The news of late has been quite distressing. There have been frightful stories of forest clearing wildfires, historic flooding from severe storms, two catastrophic hurricanes in recent weeks and the testing of a gargantuan-sized hydrogen bomb, by an often-times erratic leader, adding to the pile of nerve racking news! I must confess, at times this can leave me feeling down, depleted and overwhelmed.
When I notice my mood starting to darken, I’ve learned to make a conscientious effort, not to focus on all of the trials and tribulations, in the world. Instead, I look for positive examples of people helping people, people helping animals and people helping the planet. I don’t usually have to look too far, to find many wonderful examples.
Local churches are always involved in great works of some kind or another. Last week, I delivered a pot of soup to our parish to help with the soup and sandwich fundraiser. I was met in the kitchen by a cheerful group of women, smiles on their faces, sleeves rolled up, all pitching in, united in their task. It was heartwarming.
I’ve been following closely the stories of the local Habitat for Humanity chapter that has volunteer citizens working together, hammering, sawing, and raising walls in pursuit of a common goal. When their work is finished, a deserving family will know the comfort and security of having their own home. Uplifting.
The folks at Napanee Community Kitten Rescue, led by Nancy, are tireless workers. This noteworthy organization rescues cats and kittens in dire straits. They feed and shelter them and, in many cases, nurse them back to health. Then these interminable volunteers work strenuously to find them loving homes. In their ‘spare’ time, they fundraise in support of their cause. Inspiring.
Morningstar Mission is another valuable group and a real asset to our community. This amazing group of people dedicates their time to providing nourishment —physical, mental and spiritual — to less fortunate individuals. The generosity of spirit offered by this caring team is worthy of recognition and support. Motivating.
With ease, I could fill this space with laudable groups and organizations, working to make their own little corner of the world a better place. For over 15 years, on and off, there has been another group I’ve had the pleasure of working with and supporting: the Sandy Pines Wildlife Center. Sue, Leah, Julia, other staff members and many many volunteers, have taken this from a simple, bare-bones operation, run out of a diminutive out building, to a state of the art animal hospital, which treats well over 3,000 patients a year! I can assure you, these people aren’t in this for the glamour or the money but rather a genuine love of animals and a bonafide willingness to help.
This has been a good fit for me, as they’re always happy to have extra help, at all hours, day or night. Spring and fall are especially busy times, as they get an influx of babies that’ve been injured, orphaned, interfered with or left homeless and in need of care.
This is an all-hands-on-deck time, as there are many mouths to feed, several times a day. Plastic cups filled with hot water and syringes full of milk are set in front of each aquarium, that’s housing God’s little creatures. Most often it’s a displaced family altogether, snuggled up inside hand knit hats. There are eastern grey squirrels, which also come in black and salt and pepper, red squirrels, flying squirrels and teeny, tiny chipmunks. Each little one is identified by a small shaved marking, that helps keep straight, which one is being fed.
One by one, each is pulled from the warmth of their enclosure and fed by hand Some are naturals and you can barely get the nipple into their eager little mouths, before they swiftly and efficiently, drain their allotted portion. Others require a little more coaxing, but usually also eventually lap up their offering.
Feeding babies, humans or animals is a marvelous experience, leaving me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Perhaps some may question the merits of aiding squirrels, in the first place. My response is simple: all creatures are valuable and necessary parts of the ecosystem and deserving of our care, compassion and concern.
For myself and the other caregivers, feeding and caring for baby wildlife is a richly rewarding experience. It’s an apt antidote for dealing with a troubled world. I find the words of Robert Pirsig worthy of emulating: “The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.” And if it happens to involve feeding baby squirrels while you are at it, then God Bless you!
A little squirrel therapy
