“Practice being gentle, respectful and loving towards the life force in all things.  In other words, behave as if the God in all life really mattered.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Several days ago, my husband left for work in the morning as usual.  About 5 minutes later, he returned, carefully holding a bag that was rustling in his hand.  “We have an event,” he said.  Inside the bag were two tiny, pink, hairless possum babies.  Someone had hit the mama possum at the end of our road, and my husband stopped to respectfully move her body over to the grass.  As he did so, he saw the babies outside their mama’s pouch.

Although my husband was not entirely sure what to do, he knew he couldn’t leave them there.  So, he picked them up and brought them home immediately.  We placed them inside a shoebox lined with an an old t-shirt and placed the box on top of a heating pad set on low.  I called our vet and the Chattahoochee Nature Center to see who might be able to care for these babies.  They referred me to For Pet’s Sake, a veterinarian’s office specializing in avian and exotic species, because they work with a wildlife rehabilitator.  The office is located not far from my home and I was already familiar with their practice.  Years ago, I owned a cockatiel whose wing became infected and Dr. Hutcheson helped me nurse him back to health.

My husband had to leave for work, so I took the possum babies over to the veterinarian’s office.  I drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the shoebox.  I gave Reiki treatment to those babies the whole way.  They were mewling softly, but still active.  We have no idea how long it had been since the mother possum died, but the babies were clearly hungry.

It was a very emotional experience, connecting to these babies with this spiritual energy.  It brought back memories of holding my infant daughter in my arms, feeling Reiki flowing from me to her effortlessly.  These little beings no longer had their mama and needed all the help they could get simply to survive.

As I was about to make a left onto the road where the office was, a car suddenly appeared in front of me with the license plate: BLSINGS.  I began crying because I knew I’d been sent a sign that Spirit was present and working on the babies’ behalf.  I also believe it was Spirit that led my husband down the street in the opposite direction he usually takes to go to the office in order to be of loving service to these animals.

I brought the possums into the office and the veterinary assistant immediately whisked them into the back to place them in an incubator.  After examining them, she told me they were a boy and a girl.  They required tube feeding, because their mouths weren’t even fully open yet.  (To get a sense of just how small they were, see this story about a bushtail possum baby that was rescued in Australia.) The assistant added that we could call later that day to check on their status, which I really appreciated.

Sharing Reiki with the babies was a profound moment of bonding.  Dr. Wayne Dyer says:

Being gentle, respectful and loving to one other person or creature has major significance for you and the other.  The energy of love is sent out into the universe and connects with the same loving essence that is in all things.

The possum babies are now with the wildlife rehabilitator.  I’m hopeful they will survive and thrive to where they can be released.  Having the opportunity to assist in their rescue was humbling and touching.  It was a very direct experience of being interconnected to a species we otherwise have little contact with, since possums are nocturnal and naturally shy.

In the space and spirit of Reiki, there is no other.  There is only us held in the midst of the healing, affirmational energy of love.