I see dead people.....

I'm not just saying that....
I really do.

Let me explain....

There are a few perks that i get with my job.
The greatest one is getting paid to watch my children and nieces and nephews participate in their chosen sport. I would be there anyway--but at least now i am getting paid to have the backache.

The next perk to my job is getting to go on really cool field trips. I love to go to a museum or on the tours at the Botanical garden all for free. But one of the field trips i enjoy that really fascinates me is the Cadaver lab at Grand Canyon College. I realize that some of you are cringing at the thought of this....I used to feel the same way. I have found that over the years this is something that really interests me. The human body is amazing--the things that it is capable of doing I find intriguing. While you do realize that these were once living beings--most of them lived long full lives and all decided to dedicate their bodies to science. They do not look like "people" as we know--most of the skin has been removed and they are not pink like a live person---you are looking at their "parts"--systems--muscle groups and organs. It is rather like the game of operation. I realize that it is not for everyone--but each time i have the opportunity to go I walk away with a deep appreciation for my body. The fact that it works the way it does--the complex systems that all work together is a testimony to me of Gods infinite ability. Things do not happen by accident. I am always amazed when they show the ovaries and uterus how unimpressive they are--and yet they are the key to life. Something so small can hold a child--a new being--something that once was a mass of cells.....It really blows my mind. This last time I went one of the cadavers was of a 43 year old black woman. It made me think of my own mortality--after all she was only a few years older than me. She had passed away from ovarian cancer--as far as i was concerned that is far too young to be on a cadaver table.....I thought about if she had kids--somehow it was personal that day for me. The most interesting thing about this woman was that the only way you could tell she was black was by her ears--the guy who was showing us this woman made the statement that "color is only skin deep"--once the skin is removed we really are all the same on the inside....all children of god--doing the best we can. I do believe that the body is just a temporary shell for our spirit and when the day comes that our body fails,our spirit will have the opportunity to be reunited with those we love. Maybe that is why i don't mind seeing the "bodies"---at this point they are just the shell of who the person was.....someone who gave of themselves even to the end of their life....giving themselves in service that others may learn to help those that as still alive......