May 13, 2007

I believe the Swan Falls dam has become one of my favorite spots. Yesterday I had a special treat in that the museum there was opened to the public...normally only available by appointment on Mondays or Wednesdays. It was amazing to walk through and see the history. I love old buildings. You know that people worked their and each had their own story. Walking through I couldn't help but wonder what those stories were. What were the people like? Did they like their jobs? What drove people to become part of the original construction team? Were times desperate or was it just another job? At one moment I stood at the bottom of the turbine looking at the old gates. They were all that seperated me from the water on the other side...a fact that unnerved me just a little considering water was seeping through them, covering the floor in a thin sheen of water. I marveled at how all of it was made around 1901.

Yesterday was finally a chance to take a Saturday and accomplish nothing! It seems as if every Saturday since January I've had a paper or project to work on. This last semester has been hard, but I'm so grateful to be done. Now I just have the task of deciding for sure what to do next year! The lure of full time grad school is strong, but I feel as if it still requires some prayer and open doors.

I spent part of my day today beginning to pack my classroom and began to feel a twinge of sadness realizing these are the last few weeks with my kids. I've really developed deep bonds with many of them this year. God has allowed me to plant some seeds which I'm desperately praying will grow. A little boy asked me the other day, "How can I get way up there to talk to God?" I looked around, then whispered in his ear, "He can hear you no matter where you are." It felt so good to break the rules. I am now facing the harsh fact that my time of influence over so many of these little souls is about to come to an end. After a few weeks, they will be in God's hands. I pray that God will protect them and bring them to know him. To think of the alternative is heart wrenching.

Pray for the children of our country.