Today’s Post Written By: Rae Lynn DeAngelis
Growing up, my family had all sorts of critters living in our home. We had the usual companions: dogs, cats, hamsters, and fish, but we also had a few less traditional pets: a turtle, bunny, squirrel, and raccoon.As far back as I can remember my dad was a hunter. The sport took him all over, even to Africa. However, most of his trips involved hunting wild game on our farm in Indiana. Dad’s trophy kills became a staple part of our diet.Every once in a while my dad found orphaned babies on his excursions. I didn’t question why the babies were parentless. I suppose naivety has its benefits.Dad didn’t want to leave the helpless critters in the woods without their mother, so he brought them home and cared for them until they were old enough to return to the wild. One such animal was a raccoon we appropriately named Rascal. In no time the domesticated rodent became our family pet and drew lots of attention during walks around the block. He grew to be quite large – more than thirty pounds. It was amusing to see the shocked looks on people’s faces once they realized a raccoon was on the end of my leash and not a dog.Rascal seemed to enjoy being our pet for quite some time, but eventually he grew restless. A repeated screech from his barred enclosure indicated he yearned for his freedom. During one of his routine feedings, Rascal jumped out of his cage and ran for the woods. I never saw him again.Raccoons are meant to be free.So are we.Jesus said, I have come that they may have life
