Bodyworlds, etc.

A little over a week ago, I went with my family to the Bodyworlds 3 exhibit in Salt Lake City. In a nutshell, it is an display of human bodies and body parts that are originally real bodies that have been preserved through a plastination process and then put on display with lots of descriptions and such. (Note: For anyone not familiar with the exhibit, you may go to their website here if you want to find out more about it.) Overall, I'd have to say I found the entire exhibit to be fascinating. I won't bore everyone with the minute details, but now that I've had some time to mull it over, think about what I saw, rethink what I saw, apply it to my life, etc., I wanted to record at least a few thoughts.

• Our bodies are unbelievable works of art and function. It is nothing short of miraculous that they are capable of doing what they do as efficiently as they do it.
• We did not just happen. There is undeniably a divine creator with a plan that created every aspect of these amazing machines.
• Our ear bones really are as tiny as the books and teachers always said they were. How can they do what they do????
• The circulatory system is incredible! No wonder we bleed no matter where we cut ourselves. And the nervous system is equally astounding. No wonder we can really feel those stupid little cracks I get in my fingers in the winter.
• I know our stomachs are meant to expand to hold the food, but when you look at the size of one normally, I'm thinking we all eat too much.
• A smoker's lungs are really disgusting. Black. Black. I hope that part sunk in with my kids. Looking at the emphysemic's lungs made me have great compassion for my dad and father-in-law who both died from it. Black.
• An alcoholic's liver is equally ugly.
  
• A cross-section of the body showing muscles surrounded by fat is sobering.
  
• I cried in the exhibit showing fetuses at nearly every weekly age. What a miracle! There are visible hands with visible, clearly defined fingers at 8 weeks. How can someone abort that? Seeing the ones that were about the same age as Daniel when he was born was very touching. He's a miracle. They all are. We really must remember that.
• Speaking of miracles, how does the uterus stretch that much???? I mean, I can understand a little expando magic, but that much?????? And then it shrinks again? Wow!!!
• Wow! pretty much sums up the whole experience for me. Wow on so many levels. It was spiritual, intellectual, curiosity-filled, surprising, humbling, interesting, and emotion-filled. I'm glad I went.
• Seeing what's underneath the outside of us has caused me a week's worth of pondering as well about the spiritual insides of us. There are so many lessons to be learned about our layers, our spirits vs. our bodies, our judging of others by looking at the outside. It really can be quite deep.
  

As I said, I won't bore with my week's worth of thoughts, but feel free to call me if you ever want to share a little philosophizing (sp?) on the subject.

Throughout the exhibit, there were interesting stories and beautiful quotes that accompanied the displays. This exhibit had a particular emphasis on the heart so many of the quotes had to do with the heart. One of the final displays had a quote on it that will now be recorded in my heart as one of the greats. I'll end my post by sharing it with you in hopes that you too may be touched by its sentiment.

"Faith is an oasis in the heart that will never be reached by the caravan of thinking."

- Khalil Gibran (1883-1931) Lebanese-American poet, artist, and writer