My Place of Refuge by Wanda Garner
"Ah, now this is the life," I thought as I leaned back a little further, letting the sun hit me directly in the face. The warmth of the sun felt good and I allowed myself to close my eyes for just a few minutes and enjoy it. Birds were chirping all around me and a cool northern wind caused me to shiver just slightly. I was deer hunting, but more than anything else, I was allowing myself to bask in the serenity of the moment.
My everyday life is hectic. Often too hectic. Being a foster parent and mom to eight children, I seldom hear what people describe as "silence." I'm not sure I've ever heard it. Even in the woods, there are sounds everywhere: crows cawing, squirrels barking, the sounds of wings flapping though the air, chipmunks scurrying across the forest floor, an occasional turkey gobbling, and armadillos digging through the dry leaves. And then, of course, there's the sound 
we hunters hope for more than any other: deer moving through the timber, ever so quietly, trying not to be detected.
The sounds of nature soothe my soul and for a short time I forget life as I know it. There are no phones ringing, no child demanding a "dwink", no television blaring, no horns honking, and no issues to be resolved. This is my place of refuge and the place I long to be more than any other. It's the one place where I can sort out my life and discover who I am at the moment and who I want to be. Interruptions don't exist.
A vast majority of women (and men) would not share in my view of sitting in a deer stand in the middle of winter with temps 
plummeting below the comfort zone, in the middle of no-where, dressed in several layers of camo with foot warmers stuffed in the bottom of my waterproof boots. And of course, I had to rise at 4:30 in the morning to accomplish all this and walk into the woods in total darkness. However, the sweetness of this whole scenario is that this is something I choose to do.
Yesterday afternoon I sat in my stand and watched a cottontail bounding in circles, kicking his hind legs and apparently having the time of his life. I was amused and entertained. It made me smile and for just a little while I forgot about everything else in the crazy world. It was far more enjoyable than any 30 minute television show I could've watched and not once was I bombarded with foul language, explicit sex, or any crime. Time stood still and I was at peace.
The wild game I harvest is just an added bonus to the time I spend in the woods. There are those who think that hunters hunt to kill. Most hunters I know are in no 
rush to fill their deer tags. Instead, they spend day after day sitting in their stands just enjoying nature, admiring the wildlife who happen to appear, and watching time pass by. Often I will dig my camera out of my backpack and take a few photos of the birds and other critters which honor me with their presence. I shared with someone recently that I let twelve deer walk by my stand and never raised my gun. They seemed confused. There is no way possible to explain to a non-hunter how much I enjoyed that morning. Sometimes just the privilege of being a silent observer into that unknown world is worth that trip into the woods.
Yes, this is the life. Maybe not for everyone, but until you've sat in the woods and watched the world come alive, observed a doe feeding her babies in the wild, seen a fox chasing its prey, or let the sun warm you on a cold winter morn, you have no idea what wonderful experiences you are missing. It's hard for me to believe that there are those who will leave this world and never experience it just once.
