Published by Blue Ridge Christian News, page 30 – August 2026
When it’s not too windy, I am determined to paddle my kayak down toward the tree at the river’s edge where the eagles roost.
No matter how many times I have an “eagle sighting,” I am thrilled at the opportunity to watch nature in action.
Whether the resident eagles are swooping down to snatch their morning meal of unsuspecting fish, or if the blue heron is eyeing its aquatic snack, I glean life lessons as I observe nature.
We have a plethora of waterfowl in our neighborhood, but winner of the noisiest bird is a toss-up between the mockingbirds hissing at the bothersome crow or the gaggle of geese honking to announce their designated route as they paddle toward the rocky beach.
In our yard, there’s a lot going on.
Colorful butterflies alight upon the many flowers situated in pots, and there’s a tenuous hide-and-seek game going on between the resident geckos and the black snake that hides under the front step.
At dusk and dawn I try to spy the deer grazing in the neighbor’s field and the bunnies delicately nibbling on the clover in our front lawn.
For no good reason, I thought this summer would be like all others, but alas, God Almighty had something very special in store: my husband and I were designated “adopted parents” to six baby bunnies.
Looking back at the scene in my minds eye, I realize now why I was so easily confused.
What I thought was a deranged rabbit, with shabby hair, turned out to be a selfless bunny mother who had given birth to six babies; her fur lined the shallow nest that protected her offspring.
Over Memorial Day weekend, we had torrential rain. My husband feared the rabbits would drown, so he placed a laundry basket over the area to protect the babies.
I don’t know if mother rabbit was anxious because the ravenous hawks were circling above, or was fearful of our friends’ barking dogs.
In any event, mommy rabbit, for whatever reason still unknown, didn’t return for over thirty-six hours.
My husband and I were convinced the baby rabbits wouldn’t make it, so I decided to begin feeding them with kitten replacement formula I found at the local farm store.
What a privilege God extended to me the first week of my retirement as I doted upon these six precious, abandoned bunnies.
I was so busy feeding the bunnies that I didn’t have time to process the cessation of working with children as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor.
In fact, instead of being overwhelmed with grief because my career had ended, the opposite was true. I felt promoted, not demoted.
Close friends complimented me saying I had never looked better – that I was literally beaming.
Indeed, being a bunny caretaker for eight days made me shine with pride.
I guess I traded the ability to nurture children’s mental and emotional health for the opportunity to physically attend to and cherish the six (bunny) kits.
To nurture something is to take care o it and encourage its growth and development.
Ephesians 6:4 reminds parents to “bring children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
As a Christ-follower, it wasn’t hard for me to take pity on the abandoned rabbits. Made in God’s image and likeness, I was able to move with deep, affectionate, and protective love toward the furry babies.
When I gave the bunnies their bottle, my maternal nurturing kicked in.
Oxytocin, the “love hormone” that promotes trust and attachment was triggered as I engaged in empathy towards the helpless kits.
Just like our Heavenly Father has tender compassion on his children, He also knows our human weaknesses and limitations.
What a comforting thought to realize how much we are adored by a loving God. We are the apple of His eye!
P.S. Hubby and I successfully released the bunnies back into the wild a few weeks ago. I believe I see a couple of the “teenager” rabbits frequenting our bed of clover that sits under the empty boat trailer in the front yard.
https://blueridgechristiannews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/August-2026-Paper.pdf
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