Fire Ants

It's a cold and drizzly day today, so I've more than my usual amount of time to kill - so I'll update the blog!

The last few days have actually been pretty warm and nice, so I've been taking some lovely walks during the day. On one of my recent walks, I stumbled - literally - on a huge colony of FIRE ANTS! It was like something out of a movie, watching them swarm out of their home in order to defend it.

Now, I'm not normally one to do such things, but I picked up an ant and let him bite me. You know what? It hurt. A lot. I understand why they are called fire ants. It was a burning sensation that was eerily reminiscent of the burning I feel when I bless myself with holy water.

I also saw two black widow spiders. I did not let one of them bite me, but I did watch each one for a long time. They are really beautiful creatures, even if they *are* like Irish brides who court their suitors and then, when they've had their fun, they consume the wayward beau.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's written/emailed/commented on my blog while I've been out here in Wyoming. It has been so encouraging to hear from people and has made some of the more tedious days infinitely more tolerable. As I prepare to leave Wyoming on Saturday, I find that I've changed (physically, thanks to swelling, and spiritually, thanks to prayer and testing) in a number of ways: greater sense of vocational purpose, a new degree of patience, an acute awareness of my own limitations in terms of needs from community and living conditions.

As things wind down here (did they ever really wind up?) know that I keep all of you in my prayers and that I look forward to returning to Detroit in just a few days. With luck I'll see many of you in the weeks and months to come.

Cheers!