The Miracle of The Squirrels

Maitreya loved all animals. He loved kitties and lions. He loved gophers and squirrels. He loved crows and tigers. He loved them all. He taught us to perform Five Daily Sacrifices and one of them was the Sacrifice to the Animals. Each day Maitreyians are to find some way to feed, shelter or otherwise care for the creatures of this earth.

One day a little squirrel began coming to Kaivalya (Maitreya's home and Sanctuary.)
Each day Maitreya would talk to the squirrel and feed it peanuts.




Gradually the little squirrel got closer and closer, until one day she was eating out of Maitreya's hand.



 They had many intimate conversations.



After Maitreya passed away and ascended into the Spiritual Realm, Mrs. Squirrel kept coming around.
Soon she was eating out of our hands.



And on our laps.

Then one day Mrs. Squirrel disappeared. Every day we called for her and shook the can of nuts. But she didn't answer. Then one afternoon Tara heard a strange noise coming from our porch. We didn't think much of it. It sounded like a bird. A strange bird - but a bird. But the sound kept up. Tara felt an urging to go outside and see what was going on. She opened to the front door and clinging to the wall on the side of our house was a tiny, baby squirrel.

She called me, Ila, to come and see the baby squirrel. By the time I got outside the squirrel was hunched up in a corner near our house, making a strange hacking noise. It sounded like it was either sick, or like our kitties, had a hairball. I ran inside and got some hairball medicine and put it on a paper plate. Tara got the can of nuts. The baby squirrel didn't want either. We began to think that it was sick and might die. We put a box outside, on its side, with a blanket in it, so the squirrel could climb inside and get warm. We didn't know what to do with a sick baby squirrel. Maybe its mama would come for it and it would be all right.
Maybe it would die right there on our front porch. We left it be and went inside.

Inside I began to think. What would Maitreya do if he were here? He surely wouldn't just go inside and let the poor squirrel fend for itself. Suddenly a glimmer of Divine Insight struck me (I am a little slow on the uptake.) The Internet! Maitreya would go on the Internet and find someone who could help us. I began scouring the Internet for "Squirrel Rescue" "Animal Rescue" anything I could find. After about a half hour search and a number of phone calls, I finally found a woman named Marcia, who lives in Malibu, who has dedicated her life to saving baby squirrels! Marcia said that noise the baby was making wasn't a hairball, he was crying for his mother! She said this time of year the mothers often get hit by cars and don't make it back to their nests. And that when they don't come back their babies often fall out of their nests, or climb out looking for their mothers. On Marcia's advice we wrapped the baby up in a blanket, put a warm pad next to him, and rushed him up to a woman named Jackie in Palos Verdes who worked with Marcia and was only a mile away!



Shanti showed him his new home and named him Buster. Soon Buster was safe and warm at Jackie's house.

Jackie told us to be sure to look around our house, because usually squirrels had 2-3 babies at a time. There were sure to be more babies looking for their mother.

We went home and called and called, but no babies answered.

Then the next day Tara came home from work and was about to pull into the driveway when he saw something little and furry in the driveway. It was another baby squirrel! This one was a little smaller and skinnier than the first, and had some blood on his foot. It looked like he may have fallen out of the huge palm tree that sits next to our driveway. Tara rushed the baby inside and this time, knowing what to do, we got the box and the blanket and the heating pad, and an eye dropper of water. We called Jackie right away, but oh no! She was about to go on vacation and couldn't take any more squirrels. But, she had a friend who also helped Marcia take care of the babies. Tara called Shirley, who lives in Manhattan Beach (only 15 minutes away) and she said, "Don't hesitate, bring her right away!" So we piled into the car with Penelope and raced to Shirley's house. When we got there Penelope turned into Petey (Shirley knew how to tell) and all was well!



And Petey was hungry!

We got home tired, but happy. By following Maitreya's example, and with the help of some wonderful women, we had saved two squirrels from certain death.

We pulled into the driveway and heard a screeching noise coming from the top of our 40 foot palm tree. It got louder and louder. There was another baby squirrel in the tree and we had to do something. Again, I thought, "What would Maitreya do?" He certainly would do all he could, the best he could. I knew that. That was how he taught us to live and that is how he lived his life. I called the fire department. They said they couldn't risk the safety of their firefighters for a baby squirrel high up in a tree. Shanti was at her CERT class and talked to the fire fighters there. They said they would have helped, but their bucket lift was out of commission. We called animal control and a very nice guy came out who, if he could, would have helped us. But there was no way to get up into that huge palm tree. It was just too high. We went to bed that night thinking of the poor, dying baby squirrel in our tree and praying for an answer.

The next morning, while in Inner Divine Communion with God and Maitreya, Maitreya said to Shanti, "Who do you know that goes up in trees?" When Maitreya was alive, that is the way he helped us think. He almost always asked us questions. He rarely just gave us the answer. It took Shanti a few seconds, and she had it! Our tree trimmer Dave! We could call Dave and see if he would come over and help save the baby squirrel.  

There were no more cries coming from the tree. Either the baby was already dead, or just clinging to his life. We knew we had to act quick. Tara was off work that day so she took it upon herself to call Dave and any and all tree trimmers she could get a hold of. By noon Dave hadn't called her back and none of the tree trimmers were willing, even if we paid them, to come and rescue a baby squirrel. We were desperate. From work I began calling heavy machinery companies to see if we could rent a chair lift. I finally found one for $500 but the rental company said they would just drop it off and pick it up, no one would help us figure out how to use it. The baby wasn't crying anymore and we thought it might be dead. Were we going to pay the $500 and take our chances?

Meanwhile Tara was at home. Having called everyone she could think of, and not having heard back from Dave, she surrendered. Maitreya always taught us to do all that we can the best we can, and then surrender the results to God. Tara, having done all she could, the best she could, was at the point of total surrender.

Within 5 minutes of her surrendering Tara's phone rang. It was Dave! He apologized for not getting back with her sooner, but he was on a job all day. He was in the area and he would be right over. Soon Dave was up in the lift and looking for the squirrel. He shouted to Tara, "I think I found it!." Dave reached into the depths of the tree and pulled out a little body. He brought it down to Tara. The baby squirrel didn't move. They tried to open its eyes and moves its legs.

The baby squirrel lay there, limp and lifeless. Dave said, "I'm sorry. I guess we were just a little too late."
In tears, Tara thanked him and asked him how much he would charge. Dave wouldn't take any money.

Tara went inside and called me. She said, "We got it, but we think its dead. But I am still going to try to do what I can." She got an eye dropper with some warm Gatorade (I had read that absent electrolyte drinks give dehydrated baby squirrels Gatorade.) I told her we have to call on Maitreya to save the squirrel and flow The Power for Good that can do No Harm to the baby, with all of our might. The Power is one of The Four Treasures we receive with Maitreya's Holy Initiation. I texted Shanti and told her the baby was barely alive, if at all, and to flow the Power. We began to flow The Power with all our hearts. Tara fed the baby some Gatorade. Then, suddenly Tara said, "I think it moved! Yes he just moved his leg! I think he is alive!" I said, "Get him up to Shirley right away!"
Tara shouted, "Yes, yes, he's alive. He's alive!"

Shanti and I continued to flow The Power while Tara rushed the baby, who Shanti named Percival, to Shirley's.

Over the next week we called Shirley 3 to 4 times a day to see how Percival was doing. Every time we called Shirley said he was getting a little stronger. Eventually he was so strong that he would fight her when she tried to feed him. Shirley named Percival "Mr. Miracle."

In the meantime Marcia picked up Buster from Jackie's house, and she brought him over to Shirley's so the three brothers could be reunited.



We went to visit them at Shirley's and they are all happy, healthy, and getting fat.

We will never forget the miracle of the squirrels. Everything that Maitreya taught us came to play in rescuing these creatures. Everything. Without his example over the thirty years that we had the blessing of being with him, we would never have persevered. We would have given up from the beginning. Maitreya always taught that Works and Grace go hand in hand. And that you should do everything you can, all you can, the best you can, and then and only then ask for God's Grace.

That is when Miracles happen.

And with the help of three wonderful and amazing ladies, Marcia, Jackie and Shirley, who have dedicated their lives to saving these creatures, these and many more squirrels now have a chance to live, and will eventually be released back into our yard and others, to find their way in the world, as squirrels do.

You can visit Marcia's website and see more squirrels and even practice one of The Five Daily Sacrifices by helping to feed and care for the squirrels by going to:

http://coastandcanyonwildlife.org

www.facebook.com/CoastandCanyonWildlife

For live videos of squirrels and other of God's creatures, go to:

http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Live_Webcams.html

 

Jai Bhagavan Ji!