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Things got a little wacky earlier this week in the National League Division Series game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies when a squirrel made a mad dash across home plate in the middle of an at bat:
Shortly after the squirrel’s appearance, the underdog Cardinals extended their 3-2 lead, winning 5-3 and pushing the series to a deciding fifth game, which will be played tonight. Some fans are crediting the “Rally Squirrel,” who even has a Twitter account, with inspiring the team to victory.
The story reminded me of other times animals have gone streaking across the field of play. There was a memorable one from a 2009 Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles game, and ESPN had a little fun with the clip on their highlight reel:
When I did a a little reserach, however, I discovered that for some of the Raiders players, the pigeon’s performance provided more than just a chuckle.
The Raiders had been devastated several months earlier when a teammate, Marquis Cooper, died in a boating accident.
According to the Contra Costa Times, several players—and Marquis’s mother—believed the pigeon was a sign from Marquis.
“That was Marquis out there with you guys,” one player recalled Marquis’s mother saying. “That was something else. I just saw it on the field, wondering why it was there. Once I saw it with us, covering the kick, it was special.”
Why did they believe the pigeon was anything other than a wayward bird? Well, Marquis was a star on special teams—covering kickoffs and punts. His job was to stay in his running lane, provide containment in case the kick returner made a break for the outside.
The pigeon lined up right at Marquis’s position. And executed the game plan to perfection.
We’ve heard many stories about how animals have appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, to protect a vulnerable family, warn about impending danger or provide comfort. Was the squirrel at Busch stadium just trying to get 15 minutes of fame? Or was its run across home plate a message from some recently departed St. Louis fan to surviving loved ones?
Or maybe it’s more obvious ... God blesses Cardinals.
Has an animal shown up unexpectedly in your life, seemingly to provide comfort or safety? Share your experience with us in the comments below or write to mw@guideposts.com.
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Adam Hunter is a senior editor for Guideposts magazine. He’s edited the Mysterious Ways section since October 2006, and is continually amazed by the astounding stories shared by readers. Follow him on Twitter: @MMysteriousWays
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After losing my wonderful husband of thirty three years to cancer, I was very upset and having a hard time dealing with life. My husband and I loved bluebirds and read everything we could find about them and their habits. We had several bluebird houses in our backyard and enjoyed watching them raise their families from our screened in back porch. About two years prior to his death the bluebirds disappeared, due to sparrows harrassing them. We were sad to lose them, but didn't know how to get them back.
One day I was on the phone talking with the insurance dept. at my husbands company, where he worked. They had messed up my insurance coverage and I was frusterated and scared at the thought of having no insurance. I was put on "hold" while they tried to find out what happened. I was looking out the back window, by my porch and there stood two of the most beautiful bluebirds I have ever seen, on my fence looking at me. Instantly, I knew that my husband had sent them to me, so I would know everything would be alright.I saw them a few more times that day and then they were gone. My problems with the insurance was solved and I had a song in my heart, once again.
My family and I lost our beloved Rhodesian ridgeback/lab about 1 1/2 years ago at 12 years of age. I always prefer to say, Sushi "rescued" us, because she came into our lives after the death of our beloved chocolate lab and my mother-in-law, respectively. Sushi was scared of everything, mostly men, when she first came to us, but after learning to trust and love, she became one of the family and provided lots of love and comfort for us all. After her death, I vowed not to ever get another dog. You know the excuses i.e., we're never home,it's easy to come and go without a dog, love my cleaner home, etc, etc. But God kept giving me dreams about a tan and white colored dog, who was very gentle and loved to cuddle. I never told anyone about the dreams. Oh, yes, we looked on Petfinder.com once in a while, but I talked myself into not going further with it. About a month ago, our adult son who still lives with us while he finishes grad school and works to save money to afford living on his own, emailed and spoke to his Dad about wanting a dog he found online, and he just couldn't shake off wanting her. His Dad gave in and said, "If you take her with you when you move out, it's a deal. I think it's time for another dog." When our son brought her home last week, she came right to me, wanting to snuggle and be loved. I cried and realized that God did indeed prepare us to love another dog again............she was EXACTLY like the dog in my dreams for all those months, right down to the white fur on her chest. She is quickly becoming a part of our family and already has a huge place in our hearts. Thank you, God, for those special creatures you bring into our lives to love and rescue US, with your name spelled backwards. Sushi would approve.
Several years back, I was contemplating angels. Some church members had experiences that were unexplainable - it was determined an angel must have helped them.
One morning when I went to get in my car, there was a little white feather on the windshield. I thought about it off and on while at work. After school I went to a school where I was to referree a volleyball matches, there on the gymnasium floor was another white feather. I know God was trying to comfort me.
My girlfriend recently lost a special neice from cancer. She loved dragonflies. My friend has been so sorrowful since her death. She has had two encounters with dragonflies. One came into her house and landed on her shoulder. It had beautiful colored wings. My friend knew that her neice was telling her that she was okay and in a much better place, free from pain and with her heavenly father.
Leslie
God seems to use butterflies to comfort me at the most painful moments of my life. They seem to show up exactly when I need a "lift" for my spirit. I think of them as a hug from God.
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