WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM: You Dirty Rat

  

  I had an aquarium full of gerbils growing up. I didn't have them for long, though. The whole deal ended in tragedy. And because I was pre-teen, I think I might have cried a little.But as usual, I have gotten ahead of myself. Perhaps I should start at the beginning.
     One afternoon when I was a kid, my dad pulled in the driveway and emerged from his car carrying a cage. My curiosity aroused, I met him at the door and discovered an aquarium-looking contraption with two adult gerbils inside, complete with exercise wheel. I was excited and immediately named them Geraldine and Gerrie.
     Upon further review, they looked a lot like rats to me. Ditto for hamsters. All in the rodent family. But no worries, they were mine and I was proud of my little pals.
     Imagine my delight when one day Geraldine, after a few months of what I thought was increased food consumption, started birthing baby gerbils, which also looked a lot like baby rats. (Google "baby gerbil images" and you'll see what I mean).
     Within months, Geraldine went postal on her family. (No offense to postal workers, I just couldn't resist). Youngins started going missing. I thought they were hiding in the cedar chip tunnels the industrious rodents had constructed. Eventually, the only family members I could locate were Geraldine and Gerrie and they didn't seem interested in the exercise wheel anymore. Especially Geraldine, who had ballooned to twice her normal size.
     Turns out the kids were hanging out in their Mom's stomach. I found some bones in the bottom of the cage one day and finally put two and two together. But not soon enough to save Gerrie. Within another day or two he went missing and Geraldine continued to "grow" to the point she couldn't move anymore. Not long afterward, she went to join the rest of her family in Rodent Heaven, if such a place exists. On second thought, I'm not sure the powers that be let Geraldine in.
     Before you animal folks get angry at me, remember I was maybe 8 or 9 when all this happened. And for those of you who would cast doubt on the truthfulness of this story, I would refer you to my parents, who can verify its authenticity.
     I thought of Geraldine and Gerrie recently when the Mrs. and I took our dog Flash to the vet. As I was leaving, I saw an interesting post on the message board- "Free to good home- Pet Rat- Sweet, 10 months old, black and white male, cage included." Beneath were those little slits of paper with the contact phone number, free for the taking if you were interested in obtaining a pet rat. None of the slips had been taken. Recognizing the uniqueness of the post, I snapped a picture of it before leaving.
     I particularly enjoyed the part about the "good home". These folks weren't about to let someone who owned and operated a bad home have a shot at the pet rat. No way, only humans maintaining a good home would be allowed to inquire. 
     People try to catch rats in traps that snap their necks. Sorry to be graphic but rats are often more of a nuisance than a potential pet choice. Most people agree. But not everyone.
     I showed the rat post to a family friend and she was touched. Apparently she had a pet rat growing up and it behaved a lot better than my Geraldine had. Apparently, one man's trap trash is another man's pet treasure. I had underestimated the level of sentiment an offer for a pet rat could generate.My apologies.
     I don't think Jesus had a pet rat during His time on Earth but he did have a soft spot for those who were similarly rejected by most other humans. When others cringed and gasped in horror at the sight of lepers, He stopped what he was doing and went out of His way to show love to them. When the townspeople rejected the "filthy" woman caught in adultery, Jesus refused to condemn her and spoke kindly to her. Time after time, He exalted the rejected and showed compassion for the unloved.
     I hope the sweet Pet Rat found a good home. I just hope he doesn't fall in love with a Geraldine along the way.