Today was an exciting day, not because of the fact that I didnt get much sleep or that I was away from my wife for the first time in awhile but because I was once again working on my Masters.
Seeing some familiar faces from my past SAU experiences and also from last summers Master works gave me a sense of belonging and familiarity. Seeing the new people sparked some interest because having a large base of people you dont know is a good thing because that causes even more connections, memories and friendships to be made.
Some of the people from last summer are here and some are not. Those who are not here are gone because they graduated, other things in life have come up or medical reasons have kept them from returning. There is one person that comes to mind when talking about those who cannot or are not here yet. He is a strong and influential person. His passion for teaching and his strive to know more about outdoor education is an inspiration. Because of the severity of his cancer he has not been able to teach or attend the classes thus far and that is sad. Hearing that one of his wishes before he dies is to finish his Outdoor Education Masters is amazing and has made me give some serious thought as to why I am here.
At first I got pretty upset realizing all there is to do before these classes are over this summer. There are a lot of assignments to be written, projects to be presented and yet more portfolio information to be filed. But when it all comes down to it, that stuff is a pathetic excuse to take my focus off of why I am here, and that is to learn more ways to show students more way to realize Gods love for us through nature.
I am anxious about this summer, not just for the faces and people I am meeting or for the fun that will be made but for the inspiration and knowledge I will receive upon experiencing unknown things in my life in a safe and educational environment. Going through my cancer has shown me that life can be filled with a lot of little meaningless -things or that it can be filled with awesome, amazing and time-well-spent activities that hopefully make others lives more rich. God can do amazing things anywhere but I know that He smiles a little bigger when it comes to Outdoor Education.