Its no secret too many that Maxfield Parrish art is my muse. Who can deny the parrish blue ..![]()
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Consider it all Joy.
“The condition for a miracle is difficulty; however the condition for a great miracle is not difficulty, but impossibility.”
I woke up at 445 am yesterday morning dreading the day ahead. I knew it was going to be taxing on my mind, body and heart. My prayers that morning wasn’t Lord give me strength, but Lord give me joy. The world in all its abundances can be overwhelming and as a Christian it can be a constant battle to fight the flesh and persecution.
You see, for the next 10 hours I would be spending it with nursing students who were feeling the same way. They are overwhelmed, stressed and quite frankly not sure what their future holds. With all those emotions we must also walk into a hospital where many of the families have lost hope, children are suffering, dying and much of it seems unfair and cruel.
When I arrived at the children’s hospital I saw 7 young students looking as though they really didn’t want to do this today and still reeling over the poor results of their last exam....Again, I prayed Lord give us joy.
When we arrived on the various units the nurses appeared defeated as well. The flu season is in full swing and the units are very busy. There seems to be a sense that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg and a full blown storm is about to occur at anytime. This promises to be the busiest flu season ever and the H1N1 is a reality.... Lord give them joy.
Then it came... in the form of a little boy. He was about 7, big brown eyes, a head full of dark curls and a smile that lit up the room. You could almost sense he was special. The student was to perform a physical exam while I graded them on their skills. The parents we there and I asked them to share their son’s story of what brought them there. The “story” is what I ask my students to find. Sometimes we focus so much on the disease or task that we miss the story. You see they were on the “floor” that has few promises of joy...the childrens “oncology” unit.
The story; this adorable, spunky and very witty little guy was playing on the playground at school when he smacked heads with another kid and the impact to the head was enough to warrant a visit to the ER. The odd thing was he should have been worked up for his head but because he was vomiting blood they decided to do a CT scan of his abdomen. Because of this CT they found something unexpected. A tumor that we call Burkett’s Lymphoma. He had no symptoms yet from the lymphoma but if it had not been picked up early in another 2-3 weeks it would have been noticeable. The physician told the family in a few more weeks the news would not be favorable, but because it is early and local we can remove it and the prognosis with surgery and chemotherapy is excellent! I couldn’t help but share my “praise God” with them and they said Yes! , it is only from Him. The little boy also claimed the same.
I know the students in that room and I received an answer to my prayers from a little boy who I will call “joy”. It renewed my strength that day and I was reminded of the hope & joy we have from our Savior that came to this earth in the form of a little boy to save us from the weariness of this world. In the end it is all that matters and we are to consider all suffering pure joy, when we choose to follow Him.
Thank you Jesus for this little boy,We will continue to pray for Him to fight the good fight and be a mighty warrior for you.
I woke up at 445 am yesterday morning dreading the day ahead. I knew it was going to be taxing on my mind, body and heart. My prayers that morning wasn’t Lord give me strength, but Lord give me joy. The world in all its abundances can be overwhelming and as a Christian it can be a constant battle to fight the flesh and persecution.
You see, for the next 10 hours I would be spending it with nursing students who were feeling the same way. They are overwhelmed, stressed and quite frankly not sure what their future holds. With all those emotions we must also walk into a hospital where many of the families have lost hope, children are suffering, dying and much of it seems unfair and cruel.
When I arrived at the children’s hospital I saw 7 young students looking as though they really didn’t want to do this today and still reeling over the poor results of their last exam....Again, I prayed Lord give us joy.
When we arrived on the various units the nurses appeared defeated as well. The flu season is in full swing and the units are very busy. There seems to be a sense that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg and a full blown storm is about to occur at anytime. This promises to be the busiest flu season ever and the H1N1 is a reality.... Lord give them joy.
Then it came... in the form of a little boy. He was about 7, big brown eyes, a head full of dark curls and a smile that lit up the room. You could almost sense he was special. The student was to perform a physical exam while I graded them on their skills. The parents we there and I asked them to share their son’s story of what brought them there. The “story” is what I ask my students to find. Sometimes we focus so much on the disease or task that we miss the story. You see they were on the “floor” that has few promises of joy...the childrens “oncology” unit.
The story; this adorable, spunky and very witty little guy was playing on the playground at school when he smacked heads with another kid and the impact to the head was enough to warrant a visit to the ER. The odd thing was he should have been worked up for his head but because he was vomiting blood they decided to do a CT scan of his abdomen. Because of this CT they found something unexpected. A tumor that we call Burkett’s Lymphoma. He had no symptoms yet from the lymphoma but if it had not been picked up early in another 2-3 weeks it would have been noticeable. The physician told the family in a few more weeks the news would not be favorable, but because it is early and local we can remove it and the prognosis with surgery and chemotherapy is excellent! I couldn’t help but share my “praise God” with them and they said Yes! , it is only from Him. The little boy also claimed the same.
I know the students in that room and I received an answer to my prayers from a little boy who I will call “joy”. It renewed my strength that day and I was reminded of the hope & joy we have from our Savior that came to this earth in the form of a little boy to save us from the weariness of this world. In the end it is all that matters and we are to consider all suffering pure joy, when we choose to follow Him.
Thank you Jesus for this little boy,We will continue to pray for Him to fight the good fight and be a mighty warrior for you.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
It is time.
It is officially the last weekend of the summer before the new school year begins. Looking back we can honestly say we experienced an amazing summer. With trips to NYC , Taos, NM and lots of shopping , movies and small talk. My husband Robert and youngest daughter Shannon reaped an bountiful garden. The 3 girls grew closer to God and as sisters and my oldest Megan, became my friend.
The feelings at this time of year are bittersweet and have become a 14 year tradition. Every year when I put them on the bus or drop them off on the first day I’m flooded with memories of the year before and filled with anxiety about what the school year will hold and have I prepared them.
But it’s time. For Them. To Go. To Let Go.
Whether they are a sophomore in college, a high school junior or a fifth grader the reluctance of letting go is no different then it was on that first day of kindergarten. First you ease it little by little, then suddenly it just slips out of your hands and you’ve let go. This year through my college bound daughter ,I was reminded of the benefit of letting go. I imagined transplanting a flower or bush to a new location so it can grow healthier and stronger. For this to successfully occur, you have to dig up the plant and sever its roots. There’s an initial shock to the system, but planted in its new surroundings, it extends new roots and eventually establishes itself more firmly than before. And the hole that’s left behind can be filled in with fertile soil ready to nurture new opportunities that becomes a life that blooms independently on its own but never alone. “I planted, watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
Let God
The anxiety of letting go is not easy but God is our comforter. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. We never know what God is going to do, or what He is going to use in our children’s lives. We also don’t know everything He is doing at the moment, or how He will use current situations for their good in the year to come. I need to trust His “redemptive grace”. He is able to pour out His grace and redeem situations beyond all we could ever ask or think. And when I fear that I have not prepared them well enough I am comforted with the knowledge that they have a heavenly father that has “perfectly prepared” them for the road ahead. At some point, we have to release our children to God and to His sovereignty. I don’t know how issues will turn out or if they will ever resolve themselves. I can't live my children’s lives for them.
God has only given me one life to live and to give an account for, and that is mine.
I give thanks to Lord for “perfectly preparing” us and entrusting me to nurture three beautiful amazing daughters and giving me the strength (when necessary) to let go.
The feelings at this time of year are bittersweet and have become a 14 year tradition. Every year when I put them on the bus or drop them off on the first day I’m flooded with memories of the year before and filled with anxiety about what the school year will hold and have I prepared them.
But it’s time. For Them. To Go. To Let Go.
Whether they are a sophomore in college, a high school junior or a fifth grader the reluctance of letting go is no different then it was on that first day of kindergarten. First you ease it little by little, then suddenly it just slips out of your hands and you’ve let go. This year through my college bound daughter ,I was reminded of the benefit of letting go. I imagined transplanting a flower or bush to a new location so it can grow healthier and stronger. For this to successfully occur, you have to dig up the plant and sever its roots. There’s an initial shock to the system, but planted in its new surroundings, it extends new roots and eventually establishes itself more firmly than before. And the hole that’s left behind can be filled in with fertile soil ready to nurture new opportunities that becomes a life that blooms independently on its own but never alone. “I planted, watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
Let God
The anxiety of letting go is not easy but God is our comforter. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. We never know what God is going to do, or what He is going to use in our children’s lives. We also don’t know everything He is doing at the moment, or how He will use current situations for their good in the year to come. I need to trust His “redemptive grace”. He is able to pour out His grace and redeem situations beyond all we could ever ask or think. And when I fear that I have not prepared them well enough I am comforted with the knowledge that they have a heavenly father that has “perfectly prepared” them for the road ahead. At some point, we have to release our children to God and to His sovereignty. I don’t know how issues will turn out or if they will ever resolve themselves. I can't live my children’s lives for them.
God has only given me one life to live and to give an account for, and that is mine.
I give thanks to Lord for “perfectly preparing” us and entrusting me to nurture three beautiful amazing daughters and giving me the strength (when necessary) to let go.
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