Squirrel – Sparked Laughter Brightens My Mood

Freelance writers and editors have been having a tough time lately. I know because, despite several promising projects at hand, March was one of my bleakest months in years.

It’s not just me. A friend and fellow freelancer recently told me of a severe slowdown in his work. In a prayer network affiliated with one freelancers’ group, half a dozen requests have come in the past few months from members beset by financial strains.

When March blended into early April, my hopes of an overdue invoice getting paid and hearing about a sample edit I had done for an author thudded to earth. Little business gets conducted the week before Easter.

To lighten my mood (since I believe in crossing denominational boundaries) last week, our church participated in its first-ever Good Friday joint worship service. The three churches involved included the Anglicans who supplied a 10-page program.

Solemn Service

I mention that only to point out that the evening had a rather solemn air. Having grown up Lutheran, I appreciated the liturgical flavor—even though our church is more contemporary Christian.

The service featured many meaningful elements.

Near the end, one of the pastors told the assembly there were small slips of paper and nails in the front row. People could come forward and jot down sins on the paper that they wanted to nail to the nearby cross. Snippets nearly filled the wooden structure by the time we finished.

Yet, about halfway through the evening, a most unexpected event turned a serious worship service into one punctuated by hilarity.

At this point, the pastor of the host church and one of the Anglicans were sharing duties reading when, suddenly, a squirrel darted across the wall behind the podium.

The century-old building where the church meets features the kind of high ceiling common long ago. Plus, nooks and crannies in the building that are easily invaded by furry intruders.

Nonplussed by the sight, one pastor made a brief joking remark before turning his attentions back to the program.

The squirrel was having none of that, though. Frightened by the capacity crowd filling the sanctuary, he started running down an aisle. Squeals of panic and laughter soon filled the air.

Losing the Room

The squirrel darted across the leg of a friend sitting in the next section and then up her arm before hitting the wall. More laughter followed, along with more high-pitched squeals.

By now, the clerics had “lost the room.” Reading stopped and solemnity vanished.

Springing into action, three men from the host church retrieved plastic boxes, hoping to trap the squirrel. One was a friend I saw dive to the floor near to the front, only to miss the target.

After more chaos, the noise finally quieted down. Word came that the squirrel-herders had been able to shoo the animal out the door.

The service returned to its solemn tones, but nobody forgot the squirrel. Naturally, one of the first things I thought of was country singer Ray Stevens’s “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival.” (You can watch him sing his 1984 hit here.)

Others did too. One friend posted an amusing note on his Facebook page with words to the effect of: “Our Good Friday service was better than yours.”

For me, the humorous interlude reminded me life wasn’t as serious as I was making it. God always there to offer a steady presence and bring me through the down times on the freelancing rollercoaster, just like He has in the past.

He can even use a squirrel to remind me to lighten up.