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•••••JUNE 12, 2024•••••

Doubting Thomas A school teacher, Carole Olsen, was in charge of religious education at Saint Mary’s church in Ottumwa. “You should be teaching a CCD class,” she told me. I was in my early twenties; I was not a teacher and knew nothing about teaching, so I told her no, but Carole didn’t give up.

“You don’t need a degree in education to be a teacher,” she said. “A teacher is someone from whom others learn. A degree just lets you get paid for teaching in the public schools.”

“I wouldn’t know how to go about it or what to do,” I justified. “Thanks for the offer, but I won’t be teaching religious ed.”

Carol wasn’t going to give up.

“There is a book for the students and a teacher manual that goes with it,” Carol explained. “Everything you need is in the manual; lesson plans, projects, and such, and plenty of tips on teaching for your age group. You relate well with little kids, so I’ll put you down for the third-grade class.

You’ll do fine.” She was very persistent, but I stood my ground, again declining Carol’s offer.

On my first night, after introducing myself to the students, I said, “We’re here to learn about our faith.” A young boy immediately raised his hand. “Yes, James?”

“What is faith?” James was a spirited soul, and I knew he would be a handful, yet he seemed sincere in his question. I had read the manual for the first night’s les(Just the Other Day cont’d on pg 4)

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of time is required to him looking into but not go through that many entering the trap. He pictures. There were will eat the jelly from several interesting the oriole feeder, then photos that helped, at check the jelly in the least partially, solve the trap, but never go in. great mystery. During For some reason, he this time, I caught and is wise to the situation, released two rabbits. and it is not because Matching the times of he has been trapped the photos with the before. Nothing returns time the marshmalfrom a “ride to grandpa’s house.”

Mystery Solved lows disappeared, I was able to determine, If we leave Perhaps much to my surprise, the live trap out long rabbits do eat marshenough, we most likely When I put jelly out mallows. Pictures taken will catch a raccoon for the orioles in the during the daytime in a moment of weakspring, I expect a cerwould often show a ness. Until then, we will tain amount of loss to female oriole inside probably catch one or raccoons. The usual solution is to put out a the trap eating the jelly. two of everything else in the area. Perhaps live trap, catch the rac- She could fly to the dish containing the jelly they will learn to stay coons, and take them for a “ride to grandpa’s inside the trap without out of places they do hitting the trigger that not belong. If not, it is house” as the saying would catch her. At not a problem releasgoes. This year has night, I had several pic- ing things like rabbits, been different. Baiting the trap with grape tures of something else orioles and flying squirgoing into the trap to rels, but I think my wife jelly and a bonus of raid the jelly. The picmight draw the line at marshmallows, I have tures are dark enough opening the trap door not caught a raccoon it is impossible to defor a bat. She thinks despite the bait being stolen. I thought it was termine for sure, but it of them as mice with wings and she does impossible for anything looks like either a bat or flying squirrel walknot like mice. to get into and out of ing along the side of At least now, the trap without setting it off and being caught. the cage, avoiding the the mystery of the bait trigger, and getting any being stolen out of the Overnight, if I left the trap had been solved, orioles jelly dish out, it jelly left by the clever female oriole. probably. Rather than would be empty as well As far as the it being one very clever as the bait from the animal sneaking in and trap. My solution was to thief of the jelly in the out of the trap, it apset up a motion detect- oriole feeder on the tree; that is a raccoon. pears that it is several ing camera to see what Whenever the jelly dish different species at difwas going on. is left in the feeder ferent times of the day After four overnight, it is empty and night. It is nice to days, I checked it this and laying in the yard know with what we are morning, there were somewhere nearby. I dealing.

892 pictures on it. A have several pictures of considerable amount

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PAGE 4 (Just the Other Day cont’d from pg 1)

son, and faith was not defined. I knew what faith is, but how would I explain this in a way an eight-year-old would understand? I told Carole I wasn’t a teacher, and now I felt like a deer in headlights. I had to figure this out on my own.

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seeing.

Living in the Northwoods, there’s a lot of wildlife around our property, and we love it all. Some ani“Faith is believing,” I said. mals come out during the There. A nice, short, simple day, while others prefer the answer to James’ question. night, like raccoons and I continued with my openbears. I do love watching ing, but James interrupted. the bears. Unfortunately, bears and dogs are not “What do you mean?” This friends. Because we have kid was going to challenge a dog, Nova Mae, who me all year long. ‘marks’ her domain, the bears tend to steer clear “You’re in third grade, of our yard. I’m pretty sure right,” I asked James. they still come around.

“Where do you go to They just wait until the school?” nighttime when the dog is asleep.

“Lincoln Elementary,” James replied.

Something has been clean“How do you get to school ing out the bird feeder on the deck at night. I have no in the morning,” I asked, “and how do you get home way of proving this; I’ve not seen the bears in our yard after school?” for quite a while, but I be“My mom takes me to lieve they are the robbers school and picks me up,” because the noise seems James answered. “But more than a raccoon would sometimes my dad picks make. “It’s a raccoon,” me up after school.”

Melissa said. “Bears would have torn down the feeder, “How do you know your and they haven’t touched dad will be there after the hummingbird feeder.” school,” I asked.

(The hummingbird feeders “He told me he would come are hung where the racget me,” James explained. coons cannot reach them, but a bear standing on its hind legs could get them.)

I continued, “And do you believe him?”

Even in the middle of the night, I’ll get up when I “Yes,” James said. “He’s always there when he says hear a ruckus outside in the dark, but by the time I he’ll come get me.” get to the back door and “Believing he will be there turn on a light, the thief has is having faith in your dad, escaped in the night. “One like we believe in God. of these nights, I’m gonna That’s our faith, which we bust you,” I say to the bear will learn more about.” that was not there.

James was good with my answer, so I must have re- A few days ago, it rained plied on a third-grade level. just before dark. Not long after the rain let up, Nova To this day, I still reflect on Mae ran to the front winand ponder James’ quesdow barking. I heard some tion from nearly forty years noise on the front porch ago. It often leads me to that sounded like footsteps think about the story of on steps and assumed it the apostle referred to as was the UPS guy; they’d doubting Thomas. been working long hours.

I went to the front door, Thomas was not present “Stay here,” I instructed when Jesus first appeared my trusty canine to keep to the disciples, and he the delivery guy from being didn’t believe their story: jumped upon. I opened the ‘Unless I see the mark of door, but no one was there. the nails in his hands…and I stepped onto the porch to put my hand into his side, investigate.

I will not believe,’ he said.

Then, a week later, Jesus I had not been out since appeared to the disciples the rain fell, but I noticed again, this time with Thom- fresh footprints on the as present. steps and a few on the porch, too, but only near Jesus told Thomas to put the top step. There was no his fingers in his hands package left on the porch, and his hand in his side, and I did not see a truck on “Blessed are those who the street, going down the have not seen and have road, or at the neighbor’s believed.” Because of this house. Then, it occurred to story, I have spent much me that the footprints were of my life conscientiously not human. “Was it a sastrying to believe without quatch?” I wondered. seeing. Sometimes, it’s easy to do.

I looked around the porch and over the edge of the For example, on a cloudy, railing; no creature was on overcast day, I hear people the ground unless it was say, ‘I sure wish the sun hiding under the porch. would come out.’ “It is out I called my wife outside and shining brightly,” I asto have her check under sure them, even though the porch. (Hey, she’s they cannot see it. But I shorter and can look unam somewhat a doubting der there more easily than Thomas myself. me.) I showed Melissa the evidence of Sassy on the On many overcast days, steps.

I’ve taken an airplane and flown above the clouds Melissa noticed wet paw just to see and bask in the prints on the hand railing sunshine; it does wonders as if the animal was reachfor an attitude that needs ing for the squirrel feeder adjusting. After landing, hanging from a rod over I’d assure naysayers, the edge. “It looks like a “The sun is out and shinsmall bear,” she said. ing brightly. I just saw it.”

This would again remind Or, a baby sasquatch, I me: blessed are those who thought to myself. Still, I believe but have not seen. did not say aloud lest my Sometimes, it’s not always wife should have me taken so easy to believe without in for a psychiatric evalu-

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ation. “We haven’t seen a bear around here since last fall,” I said.

“You never know,” she said, returning inside the house.

Although I’d not seen them on the back deck if a bear came to the front porch, why wouldn’t they come to the back deck, too?

Last week, Melissa quietly called me to the back door.

Two big, fat raccoons were climbing the post on the back deck. They would hold onto the wood post with their back feet while stretching to grab the hanging birdfeeder almost two feet away with their front paws. Then, they would lick the sunflower seeds out of the feeder with their tongues. It was hilarious to watch these little burglars!

The raccoons returned two or three nights in a row, making plenty of noise, disproving my theory of bears being the culprits.

Besides, bears are notorious for tearing things up; they pull a bird down with minimal effort and break it open to get the treat inside.

Although our bird feeders have yet to be damaged, I still think bears are getting into them. (Or sasquatches, or is the plural sasquatchi?)

The other night, I went outside to get something from my van in the driveway.

I took Nova Mae along with me for a potty break.

Melissa stood on the front porch, asking, “Is Nova on a leash?” I told her she was not. “Bring Nova inside right now. Do not let her go to the backyard.” When my wife says this, I never question why. I called Nova to come inside with me.

On our way to the front door, I wondered if it was a wolf or a coyote. Had the sasquatch returned?

“Come on, Nova. Stay close to me.” It was probably the raccoons again, and Melissa didn’t want Nova to chase them or, worse yet, get into a scuffle. I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on.

house,” she said, “but he was out there.”

Several nights since then, I have been awakened by noises from the back deck, “Have you been in the gin? but whatever was there left I don’t see a bear,” I said. by the time I got there to My wife told me to be quiet, look. Melissa thinks it’s just and he would probably the raccoons, but I think it’s return. the bear.

A few minutes later, we heard the ladder by the deck rattle. Sure enough, a small bear climbed the step ladder and came lumbering across the deck. The bear stood on his hind legs, grabbing the bird feeder with his front paws to keep it from swinging, and he licked the sunflower seeds out with his tongue. “It’s amazing he doesn’t just pull it down,” I whispered as we watched him. When the feeder was empty, the bear sniffed around the deck for something else to eat.

Eventually, the bear came within about three feet of the back door, where we stood watching him. Bears have poor eyesight, so he did not see us, but their hearing and sense of smell are impeccable. I’m sure he could either smell us or hear Nove whimpering in her kennel in the other room. Anyway, he sensed our presence and returned down the ladder.

We watched as he made his way through the yard toward the woods. Before leaving, he laid down in the grass, crossing his front legs like a dog, to rest for a bit. Then, finally, got up “There’s a bear on the back and moseyed back into the deck,” Melissa reported. woods. We haven’t seen When I went to look, there him at night again since was no such animal there. then, but it was a thrill to “He might have run away have him stop by to visit when I called you into the us.

Finally, last Friday night, I fell asleep in the threeseasons room adjacent to the deck while watching old reruns of M*A*S*H. I woke up at 5:25 in the morning to Nova, making a soft, low, rumbling growl. There was noise on the deck. I got up to see if it was the raccoons. Nope. It was the same black bear, with his brown snout and great big ears. He was cleaning out the bird feeder, but my movement alarmed him. The bear jumped off the edge of the deck, then scurried to the tree line. I like that bear.

I don’t know when or if I’ll ever see that bear again, but I have known the pleasure of watching him, and I believe I will see him again.

Thank goodness for Carole Olsen who talked me into being a religious ed teacher. Had it been any other way, I may never have met James; a third-grade student who taught me more about my faith then I ever realized at the time.

I hope you will get to watch a bear in your yard someday, too. He’s probably there even if you don’t ever see him. You don’t believe me? Don’t be a doubting Thomas; remember: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”