On the way to and from work, I drive the back roads. They wind to and fro, and the road rises and falls as I make the trek from Ellisville to Weldon Spring, and back.

This is mostly farm country, and land that is quickly being gobbled up by million dollar estates on large acreages (well, large for city-dwellers: two to five acres). Nature is being pushed out, but, as nature does, it finds a way to cope, and I frequently see deer along the way, playing in the fields, along with hawks, owls, fox and even the occasional beaver. Plenty of wildlife to look at.

Today, though, I was running down Strecker Road, headed back toward Ellisville, when I saw a herd of nine young deer standing in a farmer’s field at the edge of the road, waiting to cross. I stopped, and they finally pranced across, and up the hill on the other side of the road. It was a wonderful sight, seeing these nine young deer playing and prancing, as though there was no traffic to be concerned with.

Why is that an epiphany for me? Well, it’s events like this — opportunities for me to rub elbows with nature — that make me feel certain that one day my path will lie in the fields and forests, photgraphing God’s handiwork in all its splendor. There’s a sense of peace when I’m surrounded by His work, and it’s certainly grabbing my attention!