One evening last week found a group of us getting together at a friend’s house. We gathered in the kitchen talking. Food was on the way, y’all. We were waiting in anticipation. I may have been expecting some “melt-in-your-mouth” good food, but I truly wasn’t anticipating what happened next. You see, there was this tall cage pushed up against a column that separated the living, dining and kitchen area. My curiosity started running overtime. It was about to get the best of me. I’d heard a rumor about interesting pets on the premises. Were they under the covers? Next thing I knew the covers were coming off the cage.
I caught a rush of movement out of the corner of my eye. One of my friends who had previously met one of these pets skedaddled far away from the cage. “What in the world?” Then out came the cutest little gray and black stripped rodent. When I say it came out, y’all, it came out. Rinny, the sugar glider, had come out to play. Sugar gliders are small possum’s that can glide. It wasn’t but about two seconds before the little bugger flew across the room and attached himself to someone, from there he flew on over to the minister of music’s back. A symphony of whoops and hollers went off. A chorus of chaos. Those who weren’t screaming were scrambling. The sturdier of heart were on the floor laughing. I am just here to tell you, the squirrel in Chevy Chase’s “Christmas Vacation” didn’t have anything on Rinny the pet. It might be an uneducated guess, but I believe Rinny was kin to a flying squirrel that had crossed paths with a dadgum bat.
I now knew why my friend had made a swift departure from close proximity to this particular pet. It was hilarious. The littlest lady in the room took up with the sugar glider. He roamed around on her like she was a long lost friend and Shannon was sure she had found the pocket pet she’d been needing all her life. Rinny seemed content to nestle close to her. Suddenly he spotted my gray and black sweater. I must have resembled his mama because next thing I knew this cute but scary little creature had leapt clear across the chasm and attached himself to my leg.
You’d think a grown woman could control herself a bit better. If it hadn’t been for someone knowing Rinny needed rescuing, I might have accidently hurt the sweet baby. We laughed so hard that our sides were hurting for days. Rinny was pure joy.Sugar gliders are very social and to survive there needs to be two of them. Rinny’s grumpy, less social buddy, Stimpy remained caged, but that didn’t mean he didn’t need a friend in order to thrive. He wouldn’t make it if it wasn’t for companionship. He was waiting for Rinny’s return.
Now, what in the world could preach about this wild night? Laughter does good like a medicine for sure, but I think it would be that sharing and fellowship are as necessary to us as it is to sugar gliders. We are called to care for others and to love the lovable as well as the unlovable. Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” Next time you see a grump, smile. Be kind to all and ask the Lord to love others through you. We need each other.Let’s go rattle some cages with kindness. Now, that’s a grace-filled flying leap, y’all.Kandi Farris, a free-lance writer, is also a speaker on matters of faith and values.
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