Love = Yard Work, Spiders & Mosquitoes?

So, for those of you who didn't know, my Grandmother had a mini-stroke last week.  She is home now and well on her way to a full-recovery.  We are all very happy, obviously.  However, we have had to start limiting Mammaw in some of her activities (which is rather difficult to do needless to say). 

First, the day we brought her home, she held "court" among her friends with tea and gossip.  If you were thinking, "That's not typical of someone who just had a stroke", you would be correct.  Anyway, we have had to reign in some of her day-to-day activities, which some days is a full time job!  The other day Mom and I stopped by for lunch with Mammaw and she mentioned her flowers needed watering.  Before thinking what was coming out of my mouth, I offered to water her flowers for her... all of her flowers. 

Therefore, after leaving work, I grabbed my watering pail, Sadie (my dog) and we walked over to Mammaw's house.  After safely depositing the dog inside to be spoiled rotten I walked outside into what could only be summed up as the BIGGEST spiders nest I've ever seen.  Isn't it amazing how when you walk through a spider's nest you are immediately proficient in karate?  Well, after turning on the watering hose and filling up my bucket to water ALL of her flowers (a task which at that point still seemed manageable) I started feeling some stinging on my legs... welcome mosquitoes... as if I wasn't having enough fun already! 

About twenty minutes into the watering of the flowers, Mammaw came outside and sweetly asked if I would mind to help trim her roses while I was there.  And, of course, I said, not a problem (what else could I say?).  Thus I continued to water her flowers (and trust me, the local green-houses LOVE her!).  After I had watered everything between my poor watering bucket and the gigantic garden hose she uses I started on the roses.  Now, I can handle mosquitoes... although I daresay her neighbors laughed at my ineffective swats at the annoying bugs... But, I am not a huge fan of spiders.  Well, I am snipping away at her roses when out of NOWHERE comes this enormous hairy spider.  I would like to say that I remained calm... I would like to say that I didn't make a girly scream... but those would both be lies.  However, I would like to report that that rose bush did get doused with a water hose... if that spider is still alive, then he must be the Michael Phelps of the insect world.

Anyway, I realized as I dealing with three things that I absolutely abhor (yard work, mosquitoes, and big hairy spiders) that it was ok; for me yesterday, those three things equaled love for my Mammaw.  It is interesting if you think about it, what love means for each of us on a daily basis and what it means that we will do or endure!

JCP