Picture of the day - September 5, 2005

Uncle Jerry's Deer

Just a few miles from Damascus, Virginia lies the rural community of Widener Valley, the place where my wife Cheria and I grew up. "The valley" is home to a lot of very good people - hard working, God fearing people who would do anything to help out a neighbor in need. And two of the finest people I know are Cheria's Uncle Jerry and Aunt Eleanor. Jerry and Eleanor have worked hard their entire lives to make an honest living and to help their friends and loved ones, including "Granny Cook" in her later years and Cheria when she was a young girl growing up in the valley. In fact, they treated Cheria as if she was their own daughter. Between Granny Cook and Eleanor & Jerry, that beautiful little girl who would someday grow up to be the love of my life received all the love and affection that any child would ever need - and they still had plenty left over for the other children in the rather large Cook family. Still today, Cheria gets misty-eyed when she tells me about how Eleanor and Jerry always treated her like she was special - and as the first grandchild of Grandaddy and Granny Cook she was indeed special. In a very real way, Cheria was the child that Eleanor and Jerry never had, and she'll forever be grateful for the love they bestowed upon her. For the past few years Jerry has had to deal with some very serious health problems that have left him unable to leave the house for little else than trips to the doctor. Eleanor cares for him with all the love one would expect of a loving wife of 48 years, making sure that he has everything he needs and wants. A huge part of that task is making sure he is able to spend his time doing the things he enjoys: watching old westerns and ball games on TV and watching the wildlife frolic in the fields and forest across the road from their house. Which brings us to today's picture... Yesterday, Cheria and I were enjoying the cool early evening air out on the porch with Jerry and Eleanor when several deer walked out of the woods and began grazing in the open field across the road. They moved in and out of view for quite some time before one of them finally got into a position where I could snap a decent photo. It's almost like that large doe was posing for me, but I'm sure that she was actually posing for Jerry, a lifelong hunter who still has the urge if not the ability to "bag the big one". I guess even the wildlife can sense what a great man Jerry is because the deer and wild turkeys love to parade around where he can sit and watch them. For many years these wonderful creatures have been a passion of Jerry's, and they still are today!   Picture Of The Day Homepage | Submit a photo Interesting Articles