Peace in the Eye of the Storm

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By Maureen Kane

Last week, I woke to find a newborn fawn on my front doorstep. Really. Its soft downy form curled in a circle, breathing peacefully and trusting that mom will return to feed her. Her brown fur fluttering in the wind, the tiny white spots rise and fall with her breath. She is unafraid and resting in full trust.

She may see, but does not understand, the traffic cones placed on the sidewalk by a neighbor to keep people from bothering her. The sign made by another to re-direct package deliveries to the garage. And the decision made by my husband to wait to mow the lawn until she is ready to move out on her own.

She does not know when she suckles, that that milk contains apples and pears left out for her mother. She does not know that her mother wanders to keep predators from finding her.

In our backyard, a rare black squirrel swings from the bird feeder. It shares the food carefully curated to support our local avian guests.

This pastoral scene all around me teaches me of innate trust, care and grace. We humans may be recipients of it too, in ways we will never see or understand, just as the faun knows not what keeps her safe.

Meanwhile a pandemic continues to rage. Hoarding and choices about mask use spark fear and division and even violence. There are those who seek to escalate the division for their own gain.

And yet, the helpless faun trusts and is protected. She left our care yesterday, and tonight we watch a bunny bring grass and sticks one by one into her burrow to house her young. We text the neighbors, and we will once again watch over a little one the best we can.

We humans, who pretend we are not helpless, could learn a lot from what mightiness one tiny life brings out in those around her through her innocence and trust.

May all beings meet their innate greatness that rises to meet our vulnerability.

Title: Peace in the Eye of the Storm
Description: Maureen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in private practice in Bellingham WA, specializing in stress, anxiety, life changes, illness, caregiving, trauma, and career. Prior to being a therapist, Maureen was a director or manager of social service agencies and corporations working in the areas of literacy, health care access, aging, homeless youth, and disability. She shares her home with her husband and hairless cat.
Rights: https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Contributor: Maureen Kane
Date: 2020-06-14
Type: Text
Identifier: 001

Item sets: Chuckanut Writers Project

Site pages: Chuckanut Writers Project

Media: Peace in the Eye of the Storm