"Mask" the Raccoon and Marshmallow Heaven

Yesterday hovered right around 80 degrees...a perfect day to play outside.  Charlee and I were hanging out on the front porch, enjoying our spring day.  All of a sudden she says, "Raccoon, Momma!" Low and behold, walking right out of our field of tall grass appeared an adorable raccoon.  Remember the movie "Field of Dreams" and there was the voice, "If you build it they will come" and then the players just walked right out of the corn?  Well, instead of Shoeless Joe Jackson we had The Masked Bandit.  I ran inside to grab our zoom lens and camera, all the while proclaiming to Charlee, "Oh wow! This is so exciting!" I started snapping away as he literally kept walking straight towards us.  He seemed to lack no fear.  Charlee isn't quite 3 so her squeals of delight were nothing short of ear-deafening. But on he came, now close enough for me to have to switch lenses on the camera.  I couldn't believe his "NO FEAR" attitude...

Until he got about 10 feet away from us and I noticed he was acting a bit strange to say the least.  He was staggering and his eyes looked funny.  This was not a raccoon who felt empowered and fearless...and it suddenly occurred to me that he was looking for his final resting place and for whatever reason had decided our front porch was the place to be.  I watched him struggle up our porch steps.  Charlee asked me if she could pet him and I said, "No hunny.  I think he is sick so we need to just leave him alone."  He finally made it up the 2 steps and then, with every last effort, made it under our firewood rack.  I could almost hear the sigh of resignation and relief as he plopped down and rested his head.  I went inside and got 2 slices of bread and a marshmallow thinking I might as well try and make his last moments as comfortable as possible.  You see, to me, he was the "animal version" of Abraham on the streets of Ghana.  I know he had "an untouchable" disease of some kind, but what can I say?  I felt compelled? I felt compassion? I felt sad? So...regardless of the very small voice warning me to be careful, I put on some work gloves and stroked his back a few times.  Charlee and I prayed over him.  We had a healthy conversation about death and life.  Our first.  She is still too young to fully understand but I didn't want to pass up such a teachable moment.  I do not believe it in her best interest to protect her from such topics.  Afterall, we live in the country where we see dead (and alive) wildlife often.  But most importantly, how can I pass up this perfect opportunity to plant some seeds in her little heart?

We decided to let him have some peace and quiet so we went inside but watched him through our kitchen window.  I asked Charlee what his name was and she told me, "Mask".  I liked it.  It seemed perfect.

When Jim got home later that evening, Mask was still lying under the firewood rack, still hanging on...barely.  We knew what must be done but dreaded it all the same.  Jim got his gun.  The kids and I went upstairs and played so Daddy could take care of business.  This morning, as soon as Charlee walked out into the kitchen she looked out the window, but Mask wasn't there.  I asked if she was sad but she said no.  I think when I told her last night that "daddy is taking care of Mask" she took it quite literally!

I was once ravaged by "disease" just like Mask.  We're all born w/ it.  It's called SIN.  We stagger through life, trying desperately to find a place to give us Peace...and when I was a teenager I found it.  TRUE PEACE. MY FINAL RESTING PLACE.  His name is JESUS. And then I died to SELF, and He gave me NEW LIFE.  Oh the lessons we can learn, the wonderful things we can be reminded of...all from an adorable Raccoon named "Mask".