Pass the Kleenex!

Hi, everyone: I’m feeling kinda badly about something, and I wanted to share my little hurt with y’all who are dear to me.

We have a little apple tree not far from our back door. For the past several weeks a little doe and her twin fawns, still with their spotted coats, have come to the back yard in the early evening to graze one of the remaining areas where our grass is green, and to check for apples that may have fallen from the tree. We’ve even been known to grab an apple or two from our fridge and toss it out under the tree for her to find. We also filled a big bucket with water and put it nearby so she and her babies can find water, a real scarcity during our recent heat wave.

Over the weeks, we had begun to gain the trust of these beautiful creatures. We could stand as close as 15 or 20 feet away, talking softly to them. They looked our way now and then, but kept feeding as long as we made no sudden moves or loud sounds. We began to look forward to their frequent visits to our back yard.

Then, this past Thursday we went to town. We had progressed down the road only as far as our nearest neighbor’s driveway, and there in the ditch just beyond their driveway, lying on her back was our beautiful mama doe, obviously dead. We discussed that perhaps it could be some “other” deer, but in our hearts we knew it was our girl. The trip to town was made with barely a word spoken between us – it's hard to speak with that giant lump in your throat. When we did talk, we spoke of the preciousness of life, all life, and the cruelty of this world. (“Bless the beasts and the children, for in this world they have no voice, they have no choice.” Lyrics from one of my favorite Karen Carpenter songs.)

It gets worse! We went to our beach house on Saturday morning to spend a little time doing some much-needed chores there. When we returned home Sunday afternoon, I walked out to the mailbox at the end of our driveway to get Saturday’s mail. My heart stopped when I noticed a tan lump lying in the gravel on the roadside across from our driveway. We hadn’t noticed it when we had just driven past, so I walked over to see if it was what I feared it to be. Sure enough, there was one of the little spotted twin fawns, a second victim of innocence and the world’s cruelty. We haven't seen hide-nor-hair of the second fawn, and have no idea whether he is still alive. All alone out there he might have become some predator's lunch. Gee, I hope not!

Now, I know that every year hunters go out in droves to legally (and illegally, I might add) take the lives of hundreds of these beautiful animals. They do it big-time right here in my own “neck of the woods.” During hunting season, large numbers of hunters drive past our house in their tall pickup trucks, dressed in their camo hunting garb, one after another after another. My son (an avid hunter) even tells me that hunting is good for the deer population (otherwise many would starve during the winter when food is too scarce to be shared by large herds - blah, blah, blah). I understand that it’s just part of life, but I will never embrace the idea, nor could I EVER bring myself to purposely kill one of those innocent, delicate creatures with their soft brown eyes and the sweetest of faces - a strong case for being a vegetarian (I will NEVER eat venison!).

I DID kill something once, however. Very early one morning a couple of years ago I was driving 70 m.p.h. (the posted speed limit in our area) on the nearly-deserted freeway, and out of nowhere a coyote dashed out in front of me. There was no way to avoid hitting him without wrecking the car and possibly endangering my own life. Mine was the only vehicle on the freeway for miles, but somehow he chose that unfortunate moment to cross the freeway. I still cringe when I remember the awful thud of my bumper striking him as he frantically rushed to make it across without getting hit. He didn’t make it, and I felt sick inside, even though it was just a pesky coyote.

I guess the lesson here is that thankfully this cruel world is not our home. We’re just a-passin’ through to a place where nothing will ever again be hurt or injured or die from some awful tragedy. Not from cancer or accidents or predators. I’m so thankful for that sweet assurance!

I love you all!

XOXO
Joanne


MY TEXT FOR TODAY: Psalm 40:1-3 (TLB)

I waited patiently for God to help me, and He listened and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God. Now many will hear of the glorious things he did for me and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in Him.