Oh My Dear

It’s a universal thing—the joy animals spark in us. He was a young buck, lunching in our yard. I was in love.

As I thought more about the deer and his family — mama and papa were close by — I thought about all the families who travel to national parks in the hope of seeing wildlife, right where they live. That set me off on a search for the notes they sent home, their “Dear Mama” postcards recounting their travels, the wonders of the West, and of the deers they saw and were smitten with. You can see some of those sweet notes side by side my deer. He’s a year older now, but I still see him wandering the neighborhood with his family.