Today a woman came into the school where I work and she talked with me about autism and how it's effecting one of the students I've been working with. I had the opportunity to ask questions and learn a little more about Autism and I think it was incredibly helpful. She gave me a packet with infomation on how Autistic children think and learn and how to motivate them and help them succeed. I'm really glad I had that opportunity. But now I'm having an even harder time dealing with the way a few of the teachers deal with the students because I've learned that it is counteractive to the progess of the kid I'm working with. I feel bad for him.



So in other news, I finished reading the final Harry Potter book last night. That book made me tear up toward the end. The magic in the book holds little appeal to me, but I think the appeal is in the phenominal struggle between good and evil and the relationships between the characters and wondering how it's all gonna end. It's not that the book gives you purpose, but that you sense the incredible purpose within and become part of the story, fighting silently alongside the characters, cheering them on, feeling their emotion...

You know, it might be a strange thing to say, but I find God in the Harry Potter books. Not openly, of course, but indirectly. For example, in the last book, Harry's dealings with Voldemort toward the end of the book gave me a strong impression of Jesus going to the cross. But mostly I've been thinking about the end times. What is it going to be like? How do I prepare for it? I've always imagined something close to what I read in the Harry Potter books.

Another thing I've been thinking about recently is about priorities. We make time for the things that are important to us. For example, if a friend that we really wanted to see was coming into town and we had 3 days notice of it, we would make sure that when the day came, we would have time to spend with that friend, and if we didn't, then it would be safe to say that we probably didn't really care if we saw the friend or not.
Over the weekend I went to South Bend and I wanted to visit a friend. She had been notified 3 days prior that I would be coming and I asked if I would be able to see her and she said yes, but it didn't work out because she kept making excuses and each time I offered a solution she changed the excuse. I finally concluded that she didn't think seeing me was a priority and we didn't meet at all. It was a let down, not because we didn't get the opportunity to see eachother, but because of her attitude that night. She had much better things to do than to see a friend she hadn't seen in a while. That hurt.

Anyway, I've concluded the thoughts I feel like sharing for the evening. I'm going to go watch the TV show I recorded.