Time flies when your having fun

I am free!!! From my cast that is. The last two weeks have been busy and fun. Good times all around.

I still can't really climb, but belaying gives me a good excuse to get out.
Dr. Phil Allen teaches at BYU and works with my boss. There are several other professors that I would love to have in this position. "Now before I lower you down, let's talk about that mid-term..."

For work I spent two full days with these guys in Nevada, Arizona, and southern Utah. We got our work done with plenty of time left over for slot canyons, wonderful star gazing, and spelunking. I love my job.

Dr. Allen, Stephen, me, Keith. Stephen and Keith are genetics students working for my boss as well.

One of our study sites is in the new, and very remote Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument. Very fun.
This stream and waterfall came from a deep underground tunnel originating from a distant seep hole. We could follow it quite a ways back.
Spelunking! SO fun!

There were even bats! They let us take their picture without flying around. We left them in peace, but it was soooo neat to see these adorable little critters so close up.

These are tree roots coming through the ceiling of the cave. Dr. Allen was very excited.

Melinda. my awesome roomie, and I took a very pleasant bike ride on Saturday. She is simply wonderful.

The plants in the water made the river appear like a stream of Emeralds. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Classes start in one week!!! Can you believe it?!?

As We Forgive

Most, if not all of us have heard of the horrific genocide in Rwanda that killed one out of every eight people there. The stories of what happened are chilling and leave us horrified and sad. They seem to show a nation broken and without hope of repair.

Then last week I was listening to NPR and heard a story that I could hardly believe and haven't been able to stop telling people about. Here it is, in a nutshell:

The new government of Rwanda threw all of the genocide perpetrators they caught into jail but there were too many for the jails to hold and for the courts to deal with. So the president released over 50,000 of them (that had admitted to their crimes) back into the communities of Rwanda where years before they had brutally murdered the families and friends of their neighbors. It was now not possible to bring these murderers to justice, so Rwanda turned instead to reconciliation.

Gathered under the shade of trees villagers meet to hear the confessions of the released perpetrators and then decide on a punishment for them. This punishment is never death, and is almost always community service. The idea behind this nationalized reconciliation is not to put justice into the hands of the victims, but to put forgiveness into the hands of victims.

Laura Waters Hinson, a film student, heard about Rwandas efforts at reconciliation and went there to make a film and answer the question: is it working? Could someone who watched their entire family be cruelly murdered forgive their murderer? Could they be neighbors? The answer is a surprising yes. The film she made tells the stories of two women who are the sole survivors of their families and are now living just down the street of the men who murdered their parents, siblings, and husbands. As a show of their desire for forgiveness the two men have built the women homes. The two women are struggling between their feelings of hatred and sorrow, and their deep belief that as God forgives us, we must forgive others.

The title of the film is As We Forgive. It is not available in video stores, but I encourage you all to check out the website and watch the trailer. You can also either buy the movie from there, or see if there is a viewing in your area.

I think at times we are all prone to complacency in our spiritual and moral beliefs. We may drift towards being "Sunday believers" only. I pray none of us will ever be tested as the Rwandans have been, but I hope we will remember their example of faith in Christ's teachings of forgiveness. May we never forget that the lessons we nod our heads to in church have real power if we put them to use.

P.S. On the website, under the news section, you can listen to the entire NPR interview that I heard on the radio. Turn it on while you wash the dishes or brush your teeth. It is worth it.

Happy Sunday

My cherry red cast has kept me from my Sunday afternoon wanderings around town but has motivated me to spend more time doing other things. For instance, that annoying 1000 piece puzzle is almost done. For all of you who didn't get a chance to come sign my cast and give me treats (which is highly recommended) here it is in all it's red glory.

Marvin, my cello (who also goes by Marvelous Marv), and I have been spending more quality time together these last few weeks. Today, after some Pachelbel, I taught him his first John Denver song.
House arrest has also improved my domestic side. Warm whole wheat bread with honey brought me right back to the days when Joe and I would come home from school and finish off a whole loaf just as Mom pulled them out of the oven. Of course, these weren't quite as good as when Mom makes them. They never are.
P.S. The cast comes off on Tuesday!!!

Book a Minute

I have watched way to many Jane Austen movies during this last week and must admit that it has been enjoyable. For those of you who do not have the time to read or watch these great works of literature the Book a Minute website is here to help.

The Complete Works of Jane Austen

Female Lead: I secretly love Male Lead. He must never know.
Male Lead: I secretly love Female Lead. She must never know.
(They find out.)
THE END

If that is not enough detail for you, here is a single beloved novel of Jane Austen's in condensed form.

Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Darcy: Nothing is good enough for me.
Ms. Elizabeth Bennet: I could never marry that proud man.
(They change their minds.)
THE END

Happy reading!