Mar 29, 2011

small wonders

This past Sunday, I dropped my son off at the airport (very, very early!) for his first solo trip to a big city. I tried not to let him see how nervous I was, am, about the whole thing, I tried not to be as nervous as I am about the whole thing. But hey, I’m a mom, it’s my job to worry a little, right?

On the way home, I went to a local nature center to feed the birds, a place where the birds are so used to people that you can get them to take seed right out of your hand. I wanted to get some better photos than I did the last time I went.

My parents and my brother and his wife met me at the park, and we had all kinds of bird-feeding fun. My mom and dad got a big kick out of it, it was cold but sunny, and we were having a great time.

As we stood there waiting for birds to land on outstretched hands, I saw a deer in the distance on the path behind us, maybe fifty yards away. And then a few seconds later, another one stopped just behind it, and when they turned and walked into the woods, I commented that it looked like a mother and her child.

We all turned back around and continued watching the birds, chickadees and nuthatches, cardinals and woodpeckers, juncos and titmice, laughing at some vain attempts to get them to land on my brother’s head. All of a sudden I looked up and spotted the little guy in this photo approaching us on the path. Mom was nowhere in sight.

I kept snapping photos as he crept closer and closer to our little group, my sister-in-law had her hand full of sunflower seeds and I have a feeling he had his eye on that prize. I kept my eye behind the camera, watching in amazement as he inched closer, closer, closer still.

We all stood there, unmoving, in silent awe, waiting to see just how close he would come. I could see its eyelashes in my camera lens when it stopped.

And then he stood there for several more seconds before he finally turned and walked away. Walked, not ran.

This little deer trusted us.

And in that moment I felt something in me shift, and I knew that things would be just fine, and that I had to trust that to be true.

Sometimes the world sends little messages in the sweetest of ways. Small wonders that turn an average day into something special.

And you just have to trust them enough

to open your heart.




14 comments:

Chantal said...

what a sweetie, a little bambi in its bread...

Heather said...

Beautiful POST! and the picture is sweet...i need to follow your words to today, trusting in that everything will be ok. thank you -
ps - hope your son is enjoying himself. xo

Anonymous said...

What a special capture and experience!

windrock studio said...

So lovely, words and image, and so needed. Thank you, Kelly.

Anna said...

I had a similar experience while painting in Grand Teton National Park. A coyote came out of some brush and stood for the longest time. My first thought was -rabid! After a few moments, I talked to it. The coyote stayed to listen, paused, then slowly walked away. It was one of those special moments that seemed to hold a higher meaning.

Kim Klassen said...

yes, love this moment... and trusting everything will be just fine.....
so beautiful... xxo, Kim

Marcie said...

This is beautiful! Pure innocence and - yes - trust!

Nat's Nest said...

Beautiful image! Love the blog too!

Jamie said...

What a beautiful story and lesson.

ELK said...

don't you just love when things like that happen at just the right moment~

A Box of Chocolates said...

my twin daughters flew off to the states and then 1 year in Europe in 2007 i remember sitting on the floor in the airport sobbing my heart out. It took me days, no months to get over it. We skyped all the time and you know it was the best thing they have ever done. Since then they have been back to the states for their 21st birthdays which they spent in the penthouse suite of the Bellagio in Vegas. They made it home safe and sound again. We gave them wings so they could fly i believe.

Chantal said...

soft and precious young life, love it... we have to watched out for them

Gayle said...

Thank you for sharing your heart with us. It has been a blessing.

Prairie Girl Studio said...

oh, goosebumps ...
goosebumps and misty.
there are signs all about us
and i believe you were given
just about the sweetest one ever ...
your heart is big and open ~ you are blessed ...
and as gayle just said ~ you sharing your heart with us is truly a blessing ... : )
xo
pg
ps. what a wonderful way to spend time with your family ~ feeding the birds ... xo