Deer.  I know there are many people out there who have come to think of deer as a nuisance.  They complain that there are too many of them.  They complain that they eat their gardens, their flowers, their trees.  I don’t care; I still love them.  It’s certainly not their fault that there are so many.  We’ve killed off all their predators (except of course, our cars.)

Why do I love deer?  I think they epitomize gentleness.  Who has ever been attacked by a deer?  We NEED more gentleness in this world

Deer are usually seen grazing on grasses and plants.  Shouldn’t we all be doing more of that?  Of course we should!  They model how we should eat.  In addition, they are so beautiful.  Those big black doe-y eyes.  Those sweet ears.  Their slender graceful form.  I love to watch them graze and I love to watch them bound away.

And, I hate to say this to those of you who are vegetarian.  I really don’t want to say it.  But IF we need to eat meat, venison is surely hundreds of times healthier for us than any of the mass-produced meats we can buy in the supermarket. 

Sometimes I think there is a proliferation of a certain kind of animal or plant because we need it.  I think often it is a blessing and a gift and we don’t recognize it.

Take kudzu, for instance.  Kudzu has long been defiled as a noxious week that has taken over the south.  But if you researched the potential medicinal benefits of kudzu, it would blow your mind.  People pay money for kudzu at health food stores.   Instead of spraying it with weedkiller, we should be thanking our lucky stars to have it growing so abundantly.  We should be harvesting it for the benefit of humankind instead of killing it.

Check this out:

·        Kudzu is widely regarded in China as an important part of the herbal pharmacy.

·        Kudzu is an active ingredient in some hangover remedies and is being studied by Harvard Medical School as a possible means to treat alcoholism.

·        Kudzu has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

      Kudzu is used to treat vertigo and tinnitus and has shown promise in treating migraines and cluster headaches.

·        Kudzu has the potential to help in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

We NEED this plant!  We need it badly!  And how awesome that we don’t even need to plant it!  We don’t need to cultivate it.  It has been freely given to us.

Someone once defined a weed as a plant whose value is not recognized.  Well perhaps we ought to change our opinion about kudzu.

And what about blizzards?  Most people are scared of blizzards.  Most people curse blizzards.  And ya know what?  If we lived outside in teepees, perhaps they’d be a huge concern.  But we live in warm houses.  And when a blizzard happens, it forces us to stay home.  In this crazy, busy world we live in, don’t you think we need some more relaxing time at home?  We’re always so busy driving around, going here, going there, working, shopping, going to children’s activities or social functions.  Do you really LIKE being that busy?  I don’t.  I revel in the chance to stay home and read, make meals, nestle in with my family or friends.  I think blizzards are God’s way of saying: SLOW DOWN!!!!

Of course, I don’t want to minimize the danger of losing electricity, losing heat, losing the ability to cook our food, etc.  This is certainly a concern.  But even this may be God’s way of saying, “You’ve gotten so far away from living life simply.  Now you spend all this time in front of a TV or computer.   You spend too much time in your car.  Maybe it’s time to sit around and tell stories.  Maybe it’s time to sleep.  Maybe you all need to get away from your dependence on electricity and oil and learn to live in harmony with your Mother Earth.”  Maybe we need to remember how to build fires, for instance, or how to store and cook food without major appliances.  Maybe we need to remember the basic tools of survival used by our ancestors.

 

Sometimes things proliferate because we need them.  Sometimes things happen because it forces us to change our routine or our plans.  Sometimes what feels like a curse is actually a blessing. 

Let’s look for the gift in everything.  Let’s make the most of whatever we’ve been given.  Let’s be grateful whenever possible.  Let’s always remember to count our blessings.