And here is the finished product!! What an amazing 3 days it was.... unbelievable watching this come together.
There is more behind the reason for wanting an Ark, than just that it's a good bible story and we are Christian. I hope I can articulate this well...
Back when Noah was building the Ark, everyone thought he was crazy. They wondered why he was spending so much time laboring "unnecessarily". But Noah knew God wanted him to and he was obedient even when it didn't make sense to everyone else... or even make sense to himself. When the floods came, Noah was blessed for his obedience in following God's call on his life. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights and he was kept safe from the floods...he was carried above the storm.
Sadly, there are a lot of people who think that when women get a fatal prenatal diagnosis and decide to carry their baby to term, they are creating "unnecessary" pain and labor in their lives. I know that there are people who thought this of me & Rachel. I knew all along that she was a blessing - and I hope that it is evident to everyone else now as well. A pregnancy is 40 weeks long. (the number of days it rained for) It is work... and through those weeks of "rain", when I couldn't see the rainbow yet, God carried me above the storm and I believe wholeheartedly that He is blessing me for my obedience to His call on my life.
To me an Ark (with a rainbow on it) is symbolic of the blessing that comes from doing the work God sets before you with total trust in His plan...even if you don't understand it.
I wish Rachel was going to grow big enough to play on her playground. I wish I could watch her learn how to climb, to see her run with other children, to watch her laugh and play. But for now, until I see her again in heaven, I will settle for watching other beautiful children do all those things on a playground built with her in our minds and on our hearts.