A while ago, Pastor posted a photo of a truly horrifyingly HUGE spider on his blog that he found in his backyard:  A Marbled Orb Weaver.  UGH!  Were I him my house would be on the market.

Well, my winter buddy is back, or one of her descendants, so I thought I would post my own photo.

For the past several years, I have had this type of spider (no, Pastor, I have not a clue as to what it is) come hang out in the upper corner of my back door.  Of course, I keep forgetting about her and destroy her web as I walk through it.  At first, I would get angry at her because I do not care for spider silk draping my hair.  But, after a while, I found myself admiring her persistence and perseverance, for each time I destroyed her web she would simply rebuild it.  So, I once again find myself trying to remember to duck when I go out the back door.

~~~~
At the risk of sounding childish, I am just plum beside myself in having so many hymns from which to learn.  I can now sing 10 of the 12 I have.  The final two have tunes that I cannot quite get right, but I have hope!  And having them has had an added bonus:  both Wednesday and Thursday night, I actually fell asleep listening to them and slept through to the morning...with no nightmares.

What I didn't know is that in playing them as I feel asleep, I was treating my new neighbor to a nightly concert as well.  He let me know, not to complain, but to let me know.  Of course, his comment meant that I had to explain just why it is that I am playing hymns, not about the nightmares, but about pastoral care and confessional Lutheranism and the Book of Concord and Bonhoeffer's treatise and learning to pray the Psalter and now trying to learn hymns.  Have not a clue as to where he stands or what he thought but he also told me that he hears me sing Psalms in the shower.  Neither the hymns nor the psalms bother him.  He just thought I might like to know.  He did not, however, complain about the loudness of my television.  I dared not ask.

Amongst the new set of nine hymns, there is one that has run through my mind at work both yesterday and today and was really why I thought to play them while I sleep.  I wish you could hear it, but I believe there is value in reading it as well.  I find the melody compelling, but it is the last three words of each stanza that echo through my mind, remind me of the Litany and the Prayer on Wednesday from the Treasury of Daily Prayer, remind me of the questions I have about prayer:

To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray

To God the Holy Spirit let us pray

For the true faith needed on our way

That he may defend us when life is ending

and from exile home we are wending.

Lord, have mercy.

O sweetest Love, Your grace on us bestow;

Set our heart with sacred fire aglow

That with hearts united we love each other,

Every stranger, sister, and brother.

Lord, have mercy.

Transcendent Comfort in our every need,

Help us neither scorn nor death to heed

That we may not falter nor courage fail us

When the foe shall taunt and assail us.

Lord, have mercy.

Shine in our hearts, O Spirit, precious light;

Teach us Jesus Christ to know aright

That we may abide in the Lord who bought us,

Till to our true home He has brought us.

Lord, have mercy.