Mark Spruill

The black widow spider was lurking under the water meter lid.  It was a perfect place.  A dark, hidden recess in the ground.  Protected from the elements and almost never visited by man.  Almost.

Typically, it is not my job to check the water meter, so I very rarely open the lid.  However, yesterday I had to do some work on the outside water faucet.  This particular faucet can only be cut off from the main at the water meter, which meant I had to open the lid and stick my hand down inside that hole in the ground if I wanted to turn the knob on the main shut-off.

I don’t know how every water meter lid works, but most all of the ones I have seen have a little hole by which you can grab and remove the lid.   I assume the water department has a little tool they use to stick down in the hole and lift the lid.  The tool I have . . . is a finger.  So, with a little trepidation, I stuck my little finger into the hole on the lid and flipped it over.   When I did, I got a big surprise.  There on the underside of the lid was the biggest black widow spider I had ever seen.   She was kicking and wiggling in her nest, very unhappy to be disturbed.

Thankfully, I was careful to flip the cover over and expose it rather than grab underneath the lid to lift it off.  Otherwise, she may have bit me. I survived, unharmed.  A can of wasp spray made sure she did not.   This whole incident did remind me though, that some pretty nasty things like to hide in dark places.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

    – Ephesians 5:8-16  NKJV

I passed a dead possum on the way to work today.  At least I think it was dead.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell with possums.  They act dead even when they have life inside.  I know.  I’ve met a few.

Usually when I come home from Haiti, I don’t bring much back. On the last day, I pack the big green suitcase with stuff I might use next year, then give the rest away. The green suitcase stays and the other suitcases get consolidated, one inside the other, with the innermost suitcase stuffed full of smelly, dusty, shirts, pants, and bandanas. It’s easy to get through US Customs when you don’t bring anything back of any value. However, this time was a little different because I did bring back at least a couple of things besides dirty clothes.  One that I am hoping to lose, and one that I am hoping to keep.

The thing I am hoping to lose is a little bug that decided to take up residence in my intestines and cause problems.  As I write this, I am hopeful that my immune system has just about won the battle and run the bug “out of town.” The bug was a reminder of Haiti I don’t want to keep. Thankfully, his trouble causing days are about over and he will soon be forgotten.

The other thing I brought back is something I hope to keep. It didn’t take up any space in the suitcase, but it did fill my heart and mind. I am not sure what to call it. Maybe an attitude? Maybe a mindset? Maybe a blessing from God. Or maybe all of those things and more. Whatever it is, I don’t want to lose it because it has given life some perspective. Whatever it is, it has made me realize that life is a joy. That I am sooooo very blessed. That God is in control and all the little things I had become so used to worrying about are just so trivial and unimportant. I’ll call it an attitude of gratitude and a perspective of peace. It’s priceless.

On the way home, when we went through US Customs, I think the dog might have smelled it. Sam noticed some of it on my face. I think I even got some in my eyes. I guess the Customs agent didn’t notice though. I went right through without a question about it.