There was a full moon this past week. And with the bitterly cold temperatures that made for very clear, blue skies. It was a sight to behold. Did you see it? With my lingering cough, I have been a creature of the night much like the moon. In the wee hours of the night I was up and was drawn by its pull to look out our front windows. There I saw the white orb shining down through a haze of magic mist casting shadows on the bare branches of trees that line our street. Though I would have preferred not to be awake, it seemed a kind of gift to be able to stand and allow this light to shine on my presence, my world.

Not long after that illumination, I walked to our back doors which look out on the snow covered, moon lit, blue yard. Its beauty washed over me. And that is when I saw a small movement at the very corner of the deck. Wriggling its small body was a rabbit. Nose down, furry rump in the air, it looked like an acrobat trying to do some somersault maneuver. I kept my body as still as possible so as not to distract or frighten. For some reason the rabbit seemed young to me so I was particularly filled with compassion for it as it tried to burrow its way under our deck to seek out some warmth. As I stood watch, finally, the softness of its fur made a path through snow and cold to a place we have long known is home to perhaps this teenager and its family. I breathed a sigh of relief that, at least for that night, it was out of the elements.

Days later now, on this morning, I have been observing the prints in the snow on the deck. There are small prints and large ones and while I can identify very few animal prints, I do know these to be those of rabbits. On a less happy note we have also noticed that another part of this family’s nighttime activity is gnawing on the limbs of our winged euonymus(burning bush) tree.

All this activity of a Disneyesque nature has me thinking about the many ways we coexist in the world. We each go round every day with our own agenda in the forefront. All the while others are doing the same. How very seldom I take the time to stop and think of those whose very existence is just outside my peripheral vision….outside my window….across the street…..at the street corner….under my deck. Each creature, human or otherwise, has a life they are striving to live. Just like me. Just like you. They may be in need of a warm place, a safe place, something that feeds them and gets them through cold and difficult times.

A friend recently spoke of how trees are spiritual director for him these days. These last days when illness has made me self-centered and detached from the world, spiritual direction showed up in a brilliant moon and a small, furry, fragile creature. I was reminded that I am, we all are, traveling this world surrounded by companions and teachers. If we have the presence of mind and heart, they may have the ability to soothe a troubled night and connect us once again with the Light that continues to shine even in the coldest of nights.

I will continue to keep watch over our rabbit family and hope for the best for them as we all make our way through winter. I will notice their amazing foot prints and hope that mine do not frighten them from the safety of the home they have created. I will also hope that they might find another source of nutrition than our beloved burning bush which brings us such joy in the fall.

This co-existing can be tricky business!