He Knows When a Sparrow Falls ... and Also a "Pinkie" Squirrel

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. (Matt. 10:29)

I was reading outside when I heard something that sounded like a really loud, shrill bird's call. As I found, when standing to look at the tree, three of our dogs were gathered around something on the ground, with the excited concentration of a group of kids waiting to poke something. Clearing them away I saw a naked pink baby ... but what was it? It looked like a rat, but a rat that big would have been old enough to have fur. And that long tail. It almost looked like a puppy, but no puppy ever looked like that. That long tail, curling ... yes, it had to be a squirrel.

I called Hannah out and she confirmed it and then scooped the poor thing up. It had ants all over and a bit of blood on the muzzle. She cleaned him up and Tom found a squirrel distress call on the laptop. They went to the back yard and then the front, but no mother squirrel ever came. Luckily, Hannah knows who to call (911 Wildlife) and they gave her the info for the Dallas animal rehabber who has the best luck with "pinkies." (Cute name, right?) The rehabber was at work until evening so we had the baby all day with the heating pad and Gatorade for nourishment.

Here's a 1 week old and here's a 3 week old. Ours had gray in places but no fur yet. And he slept with the baby abandon of that 3-week-old in the photo.

 By evening he was much stronger and crawling all over the place unless we held him. He was so small that he could curl into a perfect oval in my palm.

I have to admit that at one point I thought, "it is just another of a zillion baby squirrels" and then thought, "if God knows when a sparrow falls, then he knows that this little guy fell too and he cares." By the end of the day Hannah and I were telling each other how strong he was and how quickly he recovered after a little Gatorade. There is nothing like carrying a tiny pink baby with eyes not open yet curled up in the palm of your hand for getting a new appreciation of loving life in general. And getting a tiny glimpse of God's heart.

UPDATE
The rehabber told Hannah that our little guy was in good shape and a good size. He said that about 75% of the babies live. He has 700 animals a year come through his place (where they live in his back yard or second floor of the house). She gave him a donation, which wouldn't have occurred to me. If you have reason to encounter an animal rehabilitation person, consider giving them something to use toward food or other expenses. They usually do it with their own money and resources, for the love of the animals themselves.