Google Maps

Last night I had to look up the location of the eye doctor that my normal physician has referred me to for the spot on my eye. In the process, I spent some time looking at the goole map. I looked at Africa to see where one of my students is getting deployed to in the fall. Then, I wondered if I could see the the compound of Northwest Haiti Christian Mission from their satellites. It took a moment to figure out where it was, but I was able to zoom in and see the steeple of the church across the street there. It brought back the rush of memories--being carried by a Haitian man to a boat to go to the Tortuga Island. I remember the smells and the sounds of riding the bus from Port-a-Prince--the fresh bread smell along that road at 5:00am. I can vividly see the faces of the kids at the orphanage in Port-de-Paix. I remember becoming a jungle gym for them. I think of how they clung to us as hard as they could. What a flood of thoughts and emotions.

From there I moved on the map of east Tennessee. I looked at the areal views of the Roan Mountain area--where Steph and I would retreat to every once in awhile to take in the mountain views. I looked up the Laural Falls area, where we hiked one day with Brian and Betsy Carter in the rain. I remember almost dying from exhaustion as we hiked out of the gorge back to the Appalachian Trail. I also focused in on Erwin, the little town stuck between the mountains south of Johnson City, whose claim to fame is the hanging of a rampant circus elephant in 1916. I thought back to laundry days up in the hollow (pronounced hollar) at Nathan's trailer on the side of the mountain. Those were wonderful days of frozen Skyline chili and hockey on the computer. I remember the rainy days sitting on his porch in his recliner chair, talking about life, God, and what we were doing with it. I prayed for my friend David, who is a minister and part time prof now in the area there as I looked for his house. I also peeked in on our old apartment on Cedar Grove and thought of our lives there.

Reflection is a good thing for me. It helps me to remember where I've been--where I've come from. It helps me to think about the heritage that I am carrying with my faith. It helps me to remember the beauty of God's creation that I've been able to take in with my senses. It gives me purpose and hope for today, tomorrow, and the next day.