Monday-- "In which it is noted that God creates a supremely better world than Elizabeth"

The weather is having an identity crisis.
The grass is still green, the leaves are just turning brilliant oranges and apparently winter got jealous of all the attention, and decided to cut in early. This makes for a breathtaking mile trek to work in the sunrise, a delicious walk to class in the afternoon. Although God does not need my approval, I feel that this snow thing was a lovely idea, and I thoroughly approve of it. *smile*

Human anatomy has me marveling as well. Yes, the homework is tortuous. No, I'm not acing the class. I struggle and strain to get C's in that class which would make me cry in any other class I've ever taken. But to sit and learn to understand how it all works, to touch cadavers...brings a sort of awe. Just comprehending skeletal muscles... ay me. Learning their insertions and origins sets me into a kind of stupor at how incredibly complex the body is.

Had I created the humanity, we would be stick figures with about 4 muscles, and probably no faces- if I even was creative enough to think of muscles. :P To believe that another human could so thoughtfully arrange every piece of every system is a stretch- how could I even imagine that this astounding complexity came about by chance?

I can't.

Studying the body like its functional God-made art, has been one of my favorite blessings in this class. Especially after the highly exasperating Cellular Biology class this summer, being That-Weird-Religious-Freak-Who-Is-Always-Asking-Questions-On-Everything.I love having a teacher who will marvel with me, not just see this as more stuff, but after 30 years of teaching, is still wowed by God's handiwork. At moments I find that Anatomy is like studying theology- I feel sometimes as if I understand Him more working through histology slides than in wading through a commentary on Ezekiel (Alright...so I liked that today too. *smile* After the snow, before the anatomy. ).

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

Wow.

That's all.

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Posted in creation, school, science

Cadaver

I watched mutely tonight as a man cut the calf muscles of an old woman. And didn’t do anything.

Maybe it was the locked and refrigerated room. Maybe it was the dead man laying next to her. Maybe it was the part where I couldn’t for the life of me remember the name of that tendon, and had this vision of the Dr. asking me to name it next week.

Maybe I asked not to see her face, as we examined the osteoarthritis in her right knee. When they pulled back her ribcage, and I felt a heart beating under my own, and the chemical smell made my nose itch. She was supposed to be just medical, and yet.

When we traced the tendons down to her bleached out fingernails, I saw them being painted in a beauty parlor in my mind. Adjusting a red hat pushed down over tendrils of grey hair, pulling it away from thin lips that had kissed.

Watching the wide eyes of the kids-that's what we are- around me try to look unfazed, until they glanced at the sheet over her face.

Maybe it was knowing what is inside of her is what is inside of me. And them.

Or maybe, it was the part where I marveled at this once breathing art and caught my own breath.

And for whatever reason, we just stood without making faces, wondering in awful silence.

To watch.

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