Running my fingers through her hair, I thanked her and expressed my gratitude that she gave her life for my family and our sustenance. Her body would be meat in our freezer and would last for months to come. Her hair was soft, her body thick, her legs strong, and what was moments ago a vibrant and active soul, was now a lifeless body on the frozen ground, her hair in my hands. This doe was the first deer I’d ever harvested. I’d witnessed practices of gratitude and how sacred it is to take a life, and now I was living out what I’d learned, creating my own harvest ritual.