Wolf Within

The beauty of a snow fall in rural areas and especially along back roads like where the shelter is located, is the tiny footprints that become evident along the road and roadside, especially after night fall.
Footprints that normally one doesn't see on any other occasion - not even when it rains and for those who care about wildlife, it's amazing what a new snow fall, prevails.
I was taking my grandson home after spending the weekend and we noticed pawprints all along the driveway, directly in the middle all the way down and others that criss crossed.
The pawprints that followed along the driveway, were those of a coyote and the ones that criss crossed were rabbits.
Travelling along the road, we stopped to watch a skunk scurry down the side of the road and noticed a small red fox, further along.
There were other paw prints we were trying to define, probably that of a racoon and we were amazed at the variety of prints we had seen in such a small distance and period of time.
Driving further - my grandson had his eyes glued to the roadside (he's 12), hoping to notice different tracks or even another animal, then finally he pipes up and says "it's amazing just how much wildlife there is out there and we don't ever really notice or think about it because they are out of site and out of mind eh nana?" and I realized how true his words were....
- shame because with all the worldly affairs that are occuring, his words couldn't be truer...
so I answered him by saying "not to worry buddy, we know they are there"
but to myself I thought...what a shame that life itself, in every shape and form is so disrespected and replaceable in this day and age...
It sure was a nice drive and the pawprints gave us both some food for thought.