The Red Squirrel popped up on a branch as we were walking in the park. He was sitting in a fir tree, munching on a pine cone. He chittered away at me and pretty much ignored the dogs. The dogs, on the other hand, were very much wanting to get closer to Mr. Red.
Red Squirrel commented on how happy we (the dogs and I) looked as we were walking the trail. He also said that he enjoyed watching us play. Since squirrels play a lot, I thought this was a nice compliment. He then talked about sharing, and how Squirrel taught the world how to share in the first time.
How Squirrels Taught The World To Share
When the world was new, and only the four legged, the fish, the fowl, and the creepy crawlies walked the Earth, each being competed with the other. There was much fighting, and many died. Others were to injured to do anything good, and the plants and trees grew over everything.
The Squirrels were fighting and no little ones were being born to replace those that were killed and dying. Grandfather Squirrel, a brave warrior, was very sad. He called some of the Squirrels together under the offering of giving every Squirrel a nut or berry.
When everyone had gathered, he said that this situation can not go on. He asked the Squirrels to work with each other and to create spaces (territories) that each Squirrel family could live in and to create safe paths that would allow other Squirrels to cross the space to get to water.
Grandfather Squirrel asked that the Squirrels look after each other, and to show other animals how to work together and to be in the same space. He asked that they care for the injured, and bring them food. He asked them to work hard to gather food and store it so that they would be able to give some away. He called it “squirreling”.
At first, the Squirrels laughed at him, for this was not the way of the furred ones. And, the dying continued.
Then, slowly, Squirrels began to see Grandfather’s wisdom. They began a tentative truce with those around them. They set boundaries, and yes, some fights still happened. The Squirrel world was calmer, and safer.
Soon, little Squirrels appeared, and the lineage of Squirrels would not die out.
When the next short day arrived (winter solstice), those Squirrels that were not sleeping, gathered to honor Grandfather Squirrel. Each pulled out nuts, berries, and seeds for the feast, and carried them to the old fir tree that had big, wide branches that served as a banquet table and seats.
All the Squirrels celebrated the changes in how they were living, and chattered about how wise Grandfather Squirrel was, and how wonderful it was that he shared his knowledge.
Since a gathering of any animal was rare, the other animals in the area were drawn by sounds of the chattering Squirrels. They dropped any animosity for others of their kind, and for the other species. As one, the other animals crept up to the old fir tree and listened to the Squirrels. They heard about spaces that were for one family of Squirrels, and about storing food, and also about letting others eat from a supply of food.
Some animals quickly saw the sense of the Squirrel’s way. Wolf quickly organized into packs. Bees decided hives were the best thing. Geese flocked together and saw that they could increase their safety and protection in the flock. All the animals made decisions about sharing very quickly. Some ran out to tell those that did not hear the Squirrels. Within the space of a moon cycle, all the animals learned sharing and decided to share or not.
Creator looked down on the Squirrels and the other animals, and smiled. Happy that all the four leggeds, furred ones, and winged ones were now moving in harmony, Creator set the time of the shortest day and longest night for sharing. And so it has been ever since!
See the November 2011 Angels’ magazine “The New Wave” at www.angelsandancestors.com
See our websites: legionsofmichael.blogspot.com; www.thestoryoflight.com; www.datacloudconsulting.com; webdesign11.com
What a great story! I will read it to my kids.
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