Several years ago, not more than a half-mile outside of town, unexpected movement not far off the roadway captured our attention. In a split second, Don and I both saw it—a fawn leaping through an overgrown field. No momma in sight, just the baby. Our first wildlife spotting of the trip.
Here we were headed to Colorado to surround ourselves with the beauty of the mountains and to see the wonders of God’s creation when we saw a little miracle bounding through a field not five minutes from home. We had to laugh. In that moment, God reminded me that sometimes the wonder is at home.
Not only did he give that reminder as we left for our much-anticipated week in the mountains, he bookended our trip with the same reminder as we traveled home. Believe it or not, less than twenty minutes from our house, in the light of our headlights we spotted four or five deer dashing across the highway in front of us. After a week filled with exciting encounters with the wildlife of the Rocky Mountains, God seemed to say again, “Remember, sometimes the wonder is at home.”
Even though over the next few days I experienced the normal let-down most of us feel after a vacation and even though the beauty of the mountains feeds my spirit like nothing else, what comfort I found in the knowledge that wonder and beauty can be found at home, too. What comfort in knowing that God—and the beauty of his creation—are ever-present, no matter where I am.
How about you? Are you in need of such a reminder? Take a moment and consider your life. Consider the world around you. And remember—sometimes the wonder is at home.
“I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.” Psalm 9:1 NASB
*What wonder have you seen right in your home area lately?
*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)
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I went for an early morning drive, through a nearby state park, a few days ago, wanting to take some photos of the beautiful fog, near, and on, the Mississippi River. As the sun got higher and the fog was lifting, I saw a terrific photo op. A little raccoon, probably about half grown stood looking right at me, with it’s little arms (I guess they are arms, since raccoons have hands) wrapped around the post of a stop sign. So cute! Unfortunately, just as I lifted my camera, the battery died. Still, it was a cool sighting!
Jeneal, what a treat to see that little guy! And drat the luck about the camera battery. Sounds like something that would happen to me! :) Thanks for sharing the story of your wonder close to home! :)