 weeks now. And before you ask if he is sick, let me assure you he is not. He isn’t limping or thin. He seems very healthy as far as we can tell. But it did make us wonder…why is he here?
There are two things that we think are true.
We have a number of deer that frequent our home. They like our hostas and hydrangeas. And the garden and woods around our home have become a safe habitat for them.
Young bucks will generally stick around their mother for their first year of life but then as they come into their second year (when they might start mating) they will break away from the herd.
This deer is the right age to be going out on his own. But sometimes I will still see him with a doe and her two fawns that were born this year. My best guess is that this is his mother and now that she has new babies to raise, he knows it’s time to move on. But he is doing it slowly, staying somewhat close while figuring out his independence.
The second thing we know is that bucks like to have a safe place to sleep and having something behind you to shield and protect you is a bonus. So when he tucks into our shrubs he is secure with the house directly behind him and a great view of his surroundings in front of him. He can rest peacefully and safely.
I’ve taken to sitting by the window nearest him. As long as I don’t move too quickly I can go undetected and yet be as close as 5 feet from him.
It’s a little miracle.
Sure…there are so many things I should be doing but nothing feels more important than communing with this little deer who feels safe enough to rest at our home.
It makes me think that we are given so many glorious moments to stop and notice, to slow down and rest. Nature has a way of showing us what is most important if we will only watch and listen.
So for the month of July I am thinking about noticing. Noticing when I am called to be more present. Noticing when I am called to rest. Noticing when I am called to sit quietly.
It may be that we need to find that safe place to tuck away for a few hours, where we can set aside our worries and our deadlines, our to-do lists and our commitments. Where we can feel our breath deepen and our bodies relax.
It may be that we need to spend some time in nature, walk barefoot in the grass, swim in the river, gaze at the stars, listen for animals in the night. Take in everything we hear and see and feel.
And maybe we need to let that be enough…at least for a time.
Here’s some other reasons I’ve had to slow down recently…
And then there was this…
But there were also slow moments just taking in the world around me. Standing in awe of all that is. Feeling oneness in the midst of the greatness of the earth and sky and sea.
This is one of the most beautiful poems I’ve read this month by a wonderful writer and spiritual guide, Bob Holmes, who speaks of the process of noticing as we create with our Creator. 1
Breathe in the Dawn by Bob Holmes
In our restoration,
we cease being the experts,
the professionals, the ordained,
So that we might begin again with God.
We thought we had it all together,
But God smiles as we fall apart
into the wholeness
that heals us.
God’s love is new every morning
as we begin again,
tasting as if for the first time.
The fragrance
of Holy Presence
in the ebb and flow of our lives.
Change is the constant
on this canvas of life.
So as artists,
Let us create with our Creator
in this vast choreography of God.
Such grace is astounding
That we should be called Sons and Daughters of the Living God.
May Awe & Joy be the path of your heart.
I’ve been reading a beautiful book by Sarah Clarkson called “Reclaiming Quiet.”2 Here are two excerpts to meditate upon…
“When Jesus gives us his peace, it means he gives us himself. That doesn’t exempt us from struggle here in the broken place; it promises us an alternate story singing in the midst of our darkness, a story that shows us a different way to live in the face of pain, that leads us to quiet in the midst of the storm and shows us the hard and holy road of hope.” p.48
“What could I do in that season to help that tumult? Nothing. Except to plant my garden and love my children. Except to bake my bread and write another letter to a lonely friend. Except to watch another long, sinuous day unfold itself in golden splendor over the downs and climb to the top of the hill to witness its hope.” p.53
Then consider:
When has your spiritual path brought you out of a broken place to a place of peace? How did you discover hope in that particular moment?
Sarah describes simple moments of quiet that supported her in times of struggle. What quiet practices help you climb to the top of your own hill so that you can witness hope?
Catch up on what I’ve written recently! Here are the some of my latest posts:
Clarkson, Sarah. Reclaiming Quiet: Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention. Baker Books, 2024.
Lovely! Just... lovely. Thank you (bows to the Christ within you). I appreciate this so much.