this little guy has been posted up on the side of our house for a couple months now. i thought it would be fitting to give him a wee tribute, given the longevity of his web. we've been calling him a crab spider for forever, but when i actually did some research, i found that crab spiders are actually a lot different than our friend here. neither spider should be confused with the japanese spider crab, which many of you have probably seen at the atlanta aquarium. the spider above is actually a jewelled spider, according to spiderzrule.com. although i've never seen an insect in this web, my theory is that our friend seduces insects with the smiley face on its back, and then snags them in his awesome web. we at 1812 e. lloyd would like to take this opportunity to thank our jewelly spider for controlling our very local mosquito population.
i walked up to the park today to read, and ended up falling asleep in the afternoon sun. eventually i finished 'the wounded healer' (i know, i know. such a short book). the last chapter was the best. i'll leave you with another gem from nouwen:
when we are not afraid to enter into our own centerthis is true hospitality.
and to concentrate on the stirrings of our own soul,
we come to know that being alive means being loved.
this experience tells us that we can only love because
we are born out of love, that we can only give because
our life is a gift, and that we can only make others
free because we are set free by Him whose heart is
greater than ours. when we have found the anchor
places for our lives in our own center, we can be free
to let others enter into the space created for them
and allow them to dance their own dance,
sing their own song
and speak their own language without fear.
then our presence is no longer threatening and demanding
but inviting and liberating.
2 comments:
that is an amazing quote (as well as an amazing spider). thank you for sharing that thought. I needed to hear those words (so does my mom, btw). I'm trying to sing my own song at the moment :o)
This is really weird!! I was visiting Jessica Lier when I saw something about orchids which I thought I'd check out. Come to find out, its nephew Ben that is in to orchids. So I get to connect with you and get to know a side of you that I never knew--many sides for that matter. I loved the story of you in Scotland and then this morning read one of my favorite songs, The Breastplate of St Patrick. I always pictured this verse as being inspired by those rocky islands off the coast of northern Bristish Isles and I thought of you again.
"I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heav'n,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flahing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
Around the old eternal rocks."
Those Irish infuse their sacred with the natural world. And looking at your pictures so do you and so should we all. I bind unto myself today the virtues of the. . .bejewelled spider, the vast array of elaborate orchids.
Good to read your blog! I shared it with Uncle Roger
Aunt Marcie
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