Gardens always abound with surprises. Columbines and Beebalm pop up where you didn’t plant them and small sheltering pines emerge from areas of periwinkle. But biggest surprise of all was the infant fawn that had just been born nestled two weeks ago nestled among the plants.
Putting water out for all the animals and birds that traverse the yard, I heard a rustling and looked down and saw the fawn. It stared straight at me. And right behind me was mom, who knows me but looked anxiously at her child. Stepping away, I waited for some time until it stood up and began to walk in a wobbly fashion.
What is it about new birth, whether deer, birds, or people that brings us such delight? Is it the sense we are given of the Divine, the Holy, as we see new life? At such times we feel enveloped by the presence of God as we realize that a new life is but one reflection of God’s promise to be with us and all creation.
Prayer for the Day
You who made Pleiades and Orion, who turns deep night into morning
And dims day into twilight, who summons the waters of the sea.
And pours them out onto the surface of the earth,
We stand in awe before you in gratitude for the world you have given us.
From the bees searching for pollen to deer giving birth,
We acknowledge your miracle of creation and its beauty.
Let us not be so consumed so we miss the glory of all that is around us
We ask this in the name of him who offered us a new vision of your glory,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The earth is populated by such a great diversity of life, and although we as humans tend to separate ourselves from it, I always smile when I see a pair of lapwings standing in the shade of a tree on a hot day, just like humans.
- Arne Lesterhuis, Environmental researcher
How can a deer hear a leaf falling silently in the forest? She hears it breathing differently.
- Richard Bach, American writer
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, O God.
My being thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I behold your face, O God?
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for again I will praise you, my help and my God.
Psalm 42: 1, 5