This is a guest post by Joe Durepos.
I was walking early one morning, just as the sun was coming up. I was in a section of woods not too far from my home. I was trying to walk as soundlessly as possible. There was a mist that morning and the woods seemed hushed. Before I was aware of it, I came face-to-face with a large male deer. It was beautiful. I was startled; the deer just stood there and watched me. I stared back, holding my breath. After what seemed like minutes, it slowly turned and disappeared into the woods.
I breathed out and thought about how close I lived to something this wild, this big, and so “other” than me. A feeling of reverence came over me and I stood rooted to the spot. I wondered how many other eyes might be watching me in that moment, in the morning woods. I wondered how crowded this quiet place might be, life teeming around me, just beyond my awareness. I turned and looked into the woods and listened—it felt like something was watching me, holding its breath too, and waiting for me to move.
When I finally took a tentative step, I was aware of the birds singing again. There was a rustling in the trees and a gradual moving deeper into the woods. The mist was burning off. When I got home, I sat quietly for a long time with my eyes closed. I remembered I meant to pray. Then I laughed quietly, opened my eyes, and said to the empty house, “I think I just did.”
Joseph Durepos is an editor at Loyola Press and author of A Still More Excellent Way.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
“Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them” (Psalm 69:34). I agree, you were immersed in prayer! Beautiful reflection.
I understand your feeling of reverence. My husband & I live in the country and many mornings we have four deer come into our yard. They stay near the tree line and will often visit for quite awhile before one of our Shi-Tzus spies them and starts barking. In fact, it just happened as I write this. I’m always disappointed when the dogs cut the deers’ visit short. Thank you for sharing your story.
Indeed, isn’t that what prayer is all about, that we are taken away from our own self-absorption and thus enter the realm of the Divine? I believe that this is what seeing God in all things truly mean: an identification or a oneness with everything that he has created, with everything that belongs to the kingdom.
At times, I get lost in prayer because I pay too much attention to the distractions instead of focusing on God. You have shown me the power of a wordless prayer and the joy of contemplation. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful experience and reflection.
That liminal space of silent encounter – it holds for a moment like that. And so beautifully expressed in this post!
“That liminal space of silent encounter.” What a fabulous writer you are!
Indeed!
The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. We need silence to be able to touch souls. – Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Wonderful quote!
I live in town so rarely have that sort of encounter but remember a similar experience in Australia. I was in the rain forest and trying to spy out a Cassowary (a big Emu like bird). I didn’t see one but was walking as quietly as possible in the hope. As I walked I came across some wild pigs snuffling about looking for food. I love pigs, so that was a treat. I just stood and watched them for a few minutes but then began wondering, not about what other eyes were watching me but rather what other eyes and ears hadn’t seen or heard me and that I may startle. Not a good idea given the snakes and spiders in the rain forests of Australia. I like to think that that was God giving me a nudge saying: “hey, I make scarey things too you know.”
Sounds like you found a thin place in the woods that day. Thank you for providing a peaceful & graceful start to my morning.
What a beautiful encounter you! Rejoicing in the God of all creation who knows what we need, when we need….even before we ask! May the stillness of that moment resonate with you for seasons to come.
What a wonderful encounter.
What a beautiful story. I live in a town so try to remind myself to “slow down” and “see” as I walk home through a park (I love trees , especially the old ones with their gnarled spreading roots).
ps. A big “thank you” for the Calendar which arrived this week.
Happy weekend.
“Be still…and know that I am God.”
You just reminded me of an encounter I had with a doe. I was doing some vegetation surveying in the North Woods of Wisconsin, my eyes focused down on a square-meter quadrat. I heard something in front of me and looked up. A doe was approaching me, just following a deer trail, every bit as oblivious to me as I had been to her. I guess I felt about like Moses at the burning bush. As she got closer, though, I started to get nervous about how she might react if she got too close before she noticed me. If the “predator” is right on top of her before she sees it, a deer might choose fight over flight. When she was maybe fifteen feet away, I cleared my throat. She stopped, her ears swiveling around anxiously. I shifted to the right about a foot so she’d see me, and she took off running.
I’m not completely sure if I was really afraid of getting kicked by a deer, or if I was getting too close to the burning bush for my comfort. Honestly, it was probably a little of both.
We too have a lot of wildlife in our little woodland behind our house. Unfortunately, the deer pass through on their food path and destroy most things that I plant which included my vegeatable garden many times until I moved and fenced it. But I would miss them if they weren’t here.
One of my favorite moments was when a pair of beautiful twin fawns were with their mother. Their mother warned them that I was coming and ran. One followed and then stopped because the other just stood there curiously waiting for me. I was within a couple of feet of it and I kept saying “You have to go! When Mommy goes, you go!” My kids were much younger then and my middle child was friendly to literally everyone and often ran off! It made me think of how nervous mom was getting as she was watching me talk to her baby from the woods! But still, the fawn didn’t move. Finally, I did. I left and said, “Go to MOmmy!!” And he bolted! It was so funny, the twin was almost scolding him just as my oldest child would have. The lesson I learned is that the creatures in my woodland are not at all afraid of me…because they know I am safe. It was a lovely moment!
Thank you for this post.
I can relate.
On a few ocassions I have had the gift of encountering deer.
Eye to Eye contact was heartening.
And so faith is nourished when we experience the numinous beauty from an unexpected gift, coming from Outside ourselves . Amazing Grace!