More On Spiders

Now this is something I did not know....

Which makes me feel somewhat foolish, for exactly what did I think spiders did when their webs were damaged?  The culprits being weather, humans, or the day to day incoming supply of food.

I came out of my door this morning and to my astonishment, the web, I had waxed and waned about so eloquently a few days ago, was repaired - good as new.  I don't know what I expected to happen.  For the spider to sit idly by, hoping his lunch came flying near the intact part of the web.  And throwing a little arachnoid fit when it didn't.   Nope, where there is a hole, you repair it.  In fact, garden spiders sometimes re-ingest the torn, old parts of the web to use as repair materials.  No great theological riddle there.  But I can pretty much find "God" in about everything.  Not always noteworthy, I will admit, but that is my fault, not His.

I know I have just gone through a period where I was pretty much overwhelmed with the rent in my web.  It just felt good to hole away (no pun intended), tucked in, fetal position, and ponder my woes.  Sad thing is, a lot of the joy, He intended for me, pretty much whizzed through my web and now, looking back, that makes me sad.  However, sometimes you just don't feel like making the repairs.  In fact, some folks never make the repairs.  Aptly illustrated by the blue plastic tarps, still adorning some of the roofs of some of my Gulf Coast neighbors after Hurricane Ike.

However, I am starting to slowly piddle around in my emotional and physical life and that feels pretty good.  But you know what?   I was not ready until at this very moment in my life to start rebuilding.   And no amount of pushing, prodding, or cheery advice would have gotten me to this point.   In fact, I think it probably would have made me a little mad and might have cause more damage than good.  I might still be tucked in with my thumb in my mouth.  In fact, knowing me, I would have waited even longer, just out of spite.  People first have to either get tired of the hole itself or what they are losing by stalling.  Then they will "pull themselves up by their boot straps and git to gittin' "as my grandfather used to say.  So it was with me.

I am a fixer-upper by personality and this has been a hard lesson to learn.  But I am trying.  It is so much easier when you finally realize it.  My job is to love them and to make sure they know it.  If I just can't stand it, I could check to be sure they are safe and their needs are met during the hibernation.  Then just wait.  For them to grieve, be angry, stomp a foot or two, and eventually come out of their cave.  I have to remember as much as I love them, there is One that loves them so much more and I just need to sit tight and listen.  And and an added bonus - I have time to mend my own web.

So we have time to repair our own webs!