The spider casts out a line of slender thread, stronger than steel, from a tree branch, and swings across the gaping chasm to the waiting arms of another branch. Slowly, with much deliberation and surgical precision, the lone spider weaves the web he calls home. Working tirelessly through the night, he spins, snips, attaches, detaches, and reattaches the cords that will eventually bring the rewards of food, and the satisfaction of a well-done job.
Looking back on life up to this point, as I'm sure many of the readers of this blog have, I've come to the conclusion that we are all much like the spider. We weave webs of hard work, dedication, friendship, education, religion, and enjoyment. We all have anchors, branches to which we've found hold fast. Each of us has been pounded by winds, rain, hail, emotional whirlwinds, tragedies, and even our own laziness, but the true anchors to which we've tied ourselves off to have held strong.
Because of these trials, holes have been torn through our webs; damage has been done that we think we cannot possibly repair. A friend turns his back, a falling grade in calculus seems too far gone to be mended, our testimonies have weakened, someone we love has been lost; we fear our anchors will not hold. Yet, somehow, miraculously, you and I have been able to repair these gaping holes; our anchors have held firm, and we begin the process of repairing the damage.We retie the straggling threads, reinforce the troubled area. Extra study, more selflessness, a greater degree of friendship and faith, and the holes slowly disappear, leaving a stronger web in their place.
I'd just like to take a moment and thank all of you who have made this high school career so memorable, and who, along with God and my family, have been some of the branches to which my own web has held firm to. Thank you.
