Washington- End of Week 3 Ponderings


I can’t believe I’m done with 3 weeks of fieldwork! It’s going by so much, and I’m starting to get comfortable in my OTA skin.

Last night the girls and I went out to eat with the head of the OT department and one of the OTs and his family. We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory in Spokane. Which was delicious! I got to play with the OT’s little boy, who is absolutely precious! Lots of giggles and silliness as he played with my hair and we tossed a ball back and forth!

I made the comment that Spokane (and the surrounding area) doesn’t feel like a big city, and Moktar (the OT) said that it’s a big city with a hometown feel, and he’s exactly right!

The pine trees are everywhere, mountains lurk in the not-so-far distance, and people are very friendly around here. The sun rises before 5 am and it doesn’t get completely dark until after 9:30pm. The lakes sparkle. Across the lake, people party on the weekends and laughter and music trickles into my windows. The airport and town is within 20 minutes of Medical Lake. There isn’t a whole lot of rain, so everyone has sprinklers out keeping the grass green. I get to do the sprinkler dance almost every morning as I walk across my yard trying not to get sprayed. The library has CDs and books and DVDs to check out.

Medical Lake has a similar population to Fort Loudon. It has under 5,000 people, a grocery store, a few restaurants, some churches, and 4 lakes. People keep asking me if I would live out here. If I had a job, I probably would. Not forever maybe, but for a bit.  I can’t wait to see Seattle and explore the state even more next weekend. This weekend is filled with yardsaling, the library, reading, relaxing, and who knows what else!

____________________________________________________________________________________

I’ve been trying to keep up with reading my Bible and having quiet time. (Feel free to text/Facebook me and hold me accountable!) This week has been a difficult with that. I am just trying to keep walking, trusting, and talking to Jesus throughout the journey. I’m learning when to speak and when to be silent. I’m learning how to love the people around me. I am learning to be patient and flexible, even the best laid plans go awry sometimes. But it’s okay. It’s a walking out of faith. I feel like I’m constantly battling out what is living my faith and when should I talk about my faith. I don’t want to push my beliefs on people, but I want them to know where I stand. As an OT practitioner, and even as a Jesus lover, we can’t push people away with harshness about their sins. We have to be able to accept people, even when we don’t agree with their opinions. Sometimes I just want to say, “Screw professionality, I just want people to know the Creator of the Universe loves them!” But it’s been a growing experience as I learn the balance of life. I want to SHINE LIKE THE STARS (Phil. 2:15) when people see me. I want to glow with the love of Jesus.

“Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.” – Margaret Shepard

Comments