Squirrel Therapy

Victoria and I just enjoyed a little quality time with the squirrels in the back yard. We’ve recently been given a wonderful gift – one that we never expected to experience again. A few days ago one of the squirrels came up to me as I sat in the chair on the patio, climbed my leg and took a peanut from the tray in my lap. Since then she’s made herself quite comfortable in our company, jumping upon our shoulders and taking peanuts from our hands. She’s also fond of hanging out with us, letting us pet her and laying on the patio beside us when we’re out there.
We have to believe that this squirrel, which we’re calling Sunny, was hand-raised by someone, and was maybe set free like we did with Spartacus. All we know is that we’ve again been given the opportunity to enjoy that wonderful, woody smell of a wild squirrel that lives in the trees. Some of the other squirrels have taken comfort from Sunny, and are now coming right up to us to take peanuts from our hands. We consider each and every incident a rare gift, and we’re thankful that we have a friendship with at least one squirrel again. When Spartacus was killed we never expected to experience that again.
I don’t expect many of the drones (those people who have no sense of empathy or wonder) to appreciate what these experiences mean to Victoria and I. But these are the moments in which I feel closest to God, when an animal that has no need of my presence gifts me with its trust. It’s an honor I will never take for granted. And it’s one I am eternally grateful for. The world is, indeed, a wonderful place.