I Know He Was Praying

Super-creepy, yet kind of sweet.  We became well-acquainted on the short trip.  I hopped in the car and started moving slowly down the narrow streets of our community.  I was headed into town to work in Vacation Bible School and I was running a little late.  As I slowed to make the last turn, I looked left and then right and then at my driver’s side mirror.  There he sat.

 

I’m not crazy about bugs; but I’m not totally freaked out by them either.  I prepared myself to encounter them when I made the decision to move to a warm southern climate.  So when I saw the dignified little praying mantis sitting on the top of my mirror, I just smiled at him and he smiled back.  I sat at the stop sign for a moment to give him time to hop down.  He declined.

 

So I made my turn and increased my speed to twenty-five.  His little praying hands unclasped and started clutching for something to hold onto.  I slowed down to give him one more chance to bail.  He declined.

 

I left the plantation and revved my speed up to thirty-five.  His feelers were flapping in the wind and I’m pretty sure that’s when the praying started.  I had a hard time driving and watching him at the same time.  If I had cared about him as much as I led him to believe, I would have stopped the car and helped him down.  But I was late for VBS.

 

So I turned out onto the highway and upped the pace to fifty-five.  Head down and battling the wind, he discovered that he could go under the lip of the mirror and hunker down a little.  His legs managed to stay put but every part of his body was shuddering against the wind.  Please understand,  I felt terrible guilt.  But I was late for VBS.

 

I pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car.  I said a little prayer and apology for my new friend.  I knew he was dead and I was not looking forward to removing his frail little form.  

 

To my complete delight, one long leg tentatively swung up onto the top of the mirror.  Slowly he pulled himself back up on top.  Then he began to groom himself!  Now I don’t know what he was smoothing down – whether feathers, or scales, or gills.  But he had something there to flatten out.  Then he took each long leg in turn and stretched it as far as it would go to be sure everything was still working.

 

Then he once again settled in to pray and I left to go fix beanie weenies with a clear conscience and my own short prayer of thanks.