The Kraken

The other day I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest. As I watched, I had some deep theological thoughts ;-), so I figured I'd share with you. Ready?

Ok, in the movie, there is a large creature of the sea called the kraken. It is a mythological monster that attacks ships - and there is no escape from a kraken. The last things you know in this life are the smell of death, the sound of cracking of wood, and the sight of its huge arms just before it drags the ship to the bottom of the ocean.

Lovely, eh? Well, as I watched such a scene play out, it struck me that when they were attacked, every single sailor on that ship knew exactly what was happening to them. Some of them probably hadn't even believed the kraken was real, others might have had their suspicions, but in that moment, everyone shouted "Kraken!" and realized there wasn't much they could do to stop his coming for them.

It made me think of when God comes on that last day. Everyone will know His name. Those who didn't believe, those who did, those who put their beliefs in other things - no matter what, no one will doubt that it is Christ who has come again to declare His glorious victory.

That's about as far as I'd go in comparing the kraken to God, but the image of those sailors shouting really helped my visually oriented mind. And though my mind works better with visual aides, it is by faith that I believe that on that last day I will be able to rejoice - because I do believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that my eternity will be spent in the wonderful presence of God.

Therefore God exalted [Jesus] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11

Prom Day!

Yesterday was prom at Laradon. Yay!

Getting ready:
These last few weeks were spent picking outfits for our kids from the large array of prom dresses that had been donated to the school. Having our kids tolerate getting the dresses fitted proved to be a bit of a circus act, but pretty soon everyone was set with their prom attire. I didn't realize the joys of pulling a dance together until I had to help -- er, I mean, got to help ;-) with painting the backdrop for the theme "New York, New York." After the prom committee spent the week corralling all the staff into decorating, we had the gym looking like New York City by the time prom snuck up on us (some staff even volunteered to tag the gym to make it more authentic New York, but no one took them up on that idea). :-)

The big day:
We didn't really know what to expect, since each day seems to be different with our kids. My main hope was that my student would stay safe (since she doesn't like people in her space). For me and my student, the morning schedule was: get off the bus, eat a snack, swing outside, eat a snack, swing again, put on prom dress, another snack, lay in the sun. It was all very exciting ;-).

Finally prom time actually arrived. Chipotle donated food, which I couldn't eat because of my silly food allergies, but my student ate her share and mine :-). When she began to get playful with her food, I decided we best get to the dance. The minute we entered the gym, my student seemed to enjoy herself even more. She danced off her lunch, and then we sat on the side watching everyone else. It was also fun to see the parents and siblings who had joined in on the day.

When my student signed to me that she was finished, we went back out to the playground and sat in the sun for the rest of the afternoon. Although I was worn out at the end of it all, it turned out to be a pretty good prom day.

The Rocky Mountain News was there to cover the event (to bring awareness to the community about students with developmental disabilities). So, if you'd like to check out the article, you can go to: Puttin' on the Ritz at Laradon