We have baby bunnies living under our deck. And, apparently, their parents.
I was out there soaking luxuriously in the hot tub one night. That is, until I heard squeaking. My heart pounding, I turned off the jets. Now the sound of bodies moving around under the decking got me up and out of there. Was it RATS?? Or maybe more foreboding–a SKUNK????
It snowed that night, so we could see the tiny footprints, and bigger ones. Oh, phew! A whole bunny family.
I know that we’ll have to do something with our burgeoning population eventually, but there’s something reassuring about seeing the bunny family hopping around the yard.
With Mother’s Day coming up, I’ve been musing on motherhood and what it really means to me. As my mom died 22 years ago, and having no children of my own, I mostly grit my teeth as I hear and watch people celebrating their mothers. On the actual day, I typically notice mostly feeling grief and separation from those whose mothers are living. But then, this morning, I read this from one of my favorite books, Animal Wisdom, by Linda Bender (last month’s BC3 Reads pick). Bender is talking about the sacred relationship between predator and prey when she writes (from the animals’ perspective):
The Source feeds all, and this means giving, not taking. Giving, allowing, and receiving are the words to describe prey/predator. Yes, those words are correct. Nature offers. There is not taking. The Source of all and nature give generously, so that all may prosper. We give of ourselves (sometimes that means giving up our life) and all receive.
Collectively, we celebrate mothers for what they offer, often purely selflessly. From Bender’s perspective, that is nature’s way. In the end, we all are here in service, be it to others, or even to ourselves. So this month, I send out great gratitude to my mother; to all the mothers of the world; and to all who offer service. It is nature’s way.
And–bless the baby bunnies!