An Arachniphobe's Nightmare

A state park in northern Texas is home to a recent phenomenon that will send shivers up the spines of any sane, spider-fearing citizen. There is a network of spiderwebs enveloping several trees and bushes along a 200 yard long stretch of trail within the park. It seems that this giant network of web-spinners is very rare and entomologists have yet to discover what has caused these particular spiders to do what they have done. Being an avid spider fearer/hater myself, I found watching a video of the phenomenon to be rather disturbing. There was one part in particular that caused me great worry. At the end of the video, a lady had one of the eight-legged construction workers of terror crawling on her hand and she was calmly asking it if it was going to bite her. I wanted to tell her, no, yell at her to drop it, kill it, squash it, and run! That is one part of nature that I have no desire to experience. I will postpone any further plans to travel to Texas or any portion of the southern United States until those...things...are gone. Until further notice, I am moving to the Arctic, the only place of safety on earth where there are no insects or arachnids of any shape, size, or form.

First Hurricane of the 2007 Season

Hurricane Dean is quickly spinning towards the Gulf Coast as the first Atlantic hurricane of the year. It has already devastated several of the islands in the Caribbean and is predicted to make landfall in eastern Texas, a region that just endured tropical storm Erin and has sustained heavy rains and flooding throughout the year. Flooding is definitely a potential problem in this area as Dean brings more heavy rains.

All of this seems so far away as I look out the window and listen to the lightly falling rain outside. To me, it is refreshing and pleasant, but to the people in Texas and throughout the Caribbean, it is a hazard that they could definitely do without.

Update: It looks as though Texas will miss the brunt of this storm...but still be praying for those in this storms path as it tracks through Mexico. Also pray for those in the Caribbean who have already experienced the strength of Dean as they repair their homes and the lives that were so rudely interrupted.

Reeeassons

There are so many times when I wonder "why me?" or "why now?". I am of the opinion, though, that nothing happens that does not have a reason. We do not know at the time what that reason may be and, in fact, we may never know, but, nevertheless, there is one. When I have an experience that makes me want to just crawl into bed, cry uncontrollably, and pity myself like there is no tomorrow, I have to remind myself that there is a reason and I do not have to live in a hopeless state. When I lose a loved one for seemingly no reason, when I make a decision that seems to be completely wrong at the time, or whenever life seems to fall down around me, it definitely helps to know that life is not just a pointless random sequence of events but rather a meaningful story with many minor characters and plots along the way that are all woven together into one beautiful, if not sometimes tragic, tale, much like a Charles Dickens novel. Who is there who can say that the experiences that seem tragic right now will not make them stronger and able to live life to the fullest in the future or to help someone in a way for which only that experience would equip them. I find myself looking back at some of the more difficult times of my life thus far and seeing that, as bad as they were, good did come from them in the end. There are still many times that I look back on and wonder "why?", but I have to be content with the fact that I may never, and probably will not ever, know the answer.