Honor; Shining Light

Sometime ago . . . I start a new day drawing up the blinds. I look down to find a skinny deer lying against my house under my bedroom window. I would have thought she were dead, but her head slowly lifted up as I moaned, “I can’t have this deer die in my yard.” Next thought, “I need to get her corn.” No box store corn would do, I felt led to drive 158 miles to Mount Olive, North Carolina to purchase 200 pounds of cracked corn. For some reason, I believed this special corn would make her better.

That special corn was with me the day I found myself Looking for Angels, finding the light. The same day I wish I had taken the time to drive a few extra minutes to see my friend “M”, but I didn’t. My husband in response to my later loss and sadness said, “Sometimes in life you don’t get do-overs”.

It was those words that drove me into the wilderness of my backyard. With every bit of anger, I began pulling and throwing every weed, dead plant, and tree limb I could find. My heart hurt.

Then, I turned around to see skinny deer looking at me while she ate her special corn. I decided she needed a name and the first thing that popped into my mind was Nora.

Over the course of two months, I managed to make a trail in my backyard. Every animal I saw was given a name . . . Athena (a barred owl, named after Florence Nightingale’s pet owl), rabbits (Peter 1 & 2), chipmunks (Mr. & Mrs. Mertz – taken from I love Lucy because they bickered like my parents did), Geraldine (a mouse), squirrels (all named Quirrel with each having a unique pronunciation), and a North American Opossum named Skittles.

When the garden was done I looked at Nora and said, “We need to have a grand opening – a ceremony.” So, I faced the forest and said a few words and ended my speech with “Amen.” And then . . . I felt as though my soul was singing . . . so, I entered those words (that feeling) into the YouTube search engine. Instinctively, I turned to the entrance of the garden, raised my phone, and played Then sings my soul.

When I turned around not only was Nora there, but six other deer. I said, “Thank you for coming. This Deer Mediation Prayer Garden is dedicated to my friend “M”.

Hearing of this special garden, I was gifted the below heart shaped rock that now graces the trails entrance . . .  

A beautiful ending, but what do I call this post? And I thought, “Why did I name skinny deer Nora?” I Google “Nora meaning” and find “honor; shining light”. My shoulders fall, I smile, and I say, “How perfect is that.”

Reflecting on the Evidence

1. Examine the significance of a name.

References

Alexander, K.L. (2019). Florence Nightingale. Retrieved March 14, 2023 from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/florence-nightingale

Bauer, P. (n.d.). I love Lucy. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 14, 2023 from https://www.britannica.com/topic/I-Love-Lucy

Beck, M. (2022, October 4). Looking for Angels, Finding the Light. https://timetravelingnurse.blog/2022/10/04/looking-for-angels/

Beck, M. (2022, October 21). My heA/R/T Story [Photograph].

Cornell University. (2023). Barred owl identification. All about Birds. Retrieved March 14, 2023 from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id

Croft, A. (2022, February 27). Field mouse vs house mouse: What’s the difference? AZ Animals. https://a-z-animals.com/blog/field-mouse-vs-house-mouse/

Dueck, K. (2022, October 6). Discover the 2 types of possums. AZ Animals. https://a-z-animals.com/blog/discover-the-types-of-possums/

Florence Nightingale Museum. (n.d.). Florence Nightingale the Woman. Retrieved March 14, 2023 from https://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/athena/

Hall, H. (2022, September 12). Chipmunks vs squirrel. AZ Animals. https://a-z-animals.com/blog/chipmunk-vs-squirrel-7-main-differences-explained/?from=exit_intent

MAMC Church Choir. (2020). Then sings my soul (MV). [YouTube]. Retrieved December 6, 2022 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZnVyUBOhm

Oxford Languages (n.d.). Ceremony. Retrieved March 14, 2023 from https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=ceremony+definition&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Parks, A. (2023, February 10). Rabbit. AZ Animals. https://a-z-animals.com/animals/rabbit/

The Bump. (n.d.). Nora. Retrieved December 6, 2022 from https://www.thebump.com/b/nora-baby-name

Special Thanks

To Joy Kieffer and her children Lore and Kieffer Phillips, for not only reviewing this post, but for their constant thoughts of healing and love for Nora.