It’s Thursday again! Welcome to the end of another week. Our 4th graders are spending a day out on Santa Cruz Island enjoying our local floral and fauna and I’m a little envious. On evenings when I don’t have a meeting, my daughter Eliza and I have been walking behind our house on a trail in the Santa Monica Mountains. When we time it right, we are able to see deer, in addition to coyotes, rabbits, owls, and other birds.
A few nights ago, we were lucky enough to observe an adult male deer, with rather large antlers, lounging close by four young deer and an adult female. As the young deer moved around grazing, the dad moved closer to them and then sat down again. The following day, we saw the dad again, but he was quite far from one of the young ones. When we stopped to watch the little one, dad quickly became alert and was almost running until he was satisfied that we weren’t going to harm the little one and he was close enough to intervene if we tried.
It is so entertaining to me to look for animals on our walks, especially the deer. I’m so glad Eliza walks with me because I often don’t see any deer but as soon as I voice my disappointment, she points them out to me. I’d like to say it is because she has younger eyes, but I think it is because she looks with different eyes. An interesting concept to think about. I’m so quick to become discouraged about not seeing any deer that I can’t see them even when I’m looking directly at them. Eliza, however, can always spot them, even when they are camouflaged. She doesn’t get discouraged; she just keeps looking until they come into view. I need to adopt her mindset and patiently look until I see the deer in front of me.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 NIV