I’ve just been out in the backyard talking to Grayson, the wild bunny that lives under our shed, and to one of the deer that hangs out here from time to time. 

They don’t talk much. But they listen carefully. If they don’t hear any harsh tones in my voice, they’ll stay.

It’s nice to think they’re not very afraid of us.

Our daughter says my wife is the “animal whisperer.” She loves animals. She talks softly and kindly to them and she’s very good at getting them to come to her. She’s never met a horse she didn’t like. She stands by the fence and talks softly to them, and usually they come—especially if she’s holding some of the nice grass that’s greener on this side of the fence.

We don’t know where Grayson came from. We don’t know if it is a he or a she. Grayson is just the name my wife gave to the bunny when it showed up with a white albino companion, Daisy. We haven’t seen Daisy in a while, but we found a patch of scattered white fur out by the old grain silo. We’re afraid Daisy’s gone. My wife feeds Grayson carrot peelings and other vegetables scraps. He will eat the carrots out of her hand.

The deer live up in the foothills that begin behind our house. They wander down across our property and into town all the time—young bucks, does, and fawns. This past week, there has been a lonely little fawn in our yard a couple of times bleating for its mama—I’ve never heard that sound from a deer before—and mama is never very far away. In a month or so, when apples are falling from our trees, we can expect the deer to be hanging out in our yard a lot.

I’m sure some will say it’s not a good idea for these wild animals to get used to hanging out close to humans. They can be pests; we have had to put up fences around my wife’s garden and the new little tree she planted last year. The deer leave droppings behind. 

But in general the bunnies and the deer are welcome here. They are some of our Heavenly Father’s creatures, and they’re each beautiful in their own way. We don’t want them to see us as enemies.

It’s nice to know that we don’t automatically strike fear in their hearts. It’s nice to know that they can feel peace here.