MY THOUGHTS ABOUT MUD, MESSY MEMORIES, AND DUST

There is mud on the floor of the church! This makes me happy-and WHY? I am not a workaholic who joys in getting some work to do. The mud tells me that there were feet that came in to the church and worshiped with us. There is dust on some of the seats. This makes me unhappy because it says that not all the seats have had anyone sit in them for awhile. Mud: Good; Dust: Bad. It seems a little backwards, because I will have to heat the water and fill a bucket downstairs, haul the bucket and the mop upstairs to clean up the mud; where I will just grab a dust rag and spray to clean the seats. I was analyzing my feelings and thoughts this afternoon while Ray was taking the children home and I was surveying the mess that the children left behind them. I had a happy and satisfied feeling when I looked at the mess on the tables, the benches, the floors, and the seats, and I wondered what was going wrong with me. My memory was already reliving the little ones who cuddled up for a hug and a little time of closeness, the bigger boy who made two crafts and offered them to me with such a sweet smile, the excitement of the children when they sang, the older girl who wanted to stay close and help with the pictures during the story, and even the liveliness of the little ones who cannot sit still. I remembered the four children who walked to church in the extreme cold today and came early to work on a project that I had for them and to talk. Sunday School leaves an aura of happiness around me. I got out the broom and dustpan and the trash can, and my hands and mind got to work. Oops! A little girls left her little socks, another little one her scarf, and someone left a toy. Reminds me of them again. I am aware of a happy feeling whenever I remember that I will be going in to the college again tomorrow morning and meeting the friends that I met and worked with last semester. Some of my EN 101 class will return for EN 102. It will be good to see them again. So many happy things in life!Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule. This time of the year can become challenging, as the drive to and from Lower Brule can be treacherous, it is exceedingly cold to go out and pick up children, and it is necessary to keep a path shoveled to the church and to keep the church warm. Since I will be teaching classes on Mondays, we will mostly be staying out here on Sundays and Mondays, also. This presents its own challenges, but they are small compared to the returns. Please pray for the work here.