Bluegrass

I am not a proponent of killing anything. I have been known to chase a wasp through the house and through an open door, back into the great outdoors. Granddaddy longlegs who find their way into my home are unceremoniously picked up by their legs and taken outside again. I will swat the occasional fly or mosquito, and that’s about the extent of my killing instincts. But last night, I killed a snake for the first time.

I had taken Bitsy Jo outside for one last romp in the yard, just before dark. As usual, I was multi-tasking, picking up those pesky sweet gum balls and stray sticks in the yard; I walked right up on it. Almost stepped on it, in fact.

It’s odd how, when you see something you’re not expecting to see, your mind at first refuses to process it.  I froze for an instant, deciding what to do. I recognized it as a copperhead, a beautiful snake but extremely venomous. All I could think of was keeping Bitsy Jo away, until I could make a plan.

We live next to a small patch of woods, and I am used to sharing my yard with the animals that live there. It is not unusual for me to step outside at night and find a family of raccoons on my front porch frolicking in the water fountain. Occasionally when I drive home after dark, my headlights will illuminate possums dashing across my front porch, headed for the safety of the woods. Every morning, my yard is filled with bunnies and beautiful box turtles; one morning I watched a magnificent owl as he danced in the spray of my water sprinkler. I have seen deer and red-tailed hawks and skunks in these woods; we all coexist peacefully. But I have to draw the line at venomous reptiles.

And that is where I found myself yesterday evening. I  killed him as quickly and mercifully as I possibly could, but I’m new at this. In my 60 years, I have witnessed hundreds and hundreds of reptiles, just never had to do the actual deed myself. I apologize to the animal lovers here; I am an animal lover myself, but I kept thinking about all the times I have walked over this yard carrying Emmi, all the times she and I have lay on the grass and watched the leaves overhead. I cringe to think of her being in danger of any sort, including a stray snake in her Nini’s yard.

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Summer just texted me and told me that she had been selected as outstanding nurse of the month, for the entire campus of UAMS. It’s an acknowledgement based on nominations from patients, families, supervisors and peers. I don’t know exactly how many nurses UAMS employs, but I would venture to guess several hundred. Maybe a thousand.  And my daughter is outstanding nurse for August. That brought tears to my eyes. She has always been my nurse of the month, nurse of the year, nurse of the lifetime; I’m so glad that others recognize the greatness in her.

From the moment I first held her, I knew that greatness was there. Even as a baby, I could sense the anointing on her life, but I didn’t know what it would entail, or what path it would take. I have been blessed to watch that greatness unfold, and that anointing take flight. I know this is only the beginning, and it takes my breath away sometimes when I think about what is to come.

She woke me up once, several years ago,  when she was about fifteen years old. "Mom," she whispered, "I have to tell you something." "What is it?" I asked her. "I’ve been asking the Lord what my purpose is," she said. "I’ve been asking Him to tell me what I was created for, and what my purpose is. He finally told me."  "What did He tell you?" I asked her.

"He said I was to finish what you had started."

And that, my friends, will humble you down to the very center of your soul.