I grew up on Cove road, a little country winding trail
between the Asberry and Williams communities.
It was in the Roy Webb and Pleasant Valley school districts. My mother, her sister, and their mother,
Bertie Mae, all lived on the same piece of land. We called it the “same yard.” Mom, dad and my aunt and uncle worked in the
local mills and factories and when they were at work on a first, second, or
third shift, my grandmother was there to be the steady guardian of siblings and
cousins. We formed a great bond that
remains to this day stronger as cousins than most brothers and sisters. My grandmother had no problems enforcing her
rules and regulations for us, so for the most part we were a well behaved
bunch. The grownups erected a tall fence
around “the yard,” so it’s safe to say there was little danger for us. I remember summer time snakes were prone to
crawl up from the surrounding woods, so we had to be careful about playing
outside barefoot. Another warning that
came from Bertie Mae, were potentially poisonous mushrooms growing in various
spots, which she called “The Devil’s Snuff Box.”
My mother is going to kill me for writing this, but it was
not uncommon for the women in my family to dip snuff. Therefore, a snuff box to me was a common
article. I did find it gross, especially
when my Maw Maw Goodwin wanted to chase me down and kiss me after taking a big
ole dip. Bertie Mae didn’t dip snuff, so
I am thinking she used the old wives tale about mushrooms being the devil’s
snuff box as a way to scare us and to poke fun at other ladies.
Bertie Mae would tell us that the devil planted these giant
snuff boxes and whenever they were growing, we needed to be extra careful because
he was always lurking about. Surely, we
couldn’t pick or touch one, because it would guarantee he would appear and
snatch one of us. I am not sure how much
of these stories my sister and cousins remember, but I took it to heart.
Years later as a teenager, I had a little more confidence,
also known as arrogance, and thought I didn’t need my grandmother’s scare
tactics about life very much, so I would get on my Dad’s lawn mower and run
right over those mushrooms. Of course
the devil never appeared…well, not where I could see him, but she was right, he
is always there.
As an adult, I reminded my grandmother of her stories about
the devil’s snuff boxes and she told me that her mother had told her the same
story years earlier and that some mushrooms could be poisonous and that is why
it got its nickname. She went on to tell
me that as an adult I would experience the devil’s snuff boxes at every turn in
life and she was so right. You see, when
we are traveling along thinking life is going great, having fun and doing the
things we think are right, that’s when out of the beautiful green grass pops up
one of those mushrooms. It equates to
sin, temptation, trials, tribulation, etc.
The devil is definitely situated at every point in life, so he can to
steal away our innocence. Just like when
we were children, those poisonous mushrooms could make us sick and maybe even
do irreparable damage, so can the devil’s influence on our lives as
adults.
When you feel like you are taking one step forward and two
steps back, it’s the devil trying to push you down and stop God’s glory from
shining in you. Today I didn’t want to
get out of bed. My heart is heavy and
hurting so badly because I miss my brother who was brutally taken from us one
year ago today. We were robbed of the
chance to say goodbye or have closure and the pain still lingers. I have certainly moved forward this year and
found joy again and progressed with my life as Tony would have wanted me to do,
yet, the devil is not happy with that outcome.
Because I struggle with depression, he wants to use every opportunity,
every mushroom in my path, to make me stumble.
Fortunately, God is almighty and all-powerful. He is stronger than the devil. He works through his children to encourage
us. My friends call me up, encourage me
and keep me motivated. God makes the sun
shine so that we can tell there is a brighter day and that pain and grief will
subside. He promises there will be “no
more tears in Heaven.”
I was sitting at my desk, writing in my prayer journal about
Tony and tears were streaming down my cheeks.
My mind drifted to the influence Bertie Mae had on all our lives. I was reminded of the snuff boxes and realized
the depression I am battling today is just one of those large poisonous
mushrooms of life. It’s natural to feel
loss and to grieve over the sudden death of a loved one, but when we have the
promise of salvation and eternity in Heaven, it’s not okay to allow depression
to debilitate us.
I am grateful to have such a comforting and loving Father
who knows just what I need all the time.
When you find yourself in one of those paralyzing phases trying to make
meaning out of something we can’t possibly understand, just close your eyes and
pray for comfort. His supernatural power
is the answer to whatever our crisis may be.
It comes in many forms. Today,
for me, it came in the form of a memory.
My love to you all….watch out for the “devil’s snuff boxes”
in your path.