Rattlesnake

Natalie-here is the rattlesnake story I told you about on Facebook.......yes I refer to myself as the rattlesnake.  Kyle's lucky like that.  :)


Many years ago, Indian youths would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One such youth hiked into a beautiful valley. There he fasted, and on the third day, as he looked up at the surrounding mountains, he noticed one tall, rugged peak. I will test myself against that mountain, he thought. He put on his buffalo-hide shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders, and set off to climb the peak.
When he reached the top, he stood on the rim of the world. He could see forever, and his heart swelled with pride. Then he heard a rustle at this feet, and looking down, he saw a snake. Before he could move, the snake spoke: "I am about to die. It is too cold for me up here and I am freezing. There is no food and I am starving. Put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley." "No," said the youth, "I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite me and I will die." "Not so," said the snake. "I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, you will be special. I will not harm you." The snake had beautiful markings and was very persuasive. Finally, the youth tucked the snake under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. There he laid it gently on the grass, when suddenly the snake coiled, rattled, and struck, biting the youth on the leg. "But you promised!" cried the youth. "You knew what I was when you picked me up," said the snake as it slithered away.

*There are lots of church talks that use this story in a much better manner than I do!  There is one really good one by Pres. Hinckley.  HERE
*Also I need to clarify, not so much in the "I'm going to bite you and kill you kind of way", more so the "maybe I don't shave my legs every day kind of way".  You know, hot stuff like that :)