This morning, there was a dead mouse in the boys’ bedroom. 

First, I wanted to get the boys out of that room without them seeing it.  I got them out, then my mind began racing with different thoughts: 

Was it Chance or Aroe?  Did the murder take place during the night in the presence of the kids?  All of the bacteria/parasites that were on the mouse have probably dispersed all over the carpet/toys/clothes…that room is contaminated!  I should get the vacuum.  Bentley was lingering in the room…maybe he was the one who had transported the poor thing from wherever the cats did the deed to the bedroom.  I could see teeth marks on the body of the mouse.  How it must have suffered because of a member of my family!  I should be happy that my cats are controlling the mouse problem!  Who can be happy with death?  I was a little annoyed.  Annoyed that Israel had to be gone TODAY out of all days (-and for the week for that matter).  This isn’t the first time I had to take care of a dead mouse.  And he knows how I feel about animals and how I’d probably be in mourning for the next month thinking about the possibility that that mouse was somebody’s mother.  If he were here, he’d take care of it no problem and forget about it.  I could call Alanna…but she is in class…and why would I bother her and have her come all the way here when I can just do it?  A church member?  JUDY, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF.  (But if we still lived in Ypsi, I could just ask Greg, our neighbor.  Wait, he’s probably at work.  I could have waited til he gets home from work…) 

I had to take care of the situation whether I liked it or not. 

I went into the room and looked by the heater.  The mouse was GONE.  I knew Bentley wasn’t in the room and so I angrily called, “AROE” and began looking under the crib.  Chance, for sure, wasn’t in the room.  I was not about to fight my cat for the disposal of a mouse.  There was no Aroe.  But the dead mouse was under Micah’s crib.  I was on my hands and knees trying to figure out how in the world the dead mouse moved from the heater to under the crib…when all of a sudden, the mouse hobbled a few steps.  I could not believe it.  The dead mouse was alive!  But badly injured.  It was hobbling around with its eyes closed.  I then could not believe that I was going to have to somehow take care of this half-dead mouse.  I was not feeling too fond of my cruel cats at this moment.  So I waited and it hobbled around some more but it was getting closer to some of the kids’ toys.  I went over there to move them and the mouse hopped into Imanuel’s house slipper (-the one he got for his birthday).  As I came closer, the mouse opened its eyes very widely.  This made me feel mixed emotions.  He appeared not as hurt as I thought.  I was glad I wouldn’t need to face the dilemna of whether or not I should take it out of its misery…or if I should let the cats finish their work.  It would survive (for now)!  But I started freaking out because how was I supposed to transport a living mouse to the outdoors?!  I emptied the boys’ trash bin quickly and came back.  The mouse was still in Imanuel’s house slipper. 

I gained courage (believe it or not) thinking of Ralph S. Mouse – one of my favorite childhood books.  He was nice.  And people have pet mice all the time!  This is just a nice animal…that one of my cats almost killed…that is wild…and may carry some horrible disease…

I managed to stick the slipper with the mouse into the trash bin and slowly took it outside.  I wasn’t sure where to let him go.  I went out the front because the cats usually hang out by the deck in the back.  But there was no shelter in the front.  And it is still cold with snow on the ground and it probably wouldn’t survive with its injuries.  So, I ended up walking around all the way to the back and finally letting him go under our deck. 

I keep going back and forth on this.  I appreciate the fact that my cats help keep the mouse population in the house down, but when I see a mouse in danger with hope of living, I can’t help but want to save it.  (This isn’t the first mouse that I have “saved” from my cats.) 

I recounted this story (without so much inner details) to Imanuel.  I explained to him for the first time that our cats kill mice.  He seemed a bit shocked.  I recalled the story, “When God Washed the World” which talks about how animals and people turned wicked after sin.  Then he exclaimed, “But tigers don’t kill turtles…they’re friends!”  I have no idea where that came from.  Anyway, he just doesn’t understand the concept of death.  But what I do want him to understand is that no matter how common and “natural” death is (-particularly in nature), that’s not how it’s supposed to be.  Namely, I shouldn’t be struggling with whether I’d like my cats to eliminate our mice problem or if I don’t want the mice to suffer and die! 

This world is so “naturally” filled with competition, aggression, indifference, fear, rotting, and death.  I trust that in this sin-sickened world, the way that the Lord allows nature to play out in the “circle of life” is the best way.  But I don’t think we should ever forget the way it is supposed to be.  I want to instill in my kids to love and appreciate nature, and to always be reminded that death (even of animals and plants) is a sad result of sin.  But that should motivate us to live faithfully to hasten His soon return. 

What an experience!  Not pleasant at all.  Just another reason why I don’t like Israel being away!