SLINK, SLITHER & SLIDE

“Oh, neat! Let’s go and check out our new sandbox. It’s so exciting to be able to have one since we never had one before.”

“Hey, come on over and look at my pets. I have a nice collection. You just have to see them.”

Mental Image: Grandmother sitting at the back of the church on Sunday morning, slowly sliding her bracelet off her wrist. The bracelet drops into her purse and someone else will remove it later.

“Hey, Mom. Look at this one. It is black and green. What about getting this for me as a pet?”

“Does anyone know why the minnows keep disappearing in this tank? I know there are not as many today as yesterday but I can’t find the little ones anywhere in the tank?”

“Guess what George and I found today outside? We managed to get it into the car and I think it would be a nice addition for your classroom.”

“All right, I think we have everything we need to put the house on the market. We’ll get started as soon as possible. Any questions? You have what in the house? No, it’s got to go!”

“You can have anything you want in the divorce, just let me keep Jake.”


What do all the above statements and/or questions have in common? For our family it makes complete sense. Our family had four growing boys and we have always had at least one pet either inside or outside the home. From the mid 1970’s until the mid 1980’s when our life was probably at its busiest, anyone of the scenarios above could and would be a part of our life. Believe it or not, the common factor in everything was snakes. Yes, one of my four boys was interested in the slimy things that go crawling either in the soil or along the sand near water.

In the first instance, our family had finally made a move to northern Louisiana. We had always lived in the northern states. Both my husband and I were from Ohio and we had attended graduate school in Indiana. This would be our first introduction to the Southern culture. We found a suitable house in a subdivision that backed up to the bayou. It seemed like an idyllic setting and we all were anxious to get settled in. This was our first time to have any size of a yard, and the boys were ready to explore the back yard and begin building sand castles or whatever little boys like to build.

I checked the yard out and noticed a large snake coiled around in the back part of the sandbox. Now, I mean this snake was huge---probably six feet long and with a diameter of several inches. It looked like it was dead but since I was a newcomer to the area, I decided it was better off having someone who knew snakes identify the “culprit”. My knowledgeable neighbor came to my rescue and identified the snake as a cottonmouth or water moccasin. Say no more, I had all the information I needed. Watch the back yard carefully and change the word idyllic. I’m not sure how to describe the picture of the yard against the bayou but the word “caution” became ingrained into my mind. Always, always check the yard---and don’t forget to watch where you step. Snakes can deceive you into thinking that they are harmless when in actuality they are dangerous.

Having decided that the slithering creatures were in abundance along the water, I felt much better knowing exactly what to expect. What I wasn’t prepared for was the gush of enthusiasm from my son one afternoon. Our neighbor had a few “pet” snakes that he wanted to show him. Figuring that any pet snakes he might have in his possession was approved by his parents I relaxed somewhat. That is until I discovered that he was keeping baby rattlesnakes. Great! Not only do I have to worry about the ones coming in my back yard along the water, now I have to worry about the ones slithering along the side of my house. So much for spending a lot of time outside!

I can still recall the incident when my mother-in-law was sitting beside me in church one day. I don’t recall very much about the service but when I saw her reach down to her wrist, unfasten her bracelet, and lift it up with a pen and slide it into her purse I was curious. It was impossible to carry on a conversation in church, so I would have to wait a while to find out the answer. I knew my mother-in-law had about as much love for snakes as I did. What I didn’t realize was that one of her favorite bracelets had just been given the boot because it was connected by a series of snakes. How long she wore that bracelet I’ll never know, but on that day the bracelet was moved aside. I don’t know exactly how she got the bracelet out of her purse, but I know that I never saw it again.

The next time that I heard the word snake used by my boys was when we were living in Baton Rouge. We had moved away from Louisiana to Kansas but we were now even deeper in the southern part of the state. Another culture to learn about and, that’s right, more bayous and waterways. But this time the lure of having a snake came from another source. It just happened that on our way to New Orleans one time that there was an advertisement for a Reptile Farm. All the pleading in the world would not get me to stop for a “friendly” visit. The inquisitive nature of my second oldest son still stayed focused on snakes. Finally I agreed to let him have one in the house (I know, big mistake!) He was so excited but when he started talking about a python or some large type of snake, my foot sounded so hard on the floor that you could probably hear it in the resound in the next house. Absolutely not! I had agreed to let him have the snake, but when it came time to talk of buying a mouse and feeding it to the snake, I just couldn’t face it. Any snake that would be residing in my house would have to be contained in a box or aquarium with a covered top. And, it had to have a diet that would not have me or anyone else in the house loping off any critters head. Thus, the garter snake came to reside with us.

That garter snake had quite a history with our family. My mother-in-law returned for a visit and my husband already knew of her fear of snakes. We had a fish tank set up in a corner of the front room stocked with feeder minnows. Just net a few fish each day or two, slip them into a water bowl and carefully put into the reptile cage, We decided to hide the reptile cage in a dark corner of one of the boy’s bedroom closets. When the coast was clear and Grandma was gone, the cage could come back into the living room area. But never underestimate the acuity of Grandma. On one morning when we got up she approached us and asked a question that neither one of us expected. She had noticed that the feeder minnows kept disappearing but she couldn’t figure out what was happening to them. No fish floating on the surface; none on the bottom. We didn’t have the heart to tell he the truth for fear that she would literally have a heart attack. We kept quiet and let her go home without ever knowing how close she was to playing with a snake. At least she didn’t go into the closet. Jake stayed back in a dark corner and didn’t give anyone any heartache.

The next incident with snakes was probably the most hilarious episode of all. I had been teaching at a Christian school. I started out with a combined 5th and 6th grade class of students and taught all the regular subjects. Eventually I was given a chance to teach in junior high and high school. My major in college was biology and my husband knew that I wanted to make the classroom creative. Having a biology classroom with no plants, small animals, or ongoing science experiments just didn’t seem realistic. Now comes the best part of all. My husband was at work one day and he saw a large green snake. He thought it would be a nice addition to the classroom so he went about capturing the snake. Before he started he decided to ask his best friend George (who just happened to be with him) to borrow his lunch box. He was confident that he could place the snake inside the lunchbox, close the top and carry his “prize” home. But being a typical person with some common sense, his friend refused to let him use his lunchbox. Since there didn’t seem to be any other way available at that time, two guys decided to lift up the snake and put him in the trunk of MY car. I’m not exactly sure how they got the snake into the trunk, but no one would confess to committing the act. Now, all they had to do was drive home, open the trunk and remove the snake. The next day it would be ready for me to take it to school. But when my husband arrived home and opened the trunk the snake was gone. GREAT! Just what I needed—a snake slithering around under the seats or somewhere else where it could pop up at any time and make its presence known.

The consensus was that we should leave the trunk open and hope that the snake would just crawl out on its own. Every once in a while we looked out the window but never once did we see the snake leave the car. There was no way in the morning to know if the snake was still inside the car but I was NOT getting in the car and driving anywhere until I knew I didn’t have any “company” residing anyplace in my car. Next came a brilliant idea from my husband. Close the trunk, take the car into a service station and have them check it out! No one at the service station thought it was funny. And we were the first people to ever bring a car in for servicing for “snake removal.” I don’t remember exactly how we verified that the snake was really gone, but I didn’t get back into the car for quite some time. No way was any snake about to deceive me into thinking the coast was clear when it could be hiding in my car.

It was probably about three years later (1988) that we decided to move to Tennessee. My husband had changed jobs and it was time to place the house on the market. We went over everything very carefully with the real estate agent and she felt the house was in good condition to place it on the market without any painting or other type of touch-up. Before she left for her next appointment, my husband simply asked, “What do you think we should do about the snake?” Without any hesitation the realtor ran out of the house and when she had calmed down she told us in no uncertain terms that the snake could NOT be in the house while she was trying to sell the property. It didn’t matter one bit that the snake was in the closet again. The snake had to go.

Having to resign himself to the fact that the snake couldn’t stay in the house and that the snake was not moving to Tennessee, my son asked his best friend if he would like to keep the “critter”. After obtaining his mother’s permission, Jonathan became the new proud owner of Jake. He was ecstatic and I discovered that more than one mother was able to withstand and entertain the idea of a snake in the house. I thought that I had put the whole incident with the snake behind me and probably would never hear any more about Jake. But in 1994 when our oldest son got married I noticed that my best friend had not been able to attend the ceremony. I thought it was rather strange but didn’t give it a second thought. Later on I found out that she had just separated from her husband but he had been injured in a serious motorcycle accident the evening before the wedding. She was the person the hospital called to help out in an emergency.

After twenty-six years of marriage she finally got divorced. It was a hard time for her and we tried to keep in touch by phone or through letters. Just when I thought I had heard the last of Jake and his antics, her husband did something totally unexpected. He agreed to a divorce and allowed her to keep everything BUT Jake the snake. Yes, Jake was a part of a divorce settlement and one ex-husband felt so attached to the snake that Jake moved one more time. This time Jake became a companion for someone who would be living alone. I never heard any more about Jake but I certainly never ever thought that one simple garter snake could be involved in so many lives.

It’s the same with our lives. Our life is intertwined with so many other people we meet along the way. Some people come into our lives for a short while; others remain friends for most of our lifetime. Some friends are faithful and can be counted on when things get difficult. Other friends are not what they seem and instead of being loyal, they use what they learn to damage your reputation. As the story of your life unfolds, others are watching your life carefully. Are you trustworthy? Are you truthful? Are you kind to others? Are you someone who follows the law? Do you attend church and if so, is your life a witness of Jesus Christ? Do you have an outreach into the community or in an area of your church that showcases your real personality? How do you handle the rough times in your life? Are you depressed or do you let your faith carry your through the difficult times? How do you treat other family members---with care and love or by acting out in anger? The list could go on and on, but never underestimate the impact of your life on others.

Throughout the different stages of your life, let your life be one that counts for God. Whether things are funny or sad, joyful or depressing, tense or relaxed, let your life be one that is molded by God. Then through all the times while you are making memories with your family and others, the love of God will show through and then make an impression on them. When the journey is over, others will appreciate all that you have done and will remember your testimony.