One of the most important skills we can learn in our time on this beautiful spinning rock is unconditional love. I believe it is our purpose while we are here. Some of the best examples of unconditional love come from animals. If you have ever had a pet, you know what I mean. Here is a story about Mr. Peaches and unconditional love.
Unconditional Love From Mr. Peaches
I learned of a wonderful story from a friend, Linda who I was introduced to by my wife. Linda learned lessons about unconditional love from a squirrel. Yes, a wild animal that lives in trees and is part of the rodent family. I always find it amazing the different ways God uses to teach us these important lessons.
Around August 2019, Linda was outside her home when she noticed a fur ball on her deck. It was a baby squirrel, about a month old and it wasn’t moving. She brought the squirrel inside and began giving it water from an eyedropper. The baby slowly began to gain strength and progressed to solid food. It particularly loved peaches, so naturally, Linda started calling him, Mr. Peaches.
The Florida Room
Mr. Peaches was raised by Linda and stayed in the Florida Room of her house. For those who have never heard of a Florida Room, it is essentially a closed-in porch on the back of the house with a roof. Mr. Peaches slept in a wicker basket and played by running around his new home.
Since squirrels like to live up high in trees, Linda’s father built Mr. Peaches a beautiful pagoda. He loved his new home. Mr. Peaches would show his appreciation and love by crawling in Linda’s lap and snuggling up to her.
The Return
One morning, about eight months later, Linda came to greet Mr. Peaches but he was gone. She found a hole in the screen where he had chewed through. It saddened her to think he was gone for good. But not Mr. Peaches … No. Two days later he came scurrying around her pool and climbed on her pants leg. He was back!
They turned the hole into an entry/exit for Mr. Peaches to come and go as he pleased. Soon, Linda noticed that Mr. Peaches had built a dome-shaped structure in the pagoda out of the inside of palm trees. He had made a nest in his new home. Many days he would lie under his dome with just his head peeking out.
He Was Free
Mr. Peaches would come and go whenever the desire hit him. Some days she would find him at home and on others, he was out; growing and exploring. Like our children, animals have an instinct that it is time to branch out independently. In May 2021, Mr. Peaches left and didn’t return.
For almost two years, Mr. Peaches showed Linda and everyone who met him the true meaning of unconditional love. He was always friendly and unafraid and would approach everyone who came to Linda’s house.
Mr. Peaches Is A Children’s Book
Linda was so taken by the love shown by Mr. Peaches, that she wrote a children’s book titled, The Life of Mr. Peaches. He even had his own social media pages on Instagram and TikTok. You can find the book by clicking on the link above in the book title. Mr. Peaches is an example of how animals can be used to teach unconditional love. Maybe one day we humans will evolve and learn to love each other with the same unconditional love Mr. Peaches has.
