Good Friday meditation

We spent Good Friday at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, in Cincinnati, Ohio. We've visited once before; this time I felt we were coming onto holy ground, as we approached.
****************









This cabin was along a slave trading route; its second story was used to house slaves until they were auctioned off, or transported further south.

A middle-aged man described its history to the group of school children filling the lower level. He choked up for a moment. When he continued, he explained that his ancestors were from Alabama, and they would have been slaves. "It always reminds me someone paid a price for me to be here."





***************
A woman who called herself Miss Sadie described the elements of her costume, and what her role in the house would have been, for a group of school children around the corner from the cabin. She sang Follow the Drinking Gourd, which gave slaves directions for escape. According to her, winter with its long nights was a good time to leave--and Friday was the best day of the week to head for freedom. (Escaping slaves had to travel during the night. Slave owners could not leave the plantation for fear the remaining slaves would escape. They had to hire men to chase the escapees. The offices of the contractors were closed over the weekend, so if slaves escaped Friday evening, it would be Monday before the hunt for them could begin.)
***************













A light from the Rankin house at the top of a hill in Ripley, Ohio (a free state), on the north side of the Ohio River, from the vantage point of an escaping slave on the south side of the river, in Kentucky (a slave state). The Rankins, John Parker, and their friends helped many people on their road to freedom in the north. (Many escaping slaves continued north to Canada. After the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision in 1857, they could be returned to their "owners" in the south, if captured in a free northern state.)
********************
About halfway through the tour, you enter a round room with a lighted pillar in the center. The walls are molded cement rock, with names carved into them--names of of slave transport ships and "castles" in Africa where the captured slaves were held. Aside from the pillar, the only light comes through the translucent blue ceiling, giving one the feeling of being under water. The pillar is covered with translucent blue and green pebbles. The pebbles represent the souls of the estimated one to two million Africans who died in the ships, during the Middle Passage, and in the "castles."














The room is silent, except for the sound of a choir humming John Newton's Amazing Grace. (John Newton was a slave trader who underwent a dramatic conversion.)
Holy ground.
***************
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:3-5, King James Version

Ohio's Hocking Hills: Ash Cave

Far above, cave ceiling.














Beside, stairs connect roof and floor.











Below, waterfall lands in pond.

The trail back into Ash Cave is handicap accessible. It's paved and level, and our son walked the entire distance. Trails to other geological highlights in the Hocking Hills are more challenging:
Old Man's Cave
Rock House
Conkle's Hollow
Cedar Falls
Cantwell Cliffs

January: a list for getting through it

Unlike Eliot, I find January and February to be the cruellest months. (I know: there's no bad weather-- I just need the right clothes.) Rebecca's passing the month enjoying the routines of her life, and making lists of lists. Here's one of how I wait for spring:

Reading (old British mysteries--Marsh, Christie, etc.). Just after Christmas, I found a stack of old used ones at the library book sale.

Learning (Intellitools, continued). Last week, two of the technology staff taught a couple of us how to combine scanned book pages and imported audio to create a computerized reading experience for children who may not have the fine motor or cognitive skills to read a book on their own. The MacIntosh is a more user-friendly for this than Windows is. Alas, I now need to translate what I've learned to our home pc.

Baking, cooking, and eating

Visiting (in-between toilet training)

Planning (trying to improve effectiveness of my To Do lists, making appointments)

Doing laundry

Enjoying gifts--a new tea kettle, and two of Luci Shaw's latest (Accompanied by Angels, and What the Light Was Like)

* * * * *
And, last but not least, a little humor along the way.

November Thanksgiving 5: good IEP meeting

Yesterday was our son's annual Individual Education Plan meeting. I had communicated some concerns to staff a few months ago, and was pleased at the response.

The moderator did a great job moving things along, getting the input of the physical therapist, occupational therapist, adaptive phys ed teacher, regular ed teachers, paraprofessional aide, special ed teacher, principal, county service coordinator, psychologist, speech therapist, and parents.

The principal was helpful and suggested several accommodations that could be made. The aide will be able to observe speech and carry that over into the rest of the week, as I wanted.

The adaptive phys ed teacher said she hasn't seen anything in her eight years of teaching like the way our son took off on the tricycle this year. It's increased attention span, direct gaze, lung capacity for speech, morale, self-confidence, etc. (He got a horn on the tricycle today. He honked at the hall intersection. The children in the hall stopped to let him cross, and clapped for him. The art teacher is going to have a few fifth graders make a little safety city, for him to work on waiting, and crossing the street. He's going to have stop signs. Another classmate might accompany him, on a bicycle. The class is studying simple machines in class, and might look at the tricycle, as an example.)

The assistive tech/Intellitools person and one of the district special ed gurus are meeting with the aide and our son's special ed teacher Monday morning, first thing, to continue Intellitools training. The special ed staff person is doing her master's on teaching nonverbal children to read!

The team will meet again for data checks 12/21.

The speech therapist is working on incorporating words from the Love and Learning videos our son has been watching for several years into Intellitools activities.

The moderator displayed (and suggested) the book Teaching Reading to Children with DS, which I have been wishing the school would use with our son. I was very encouraged.

A+

November thanksgiving 4

I appreciate Rebecca's faithfully pulling us back to the theme of the month. Time flies. I can't believe next week is (U.S.) Thanksgiving, already.

Having read Rebecca's post, I'm thankful I don't live in the Yukon, as she does, where she's thankful it's only 20 below! She brings back memories of my two years in the Great White North, when you could see your breathe freezing on the parka fur around your face. You could run around a building in snow, in very thick socks, because the snow was so dry.

The students (at the residential bush high school where I served) didn't go home for November Thanksgiving; that was a U.S. holiday. We celebrated the Canadian one, in October, with a big meal. Around the third week in November, we were a little homesick, thinking of family gatherings down south.

I'm wondering what the Yukon climate is like for older people. Even down here, they like to head south. What must it be like, to grow old in the Yukon? Where do Yukoners go to retire? I wonder.

It will reach the low 40's here today, and that's cold enough, for November. :-)

November thanksgiving 3: three gifts

Today I'm thankful for leftovers. We're having last week's lasagna, recycled from the freezer.

I'm also thankful for the progress our son has made riding the adaptive tricycle, at school. He pedals so fast his aide has to scurry to keep up. He's learned to back up, and pedal without the footstraps. He's getting better at steering. I appreciate the principal's willingness to let us make riding the tricycle a goal at school. Some schools don't allow it, in the elementary grades. They consider it a preschool skill.

I'm thankful for my two sisters.

Further reading: Rebecca Writes' thanksgiving posts

November thanksgiving 2: the internet

"You're caught up in the Internet
You think it's such a great asset
But you're wrong, wrong, wrong.
All that fiber-optic gear
Still cannot take away the fear
Like an Island song."
--Jimmy Buffet, in Holiday

Yes, Jimmy, the internet has its limitations, but I'm still thankful for it. As a parent, I can get access to a volume of ideas for special education that would have been an experienced professional's dream, ten years ago.

My newest find*: AAC Intervention.com

For today, I'm rich, rich, rich.

Additional finds (added): abcteach, offers 5000+ free printable pages and worksheets(received Learning Magazine's 2007 Teacher's Choice Award)
Connective Technology Solutions, Dan Herlihy's new site. Dan, an Intellitools guru, develops solutions for adapting curriculum in the classroom, for children with special needs.

*This is actually a re-find, but glad to encounter it again, at a different point in the journey.

November thanksgiving 1: hearing from old friends

Rebecca from Rebecca Writes is coordinating another round of November thanksgiving this year. I enjoy reading about what people are thankful for. It gives me a window on life in other places, and points to good things in my own life.

Today I'm thankful for the letter from an old friend that came in yesterday's mail. She's been buried in the news business, since I last saw her, nine years ago. I'm looking forward to renewing a friendship.

Further reading: Powerful lesson on kindness learned during night visit to ER
Tending earth’s bounty renews connection to the land
A book keeps on giving despite yellowed pages

August thanksgiving 9: school staff

Today I took my son over to school to meet his teacher and see his new classroom. She was very kind, and I think he will have another good year. I was happy to find he will have the same aide he's had the past two years. He has made great progress working with her.

I am thankful for the school district we live in, and for the staff at the building where our son attends, in particular. The principal, teachers, and aides have always made him feel welcome and are positive models for the children, in the way they relate to our son. They accept and affirm him, communicating his right to be part of the group. We are fortunate.

August thanksgiving 8: work of the Schaeffers, and an update

I've appreciated reading the books of both Francis and Edith Schaeffer for many years. They were a great encouragement to me during my last two years in college.

I was happy to find a small window into L'Abri as it is today. Stephen West, the attorney, writer, and owner of a record label who blogs at Outwalking, recently posted about his plan to develop The Tapestry Project, detailing the personal story of the Schaeffers and the history of their ministry at L'Abri.

Mr. West and his partner traveled to Switzerland this month to do on-site interviews for the Project. He shares impressions and photos from that journey in The Tapestry Project mini-blog. They interviewed John and Priscilla (Schaeffer) Sandri, Udo and Deborah (Schaeffer) Middelmann, and Edith Shaeffer, in Switerzerland. They traveled on to Cambridge, England, where they interviewed Ranald MacCauley, husband of the Schaeffer's daughter Susan. In Oxford, they were able to meet with Joe Martin, husband of the late Linette Martin (whose conversion story is told in L'Abri) and Deidre Ducker, one of the young school girls who visited the Schaeffers at their first chalet, in Champery.

Mr. West and his partner collaborated earlier on an audio biography of the life of Ruth Bell Graham. I get the impression this project is also slated for audio format, with sounds of life in the Swiss Alps serving as a backdrop for the Swiss interviews.

I've occasionally thought of Edith, since Francis passed away, and hoped she was doing well. Stephen lets us know that she is. I look forward to the completion of this project.

August thanksgiving 7

From the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook:

Thankfulness is a thread that can bind together all the patchwork squares of our lives. Difficult times, happy days, seasons of sickness, hours of bliss--all can be sewn together into something lovely with the thread of thankfulness . . . . We each have the power to interpret the facts of our lives. We make the choices that turn us into bitter or grateful people. Gratitude is rooted in the reality that "bidden or unbidden, God is present." Carl Jung discovered (and popularized) this statement among the Latin writings of Erasmus: vocatus atque non vocatus, deus aderit.

Thanksgiving is possible not because everything goes perfectly but because God is present. The Spirit of God is within us--nearer to us than our own breath. It is a discipline to choose to stitch our days together with the thread of gratitude. But the decision to do so is guaranteed to stitch us closer to God. Attend to the truth that "bidden or unbidden, God is present."
--Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

August thanksgiving 6

The last week or two has involved a little stress. At times like this, I become thankful for small things that don't necessarily make an exciting blog post:

--the next generation of physical therapists, energetic and eager to learn so they'll be better able to serve (we went down to the university three weeks in a row, to help demonstrate)
--a modern washer and dryer
--the motivation to undertake a major de-cluttering of the house (the stuff goes to a thrift store staffed by volunteers, that gives its profit to missions)
--real life friends
--the variety of fresh fruit in season this time of year (peaches, berries, melons)
--the humble zinnias outside my kitchen window, attracting a hummingbird and butterflies
--our son's new red (adaptive) tricycle!
--my husband, who goes to work every weekday to support his family

It's back-to-school time here already. Last week our son got new shoes and a haircut. This week, we'll pick up school supplies and a few clothes. It will be good to get back into a routine, but it's hard to bid the lazy days of summer goodby.

August thanksgiving 5: home-grown tomatoes

Home-grown tomatoes with cottage cheese. Yum.

August thanksgiving 3: something to give

A number of years ago, I had a roommate who made more money than I did. She was comfortable; I scraped. One day, I had a conversation with her about money--how much was enough? She said that her desire was to have enough to cover her needs, with some left over to give to others. (She was more sanctified than I was, which was probably why she had more money. :-)

Today my son and I went down to the local University to help educate the next generation of physical therapy students. I gave them a brief health, developmental, and therapy history. They interviewed me about his current skill levels, played with him, and tried to motivate him to do things that were on his "cutting edge." Their perception of him changed over the hour we spent together.

We did a little bit to help the next group of parents that comes along, as parents before us did, for our benefit. After many years of taking, it's good to have something left over to give.

August thanksgiving 2: indoor plumbing

I just read Rebecca's latest post, about outhouses being outlawed in Whitehorse, Yukon territory, in 1964. Both sets of my grandparents lived on farms, and had unused outhouses.

I spent two years at a mission in the Ontario bush. We had a rarely used outhouse. One year the plumbing in the building where the single female staff women lived froze up for several days; we had to use the outhouse in temperatures of 30F below zero. And I had the flu.

I am thankful for indoor plumbing.
* * * *
P.S. Last Sunday morning before the sermon, the minister prayed that those who were depressed, stress, or offended would be . . . . grateful.

August thanksgiving 1: air conditioning

All their lives, my parents have lived without air conditioning. Their house was built without it, and its windows would not accommodate the small add-in units. Earlier this year, they finally got new windows. However, they've asserted that they still do not need air conditioning; it would be too much of a hassle to put in, they've lived without it all these years, etc.

Finally, with this latest heat wave, my sister got worried, went to the local home improvement store, and showed up on their doorstep last week with an air conditioner masquerading as birthday gift. They gladly accepted it and immediately had my nephew mount it in a kitchen window.

The next day, they went back to the same store and got one for the bedroom. (Heat index of 104 today.)

P.S. Last November, Rebecca Writes declared a theme of thankfulness for the month and invited other readers to follow suit. I joined in, and it was the most memorable month I've had, blogging. I think she may do it again this year, and I'm doing a little warm-up in August, as a preview, to encourage more bloggers to join her this time around.

Vacation 4: Olbrich Botanical Gardens

English garden

















Hollyhock













Perennial garden
The Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison are well worth taking time for. I've never seen such a wide variety of plants so well organized and cared for.

Vacation 3: Wisconsin Dells

My husband had visited the Wisconsin Dells as a child, and was interested in seeing them again, on our way south through the state. We boarded a boat and chugged down the Wisconsin River between sandstone cliffs and rock formations. Twice the boat docked, and we were able to go ashore and trek through some of them, to concession stands.

Henry Bennett invented the shutter that makes possible stop-action photos. To prove it, he had his son jump to and from Stand Rock until he was caught mid-air (1888). The photo was exhibited at the World's Fair, and brought fame to both Bennett and the Dells. Today, dogs demonstrate the jump for tourists. (You can see the back end of the dog on the edge of the cliff on the right.)

Vacation 2: Naniboujou

Nancy asked if we were able to visit the Naniboujou Lodge and Restaurant, on the northwestern shore of Lake Superior, during our recent visit to Minnesota. We actually ate lunch there, the day after we arrived. The Naniboujou is an amazing place, a feast for the eyes, artistic beauty within and panaromic views without. Its story charts a fascinating slice of U. S. history. Original investors included Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and Ring Lardner. The lodge was built just before the Stock Market Crash of 1929, and has had a succession of owners since.

The scenic road north, past the lodge, travels the edge between forest and Lake. Going up the last hill, we met a couple cyling down. The man was seated low on his bicycle, turning the pedals with his hands. When we got to the lodge, we found he was Tim Ramey, owner and operator of Naniboujou. His story is shared in the history of the lodge.

The autumn of 1998 brought a profound change to the Ramey family, as well as to all of their staff and friends. Tim Ramey, while fighting to save the home of his Hovland neighbors as a volunteer firefighter, suffered severe injuries when a tall fireplace collapsed on him. Crediting God and thousands of prayers for his life, Tim miraculously survived his severe injuries. He suffered neck and back injuries that have kept him paralyzed from the chest down. After weeks in critical condition, major neck and back operations, months of physical therapy, and the loving help and devotion of his wife Nancy and the children, Tim has taken on the task of redefining life with limitations. As staff members and guests offer prayers of thanks and continued hope for Tim's improvement and recovery, we all recognize how we are affected by one another. We feel greatly blessed to still be a part of the loving presence of Tim and Nancy at Naniboujou. The spirit of Naniboujou lives on.

The rest of our party got to meet Mr. Ramey after lunch, while I was walking out on the shore for a few minutes. (I saw him from afar.) What an inspiration. That was one of the iconic moments of the vacation, being reminded in the midst of idyllic natural beauty that heaven is not yet here. But life is still good.

Vacation 1: North by northwest

Lake Superior, viewed from Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, on the Grand Portage Reserve, in northeastern MN.
Many years ago, Native Americans created the nine-mile Grand Portage trail from Lake Superior along the river to bypass waterfalls created as the river descended to the lake.
















Walking through the woods to High Falls.













High Falls, Minnesota's highest waterfall, on the Pigeon River, near the U.S.-Canadian border.