Doug Creamer column: Oh possum!

Published 12:00 am Sunday, October 17, 2021

By Doug Creamer

The other day, we were so busy inside the house, we hadn’t been outside all day. My wife called me and asked if I had been in the garage. I told her no. She told me I had better go out there and take a look around.

When I stepped out the door, I saw the problem immediately. Stuff was scattered all over the floor. I knew instantly we had an animal hidden in the garage. I opened the doors, hoping something would run out. All remained quiet. I backed the cars out to provide optimal escape routes. This animal was definitely bigger than a mouse!

I cautiously went around the garage, tapping and poking with a broom. I picked up all the fallen objects and swept the garage out. I left the garage open for a few hours, hoping whatever had found its way in would find its way out.

I quietly eased my way out into the garage about ten o’clock that evening. I looked around, and there sitting on a table in the back of my garage sat a cute little possum. He must have sensed my presence, and crawled back behind some things on the table. I opened the back door, hoping he might sense his access to freedom.

At eleven o’clock, I quietly eased my way out there again. I knew his hiding place now and could see his tail and nose. I didn’t want to go to bed with the back door open. I was afraid he might go get some buddies and decide he found the perfect winter home. I decided the best thing to do was leave the garage door opened just enough for him to sneak out after we had gone to bed. It worked and the garage is now possum-free!

My possum adventure reminded me of a story I wrote nearly 30 years ago. One of my colleagues from North Stanly had a couple of daughters and a son. One day while they were out, they discovered a mother possum that had been killed, but her babies were still clinging to her. The family rescued the baby possums and took them home.

I went over to their house to see them. I wrote a story about the girls, who are now grown and married. The newspaper sent over a photographer, who took some pictures of the girls wearing the possums as earrings. The picture and my story made the front page of the paper. When the possums were big enough to survive on their own, the family set them free.

I know that many of my readers care deeply about animals. Most of you have a furry friend who lives in your house. We have always had a cat. I know that many people love and care for their cats and dogs like they were children. A good pet is a member of the family.

Many of us also care for the wildlife that lives around us. We have bird feeders and love to see the customers come. We love watching the hummingbirds at our feeders, too. I miss them in winter. I like watching the squirrels play and I think deer look beautiful. I just don’t care for them eating my vegetables. We also have turtles, frogs and toads around our house. Don’t care for the snakes too much.

God created all the animals and I believe he finds pleasure in them as well. Animals and birds can be so beautiful and entertaining to watch. God must be keeping a close eye on the animals too, because he said that every time a sparrow falls, he notices. Many people think that God must be so busy with all the crazy things going on in the world, how can he possibly find time to help or even care about minor things that occur in our lives? But God is omnipresent. That means that God can be watching some birds play in a field, and sitting with a sick person in the hospital, while he is keeping a close eye on a soldier who is away from home.

I want to encourage you to remember that God is right there with you in every situation that you find yourself in. He is not too busy to care about your minor or major needs. In fact, he is planning out in detail every aspect of your life. He cares more about you and your situation than you care yourself. God keeps a close eye on all the animals of the world, but he is keeping a closer eye on you, because you are the apple of his eye.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com .