Giving Thanks

Some of the festivities of Thanksgiving. Beautiful mountains, smell of baking pumpkin, fun in the kitchen, family and friends...I have so much to be thankful for!

Cereal in a Laundry Basket

I walked into my dark dorm room and felt around for the light. It had been a long day and I was looking forward to finishing my supper that had been interrupted a hour earlier. I set my books down on the desk and looked for the box of Wild Blueberry Cluster Kashi I had left sitting out. There was no box to be seen. While I was still trying to formulate a vague hypothesis of where the box might have walked off to I heard a faint crunching sound that caused my gaze to shift downward. Ah! There it was! Sitting in my laundry basket. Impulsively I grabbed the box out of the laundry, thinking only of having a delicious evening snack. The cascade of Blueberry Clusters that followed alerted me right away that this decision was not a wise one. My cereal box, having not been properly closed, had landed upside down in the basket...a mess waiting to happen.

The sight of 1/3 of the cereal boxes contents in my laundry basket elicited a groaned "ohhh noooo" from me. For the next few moments I further proved my intelligence by simply starring at the unexpected sight. After some consideration I decided this was either an unfortunate mess or a amusing opportunity. Which would it be.....

Having decided on my plan of action I proceeded to put my coat in the closet, put away the unruly cereal box and kick off my shoes. Equipped with a spoon and peach silk yogurt I made myself comfortable on the floor and enjoyed Blueberry Clusters in a laundry basket. Not only did I have a delicious supper, but a good laugh as well. If given a choice, choose laughter and thanksgiving. It makes all the difference.

Is This a Day of New Beginnings?

Is this a day of new beginnings,
Time to remember and move on,
Time to believe what love is bringing,
Laying to rest the pain that's gone?

How can the seasons of a planet
Mindlessly spinning round its sun
With just a human name and number
Say that some new thing has begun?

Yet thro' the life and death of Jesus
Love's mighty Spirit, now as then,
Can make for us a world of difference
As faith and hope are born again.

Then let us, with the Spirit's daring,
Step from the past and leave behind
Its disappointment, guilt, and grieving
Seeking new paths, and sure to find.

Christ is alive, and goes before us
To show and share what love can do.
This is a day of new beginnings;
Our God is making all things new.

~ Hymn # 342 - words and melody by Brian Wren

Who knew this was in the Hymnal? Its not sung often. The words are powerful and I feel stirred in my inner most soul after reading them. We cannot, by mere human will power, give ourselves a new beginning and start a new life. Human promises and intentions are as "ropes of sand". But when we surrender and allow God to be a work in us to will and do His good pleasure we are truly given a new beginning! We are restored and we can move forward boldly, excited to see what God has in store!

Learning to be a Handygirl

During this summer my skills in the area of home renovation have been vastly expanded to include hanging sheetrock, installing L brackets, painting cabinets and filling holds... correctly. It has been an education, no question. I have new found respect for Handymen who do all these things professionally on a daily basis. Mudding sheetrock is nothing to be sneezed at!

So despite the constant paint speckles on my arms and the frustration of dust getting in my eyes as I sand, I am enjoying this "handy- business".
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Close Call

I was driving to the hospital this morning feeling very happy. After waiting a long time I was finally on my way to the OR to observe surgeries. Ever since my clinical in surgery I had been dreaming of observing surgeries at the local hospital in my home town during the summer... now it was happening!

Once I had changed into scrubs I followed Robin, the charge nurse, into the area where patients were being prepped for surgery. I had no qualms or jitters, only nervous excitement! As we ducked around some curtains I saw a CRNA bent over a lady's right shoulder area. He was attempting to administer a Scalene Block. Not fully understanding what was going on I cautiously peered around the anesthetist trying to get a better view. Ever so slowly and methodically he was probing her shoulder with a large needle which was delivering mild electrical shocks. The idea was that when he hit the right nerve her hand would begin to twitch up and down. First her stomach jumped for awhile and then finally her hand jolted. Bingo.

I was facinated by this process, although slightly concerned at the pain the lady might be experiencing. The probing needle part did not look comfortable. All of the sudden it felt as if someone had turned the thermostat up to 100 F. I became increasingly aware of a strange feeling in my legs and head. Feeling clammy and slightly nauseous from the heat I wondered silently how these people could put up with such a stifling temperature. For a while I stoically stood there willing myself to remain upright in hopes the feeling would pass. With every second my head felt more swimmy, my eyes refused to focus and my knees threatened to crumple out from under me. "Surely I'm not going to faint?!" I thought to myself "this is ridiculous!" I remembered that nursing instructors had told us to squat down if we even felt woozy. Hoping not to attract attention to myself I nonchalantly squatted down for a few seconds, hoping to be miraculously cured. When I straightened up I realized that no miraculous cure had occurred. In fact it became clear that unless I found a seat immediately I would soon be laid out on the floor. "Is there somewhere I could sit down?" I ask quietly. Gratefully I sank into the seat Robin pointed out. By this time I felt like my head was now floating above my body and that the thermostat was at a sweltering 200 F. "You ok hun?" one nurse queried. "She looks white as a sheet don't she?" Robin interjected. "Now you just sit there, the bathrooms right there and I'm going to go get you a Sprite. Don't you move without you telling me alright?" With that she disappeared around the corner.

Half-heartedly I sipped the Sprite, but was more interested in holding the cold can to my burning face. "What is happening to me?" I wondered as I leaned forward shakily, willing my foggy head to clear. "My dear!! you're diaphoretic!" exclaimed one nurse as she pressed a cold towel to my slippery forehead. Looking down I noticed my scrubs looked as if they had been hit by a large water balloon. The sweet nurses wheeled in a hospital bed for me to lay down on. You cannot imagine how sheepish I felt laying there in the OR Recovery Unit. I wished I could melt into the floor... physically I felt like I was about to get my wish.

Only after I had downed about half of my Sprite did I begin to come back into the land of the living. And then and only then did I begin to see the amusing aspect of the situation! Thankfully the rest of my OR experience went off without a hitch. I was able to observe a colonoscopy, shoulder scope - rotator cuff repair, knee arthroscopy and i&d (irrigation & debridement) of an knee with cellulitis. All in all it was an excellent experience.

Savage Gardener

Seldom does something cause me to be violent and aggressive. I am not one that can kill a thing without thinking twice. In fact I have been known to take pity on mice, rats, snakes, spiders and all manner of pesky or dangerous wild-life. It is not in my nature to hurt or destroy...but I have found one exception. There is one thing on which I will take no pity and have no mercy! I attack it will a vengeance unmitigated. Determinedly I assail it with a shovel, even fighting it with my own bare (yet gloved) hands until I have finished it off once and for all!! I will not rest until it is cut off from all life support and hurled into the trash!!!

What is this horrid thing you ask?...


CRABGRASS

Humming Alpacas

While I've been staying at my Uncle's house I've had the privilege of indulging my love for animals and gardening. Many mornings I get up with my cousin Brianna at 6 am to help her with her chores. We feed the Alpacas and chickens, make sure they have water for the day and then water the garden. It is a wonderful way to start the day!

Just a few days ago "shearing day" rolled around. All the Alpacas were due for their yearly haircut. I had never witnessed such an event and was very curious to observe what all goes on. I found myself not just observing but right in the thick of it. Catching a skittish Alpaca and getting them prone on a shearing table is quite the experience! Much like camels and lama's, Alpaca's are capable of spitting or drooling a very vile substance which made the process that much more exciting. They cry and "hum" very pitifully during the whole hour long process. I was given the job of holding their head. As I gazed down into their doe eye's, being careful to stay out of spitting range, and heard their mournful singing I began to hum back out of sympathy. I'm not sure what I was saying in Alpaca language but I hope that comfort was communicated one way or the other. Amazingly they calmed down and remained calm as long as I hummed to them. I found it to be calming to me as well. There is just something beautiful about spending an hour humming to an Alpaca.