Into the mouths of babes
A day in the life of a teacher is never dull. Case in point: One winter day three of my students, sisters, came to me with concerned faces and a shoebox stuffed with a towel. They said they needed my help. In a spare bedroom at home their mom had discovered a nest of abandoned newborn mice. In the mountain area in which I was teaching, it is common for critter families to try to get out of the cold weather. The girls had been feeding the baby mice (also called mouselets, pups, pinkies, or kittens) their baby sister’s formula from a dropper, but their mom wanted the pinkies gone! So my students brought them to me, certain I would know just what to do and be willing to serve as a surrogate mom for the babies.
To be honest, I was hesitant to take this task on—I was very busy with work and my own family, and didn’t want to feed baby mice every few hours. I didn’t even like the looks of the tiny, hairless creatures. But I remembered something Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “All of God’s creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible” (p. 514). I accepted that the baby mice must have a purpose, and that I did, too. I felt that my purpose right then was to be a role model my students could count on and trust, and since I continually stressed the importance of being kind to all creatures, I needed to teach by example.
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I became aware that the pups, too, expressed Godly qualities.
That evening I got in touch with a family who rehabilitates injured and abandoned wildlife, and they said they would be able to take the baby mice in a few days. A veterinarian gave me feeding instructions for the pinkies, and we got started with our routine (which, thankfully, didn’t include feedings as frequently as I’d assumed). Each morning, the minute they were unwrapped, the pups became quite wiggly, knowing they soon would be fed. I became aware that they, too, expressed Godlike qualities. They were innocent and so appreciative of the care they were receiving, reminding me of how tenderly and lovingly God provides for all His children. I soon came to enjoy caring for the sweet little creatures, and we began to bond.
One morning, however, one pup barely moved, even when encouraged with formula. I prayed, knowing that it was in God’s care. And, since it was Sunday, I felt it was right for me to attend church. The last passage in the Lesson-Sermon read as part of the service that day—Jesus’ words from John 8:51—was exactly what I needed to hear: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.” I’d been trying very hard to keep God’s commandments, and I remember thinking, “I do not have to accept or see death as real for any spiritual beings—including the pinkies.”
Sure enough, when I got home they were all active and happy to receive their dropper full of formula. I couldn’t even tell which one had been unresponsive.
In a few days I delivered the pups to their new caregiver. When she saw how they wiggled when uncovered, she exclaimed, “Why, you must be an angel! Newborn mice almost never survive when separated from their mother!”
The next day I relayed that statement to my students, and it brought big smiles to their faces. Our mission of caring was successful—all the pups had been safely delivered to their new home.
Even though our nurselings were “only” mice, I discovered they had more than one valuable purpose. They blessed us with the opportunity to be kind; they taught me to be charitable when I thought I didn’t have the time; they demonstrated the eternality of Life. One thing is for sure: There is always joy in doing good deeds.