I read "The Deer" to Ken while he was in the hospital because it reminded me so much of his gentle approach to life and situations. On the return home after his first hospitalization and learning that he had Renal Cell Carcinoma with metastasis to the lungs and brain, we saw several deer frolicking along our drive as we arrived. We looked at each other and smiled. "This must be a positive sign," I said. Ken, like the deer in the story, used the power of gentleness to touch the hearts and minds of those around him in the next few weeks before his death and died with peace within.

text only version here

from the book Medicine Cards -- The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals by Jamis Sams and David Carson. Used with permission from Bear and Company; P.O. Drawer 2860, Sante Fe, NM 87504.