Opossum: A Change of Heart

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 248:  Today, I am grateful for a change of heart. 

I owe the opossum community. I did not do mice/rats and opossums. I remember our friend, Robin, took us to  Wildlife Prairie Park where she volunteered. Oreo, the skunk, was adorable. CeCe the opossum, I could barely bring myself to pet the sweet girl. 

For all the CeCe's of the world, I regret my attitude and misjudgment. I am so sorry. I know God had a perfect design in creating all creatures great and small, but I just did not see it in you. I do not have "God Goggles." 

It happened one night. Daisy Mae insisted on going outside. She persisted so I let her out. It was the middle of the night. She bolted out, I turned on the light, and there it was. A junior sized opossum. Not an adult and not a baby. There was a hiss and then it played dead. I prayed. I feared it biting Daisy Mae. My brain was racing. I would not get her to come into the house. She nosed it, and eventually lost interest. 

I was so grateful she was not hurt, but my mind raced with the alternative endings to the story. I researched opossums immediately and went to bed with a change of heart. They are misunderstood. 

This morning I found this: https://littlethings.com/pets/possum-facts and had AI help summarize the information. I recommend a visit for all of the cute pictures. Yes, I said cute. I have had a total change of heart. When I learned about all they do to help nature and us, I am now a fan. 

The Bright Side of Opossums

1. Non-Aggressive & Peaceful -Opossums rarely pose a threat—even when threatened, they don’t bite. Instead, they employ their famous "playing dead" defense to avoid conflict.  LittleThings.com; Wikipedia

2. Highly Unlikely to Carry Rabies

Their naturally low body temperature makes it difficult for rabies to thrive in them, making them one of the least likely wild mammals to carry it. 

LittleThings.com; Wikipedia

3. Nature’s Pest Controllers: Ticks: A single opossum can remove—or eat—thousands of ticks per week through diligent grooming. -LittleThings.com; Southern Living; Wikipedia

(Note: Some recent studies question how many ticks show up in wild stomach contents, but their grooming habits remain impressive.) -Wikipedia; Reddit

Garden Pests: They also feast on slugs, beetles, cockroaches, and other nuisances—without harming your plants.  LittleThings.com

4. Efficient Natural Clean-Up Crew: Opossums will eat carrion, including roadkill—even bones—helping keep ecosystems clean.  LittleThings.com; Southern Living

5. Evolutionary Endurance:  As “living fossils,” they’ve survived over 65–70 million years with remarkably little change—a testament to their resilience. LittleThings.com; Live Science

6. Immune to Snake Venom: Many opossums carry a protein called Lethal Toxin Neutralizing Factor in their blood, granting them resistance to venom from snakes like rattlesnakes. LittleThings.com; Live Science

7. Smart and Resourceful: Opossums outperform some domestic animals in tasks like food location and memory—clever foragers.  LittleThings.com

8. Unique in North America:  They’re the only native marsupial on the continent, fascinating for their pouch-based young and clutch of evolutionary traits. LittleThings.com; Live Science

There are times when we do not understand things. There are times we misjudge. I need to pray, "Lord, help me see what you see, feel what you feel, and love like you love."

"And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart." -Ezekiel 36:26

Today, I am grateful for a change of heart.