Latter Day Sinner

When I was seven or eight I went to Thursday Evening Liturgies with the adults at my father’s Episcopal Church. I always felt very grown up but they incorporated a gong into the service which I got to play at the correct moments. There was an offering plate that got passed around and I always felt guilty that I didn’t have any money to donate. But I had a little plastic spider that I carried all over and had chewed up a bit. I convinced myself that some kid out there needed my spider more than I did and put it in the plate. I don’t know what happened to that spider but they didn’t give it back with a “Sweet of you to think of this but you need to feel safe with your toys.” As you might imagine I regret that gift to this day and consider it cruel that I was allowed to build up so much guilt that I gave up a beaten toy spider because some kid needed it more than I did.

So I have a thing for real spiders now. I don’t want to hurt them. I try when I can to move them to a safe and hidden place. Tonight when I was taking a shower I had a little friend in there with me. The spider had a leg span about the size of a dime and was building a web next to the shower door. I shood it out of the way and took down the web. I don’t know where it went but again this spider did not return. In this case I was relieved. I hope it has a long happy life eating the bugs I don’t want in the house. Spiders are awesome.