Frozen Deer

Ah the bliss of reaching DJs and falling into bed at long long last. Their household was still wide awake and bustling, but I said a short hello to Kelly, peeked at my new granddaughter Katie, and headed down the hall and straight into the bliss of a soft mattress and warm comforters.

Mid way through the night, I awoke with a start, the image of a deer, upside down on its back with all four hooves waving wildly in the air while it was sliding along the dotted white passing lines in the highway as we sailed past it, glaring in my brain.

A frozen moment of time. We had finally exited that I95 congested highway onto the quieter, less traveled Route 85, heading towards Durham. The boys were dozing, as I drafted behind an 18 wheeler, shifting about in the seat trying to relieve my tired muscles. Suddenly I saw what appeared to be a huge sheet of brown plastic blow around from the passenger side of the truck ahead of me.

At first, I didn't react. I thought it would blow to one side as paper often does. But something - my guardian angel, perhaps?- made me swerve onto the shoulder of the road, just as we encountered the thing.

Turned out to be a huge buck, wriggling for all it was worth, its eyes wild with fear, sliding along the highway upside down, struggling to right itself. If I hadn't swerved, I would have hit the darn thing headon. It must have slid off the left side of the highway, because the car behind me didn't even dodge a little. I'm not even sure they saw it.

I wanted to call 911 and report it, in case the carcass was on the road. I didn't want another car to be in danger. But the boys assured me that the deer was long gone by now. I kept driving. It occurred to me how narrowly we missed trouble, how quickly our evening could have changed. God is good.

The frozen snapshot I have of that deer stays in my head. Its hard to ignore fear and distress in others, even wild animals. Its the same motivation that keeps me picking away at Jairus House. I know the distress cancer causes. I know there is something I can do to help. I can't get beyond that look. That "I just got hit by a truck and I am fighting for my life" look. So I keep working at it. I know it will happen. I just pray it will be soon.