My Coyote Story

It was a gorgeous, mild, sunny afternoon in late December or early January, at least five years ago. I was walking with Jackson, my fluffy little dog, on the path that runs parallel to the Monument, and rejoicing in the sunshine, which was beginning to melt the four or five inches of fresh snow covering the path.

When we were almost back to the car, a young jogger came running up to us, nearly out of breath. "Be careful!" he panted. "I just heard a bunch of coyotees!"

Now, I had heard the coyotes, too. There is at least one coyote family that lives on the national park land, and it isn't unusual for me to hear them, especially around sunset in the winter. In fact, it hadn't been too long since I had actually seen one adult coyote, leaping from one prairie dog mound to another, trying, unsuccessfully, to pounce on its dinner. I had snapped a couple of pictures with my phone, but the coyote was too far away, and too close in color to the brown prairie grass, for my blurry pictures to be worth keeping.

I nodded in response to the jogger, and said something unremarkable, like, "Okay," just to prove that I had heard him. He continued on his way, convinced he had warned me sufficiently. Jackson and I walked the remaining distance to the car, without incident.

As I drove home, I couldn't stop thinking about that jogger, and his unwarranted concern. I assumed that he was an out-of-town college student, perhaps visiting his grandparents for the holidays. Or, maybe, he was a visiting nurse who was working in our community for a few weeks. Either way, I was sure he wasn't a native, because no one who lives here would ever call those animals coyotees, and no one I knew would be worried about hearing a coyote howling in the distance.

Around here, the plentiful coyotes are mostly considered to be a nuisance, since they sometimes prey on people's chickens or even small pets, or an occasional newborn calf, or they keep my rural grandchildren awake at night with their persistent howling. However, I knew that my little dog was perfectly safe with me in the daytime, because a healthy coyote would never come near an adult human in broad daylight.

I have been waiting a long time to write this particular blog, because I've been hoping to take another, clearer photo of a coyote to illustrate my story. Unfortunately, although I've heard many, I haven't seen even one coyote since that day, even though I watch for wildlife of all kinds when I hike near the Monument.

Then, when Bill and I took our oldest grandkids up to the family ranch, near the the South Dakota border, over Labor Day weekend, I was surprised to see the above, framed photo still hanging on the wall. I don't remember if my dad or one of my other relatives took the picture of the coyote pups when they were hiking in the hills and bluffs surrounding the house yard--someone certainly could have, since I remember them talking about finding a den with several coyote pups, and even taking some of the others to see. I suppose it's just as likely that someone cut the picture out of a NebraskaLand magazine, and hung it on the dining room wall just because it reminded them of the pups they had seen. Regardless, I took a photo of the picture and decided to use it for this blog, because those harmless coyote pups are just so cute!

As we are finishing this year, and beginning the next, I've noticed that more and more people seem to be fearful of what lies ahead. Like the jogger in my story, we may worry about things that don't really pose any danger at all. Sometimes, we worry endlessly about the unknown, or about things we have no control over. It's just our human nature.

Now, as 2025 is dawning, I'd like to remind you that we don't need to be afraid of the future. God is already there, and he is waiting for us to turn to him for any help and reassurance we may need in the year to come.

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭31‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT