Ends

Last August, my father and I volunteered to help with a boys' group at our church called Cadets. Since then, we have been in charge of seven boys that range from first through third grade. It has sometimes been a struggle knowing what to do, but it generally was a good time. Yesterday was the last regular meeting of the year and the boys worked on posters to display at an end of the year area Cadet meeting called Cadet-O-Rama. Our group, or cadre, did a family tree badge earlier in the year, so that is what they made their poster on.

With this age group, they weren't exactly sure how to accomplish the task, so our co-counselor and my father made up examples. After dad's was finished, he said he should have started with me since I'm the end of our family line. It has occurred to me before that, without children, I'm ending my family's portion of the tree. Being surrounded by kids, I guess it just stuck a little more than at previous times. I would love to get married and have children, but that has not been in God's plan for this life He has given me. I have done several dating sites, but the free features only go so far. Getting every feature is pretty expensive, so I just remain browsing through matches, but never able to speak with anyone, a lot like real life I guess.

Winter in Iowa is still holding on with continuing snow and cooler temps, but it is showing an end is near. Temperatures are forecasted to be above freezing this next week with more rain than snow expected. I'm looking forward to it being warm again and putting an end to the need of having shoes outside. In college history class, we read a letter by a Native American boy that was brought to a school to be "civilized" into the culture of the white man invading his land. At one point, he said that he "longed to be barefoot" again and was tired of being forced into shoes. In some ways, I think I know how he felt.

I think this is the end of this entry. I'm looking forward to new beginnings in spring and starting a new year of school talks in a few weeks.