I'm sure Somebody important was trying to tell me something.

Abby, my beautiful yellow Labrador retriever and I were running early this morning. She can run me into the ground at a pace I don't know, but is a wonderful companion by my side. It was a damp, cold and very windy morning. Still dark, we saw nothing and nothing saw us. I had something a little bothersome on my mind. Four miles felt like a lot more.

Ever have one of those days when you wonder if anyone is listening to your thoughts?

We turned a familiar corner, past a vacant lot where wildflowers grow in nicer weather and Abby, who was born to hunt--and in her mind, vanquishes every squirrel she ever sees--stopped cold and sat, staring into the barely visible openness at the side of the road.

Then I saw what she saw. Not ten feet from us were two beautiful does, standing motionless in low grass, watching us. Now we do have deer around here... and we do see them often... mostly running across the road or far into the woods, white tails disappearing. And Abby wants those deer... she pulls so hard on her leash that if we are on a downhill, I really have to be careful. But not this time.

Receiving this reception when our oncoming sound should have sent them bounding... that was kind of special. We were still for about five seconds, neither deer nor us moving... just looking at each other. Then they turned and bounded off.

I really had the feeling that Someone was saying, "I heard you... and I am here!"

And if that's just me, I'm fine with that. Not a bad start at all for a great day.