I found out the hard way being married to a taxidermist can be hazardous to your health.

It started out innocently enough. I was cleaning house when my husband Tim came in from his taxidermy shop. He needed me to hold a deer steady while he bolted it onto a plaque. He made it sound so easy and simple. I should have known better.

Lying on his work table was this huge deer head with a massive set of twisted antlers. I wasn’t even sure where to put my hands to hold it steady. Tim told me to stand behind the head and hold it.

So, I maneuvered my way through the sharp and pointy antler tips or tines, and placed my hands on each side of the head.

Tim picked up his drill and said it wouldn’t take long. After a few minutes, he still didn’t have the deer head bolted on. I was getting frustrated and so was he. He slammed the drill down and gave the deer head a hard shove.

The deer’s antlers went in my mouth-under my top lip and above my teeth! I probably could’ve let go and hung there for a while.

Seriously, I had to get up on my tip toes so I could lift my head up enough to get the antlers out of my mouth.

By the sheer grace of God, I didn’t get a scratch. But I did have to say a lot of prayers for forgiveness later for what came out of my mouth.

I remember the look on Tim’s face. At first, I thought it was an, “Oh no! I hurt my wife!” expression. But now I wonder if it was an expression of, “Oh no! How will I explain this to the cops?”

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (KJV)