A Mouse Story

.... A prologue and a metaphor
I shall tell you the story of a small brown mouse. The mouse lived, as all mice have lived generation upon generation, small and brown.
At the time of our story, the small brown mouse was beginning to feel old and very tired. She was worn and fragile before her time because of all the children she had raised. She had so many children that she could not remember all their names but they remembered her. They turned to her for help and aid whenever they felt the need. She was always there for her demanding children.
Once again, her time was drawing near. The baby mouse that grew within her was making itself felt. She instinctively knew that this would be her last child and that only one baby grew inside her. Despite her obvious tiredness, her older children still made demands on her. They took from her the last of her reserves of strength and almost all her life force was gone. Still, she ran after her children, helping as she could, so wrapped up in their demands that she neglected her own self.
The baby mouse inside could not survive such stress. It could not survive without mother’s attention and love. So quietly the baby mouse curled up and his spirit left his body. The mother mouse felt this, but it was too late for her to do anything.
Realising what she had done, she moved into a deep, deep sleep. She was going to allow herself to die from the body and leave the demanding children to learn their own lessons.
In her sleep she began to feel a presence. It was the Great Spirit of the Mouse Nation. Kindly did the Light look on the small brown mouse and gave her a dream. The dream was an alternative ending to the story of the baby mouse.
In her dream state, the mother mouse was firm and strong with all her children and although kind and helpful, she made the children work for themselves. She taught them all they needed to know, then moved away from them and allowed them to make the mistakes that would see them grow and mature into wise mice.
The mother mouse talked to the Great Spirit and took time to look after herself and to care and nurture the baby mouse growing within her. She spoke soft words of strength to the mouse and allowed herself to receive the blessing of Great Spirit. She was happy and she was content.
As the baby mouse grew, mother mouse felt that somehow this, the last of her children would be special, but how she did not know.
The time of birth arrived and she was ready. She was heavy and in pain but that did not matter. The baby mouse was strong within her and beginning to make its way into the world. T he earthly world slipped from mother mouse as she lay in the deep sleep. But slowly she moved back to a conscious state and realised that she had been blessed by the Spirit of the Mouse Nation, for beside her lay a beautiful white baby mouse.
Great Spirit had felt the regret and sorrow in her heart and had given the old mouse her wish to have the last of her children. Great Spirit had done even more. This was the first white mouse of all.
The old mouse cried tears of joy. She knew from deep within, the future of the baby mouse, for this was also a gift from Great Spirit. She was old and would not see in reality the future, but already she knew it.
She saw her baby white mouse, the first white mouse, move beyond the limits of the brown mouse. It was the first mouse to dare to be different and because of its difference, courage and knowing, that it was not confined to the limitation of all the others.
So began the change of the Mouse Nation, a change that came about because an ordinary mouse changed her path and allowed her heart of speak with Great Spirit, allowed herself the nurturing she needed and allowed Great Spirit to come to her.
Each time you see a white mouse, remember the little brown mouse, her heart and her allowing. Allow yourself the space and the nurturing to grow to your own full potential. Be tied to no limitations.