MoreTalent Than American Idol

Matthew 25:14-30, in the Bible, is the Parable of the Talents. The study Bible I read says that a talent was a sum of money equal to about 2 years wages for a person. In this parable, a wealthy man entrusts a couple of men with a certain number of "talents" of the financial sort. One of the men that received a talent buried his for fear of having his master's money taken. One man invested the money and grew the talents. At the end of the parable, the one who used the talents and grew them was rewarded by being placed in charge of many things. The one who did nothing with the talent except bury it in the ground was thrown out into the darkness where he wept.
This parable is referencing the talents, gifts or opportunities that God gives to each of us. In Sunday school class, we have all filled out a spiritual gifts assessment form. It allows us to see how God has blessed us so that he can use us in service to Him. My strongest gifts lie in Mercy and Pastoring/Shepherding. Human compassion is where my heart lies. I am a comforter. I also want people to know about God and have a relationship with him. Being that I love people, this is not an uncomfortable talent for me. I do still wish that I had a great singing voice though! But I know that this is not a talent that he wished for me to have.
I remember when I was working at the cancer treatment center that I had been speaking with a family member about being a nurse. She had asked me how in the world I could work with cancer patients all day long. I love it! But I told her that I felt like being a nurse was doing God's work. Loving and caring for others all day long is exactly what I think Jesus would do....so WWJD?? I think that nursing others would be high on his priority list! She said to me in sort of an ashamed way, that she wished that she had a gift like that from God. She didn't think that she had a talent or gift. She worked as a waitress. I told her that being a nurse might seem like an obvious gift...caring and loving others. But I bet that God used her in other ways to help others. I bet that when she came in contact with patrons of that restaurant, that her bright, beautiful smile was a gift from God that probably brought comfort to weary souls. And the simple gesture of offering someone a hot cup of coffee and a little kindness went a long way. We don't ever know what every person is going through in their personal lives. We don't always see the weariness that people have down in their souls. A quick pat on the shoulder, a small hug, a "HI how are you?" or just a great smile can turn a person's entire life around. Sometimes all a person needs is a little ray of hope to help them get through to the next day....a sweet smile and pat on the back could provide that little ray!
I think that sometimes we think that we should all be blessed with beautiful voices to be able to sing praise to God and show that we are faithful servants. We discount the simple things about us that really make us special as Christians. But really, when God decides to bless us with a talent, we are to use what God has given us, we aren't to hand it back saying, " awww why couldn't I do what so and so is doing?" If we were all meant to sing, who would give out the hugs? If we all were supposed to give out hugs, who would keep up with the tithes?
Its just like our career choices....God makes someone that wants to do every sort of job. I love being a nurse! But I met a woman who said that her son had dreamed of driving large farming equipment since he was a little kid. He was now in his 20's living his dream and couldn't be happier! I personally wouldn't be happy doing that young man's job! But someone's got to do it! God burdens each one of us with the desire to do something....unfortunately its not always clear to each of us exactly what God wants us to do with our lives and our talents. As a matter of fact, I didn't know that I wanted to be a nurse, I only knew that I wanted to SERVE/HELP others. Well, I could have gone down several different avenues to achieve this goal...I did start out in law enforcement! But I ended up in nursing and feel very fulfilled in this field. Who's to say that I wouldn't have the same satisfaction working in a little coffee house where I could meet and talk to people all day? Either way, I am using the talent that God has blessed me with. And I am thankful for all other Christians that are using their talents as well....that sweet, welcoming smile and that hot cup of coffee go a really long way when my spirits are low and I need a little reminder that God loves me no matter what!

Ahhh Sweet Misery

Tonight I went to our Church's Women's meeting. We are having it quarterly instead of monthly now. If you want to look at it as saving up for the best....I would say that that was definitely accomplished! God was such a part of this program tonight. If a person was there and did not feel it....they were tuned in to the wrong channel!
A young woman named Jessica spoke tonight about her son Zach. One year ago, Zach passed at the age of 5 months. He was born severely premature. As all babies fight when being premature, Zach fought and won the battle for 5 whole months. When he passed, he was a smidge over 10 pounds. That was 10 pounds of fight! Ultimately, after having been diagnosed with pneumonia and having been on the respirator, his parents made the ultimate sacrifice and let Jesus take him home. What a huge unselfish act to allow a child, a person the opportunity to have peace and to feel their love for a moment without having life forced upon him.
Zach, being a miracle just being himself, taught Jessica and her family so much more about God's love for all of us. God did not choose to heal Zach in the sense that he is still here today. Instead, God, allowed Zach's little light to shine all over this state, the United States and around the world. Jessica said that people from literally all of the world sent them emails on their Care Page (on the Internet). Zach touched many lives. Many, many people prayed for Zach. His mom Jessica said that some people even came to be saved after having heard about Zach and his story.
Jessica and her husband's story of faith was definitely inspiring. Would they much rather have their little boy with them then to have a beautiful story of inspiration to tell? I would be willing to bet a million dollars on that. But because they chose to allow God to have control, they were blessed with a beautiful, "perfect" little boy, the opportunity to love him and get to see first hand, God's perfect love.
The point was made that through all of this that at times, Jessica and her husband did question God and God's plan. Who wouldn't?! But the beautiful thing about this is that God does not condemn us for questioning. God expresses his love for us and continues to wrap his arms around us in our weakest of moments. That's what makes trusting in God so amazing...the harder it gets, the harder he holds on to us. The more we look to HIM, the more he allows us to see HIM and to feel HIM.
I told Jessica, that I thought it was so great to finally get to meet Zach's MOM in person. I had been hearing her name (her whole family's names) for a long time. I knew Zach's name. Jessica's friend Sadie, is in my Sunday school class and she ever diligently kept Zach on the prayer list. We all prayed for little Zach! But the thought hit me as I was thinking about her and her testimony....You know how when you meet someone, you hear,"Oh this is Zach's mom?" Or HI LILA's MOM!! they don't have a clue what my name really is but Im identified as being my daughter's parent....How beautiful and special that I could say tonight "OH THAT'S ZACH'S MOM!! So though he may not be here on this Earth 20 years from now, Jessica will always be "ZACH'S MOM!"
What courage it took for Jessica to stand before a room of almost all strangers and tell her story. God had told her that she needed to tell others her story to help her heal. I bet that through her telling of the story tonight, that others in that room were able to heal a little too. Many women there tonight probably had miscarriages. Some may have lost children of their own. Some women were battling fertility issues. Whatever the battle, the reminder that God truly is there and never leaves our side is such a huge source of peace even for me. I don't struggle with any of those issues that I suggested. But I struggle with my own issues. Thank you God for being there with me and for me. Thank you for sending those ladies to speak up about you and let us know how you have changed their lives.
I pray that Jessica does receive a peace in her life that allows her to smile about her dear Zach and not ache so much. I pray that she and her husband will be able to have more children. More children that she can tell about Zach and share photos of him with them. Share that Zach's 5 month long life, changed many people's lives forever...and changed them over to trust in Jesus. What more of a miracle could have come from such a perfect little life?

Circles

I know that there are these things going around on FaceBook and all over the place to identify the circles of life that seem to naturally crop up everywhere. I think they are called the 6 degrees of separation. I could be wrong. But hey, I'm under the influence of night time cold medicine..so give me a break!!
Anyway, recently I collided with one such circle of life that left an impression on me. A few weeks ago, as I was on my way home from work, I was passed by a police officer flying around the line of cars I was in to get to an accident. I had actually been delayed at work by a few minutes talking to Sherrie and Dr. M. I went to pick up Lyndi and was heading home, down the Jefferson Rd. exit. Just ahead of us was a tremendous wreck. Smoke was still pouring out of the air bags in the mini van that caused the accident. The driver of the car that was struck head on, headed West bound on the 10 loop was laying out in the median of the road. EMS personnel was working with this person on the ground....a woman. Then a woman who was obviously upset came running over to that person's side. Then the fire rescue workers were trying to get the passenger out of the minivan. I called Pete and told him that I was caught in traffic at this accident and that I thought there were probably fatalities in it. It was a mess! I then tried to reach my mom by phone to worn her in case she was on her way home too. I tried to call my friend Laurie to let her know in case she was near that exit...as that's the exit where her mom and dad live. I know she goes over to their house often.
The next day on the radio, I found out that the minivan was being driven by an elderly woman who had come off of the Jefferson Rd exit, crossed over the 10 loop and collided head on with a vehicle traveling West bound on the other side of the 10 loop median. It was hard to tell at a glance of the accident scene exactly how things went down. That next day though, there were plenty of orange flags and spray paint marking exactly where everything took place. The driver of the minivan died. A few days later, the day of the driver's funeral, her passenger husband died.
Not long after I had found out the details of the accident, I spoke to my friend Laurie and told her that I had tried to call her and advise her of the accident. I told her that I felt like, if I had been just a couple of minutes quicker heading home, that I could have been involved in that accident. She then told me that she too came up on the accident and described the scene almost exactly as I had seen it...she was right behind me, on the exit ramp off Jefferson!! I did not have her cell number so I couldn't let her know...but she did know! She saw it too!
Last week (now about 3 weeks after the accident), one of my patients came in and asked me (out of the blue) if I knew the people that died in the collision on the 10 loop. I thought that was odd seeing as I was a first hand witness of the aftermath of the accident and it made an impression on me. I described the accident scene to her. I told her what I had heard about the people involved in the accident. Then she told me that she knew the couple that had died as a result of the accident. She worked in a place of business that she saw the driver of the van weekly. She had know this woman for a number of years. She said that this woman was one of the nicest, kindest people she knew and that she would miss her. I thought about how odd I thought the whole situation was.
That accident that I had missed by minutes, the one that made a deep impression on me, the one I tried to warn my friend about, the one that took the lives of 2 people...and someone intimately knew the the riders in the van. How random...or was it random at all? Why did my patient decide to discuss this with me? Why was I a witness? Why did I miss being involved?
When Lyndi saw the cars all smashed up in the median, she asked me,"Mama, whata happeneded to those caaas? They fall down and brokeded?" I responded to Lyndi that indeed they fell down and broke and I didnt think that the people in the the cars were ok either. I think they fell down and broke too.
That couple evidently lived in Colbert...we were practically neighbors. I wonder if I will hear more about them in the future. I don't think that I had any connection with the other person involved in that accident. Who knows though, 10 years from now, I might have her as a patient. She may be sitting in my chair, while I'm working on her legs, telling me about how she was involved in a head on collision and survived...but the driver and passenger of the minivan didn't make it. Who knows really?

OH MY!

Today I had a patient that was a really sweet, talkative lady. She spent a lot of time telling me about her sons. She is so proud of them!! They sounded like really good boys too! She was talking about how they never drank in high school, used drugs, got in trouble, got piercings or tattoos. WOW! What nice boys! Then she told me that her niece or cousin's kid..someone..I don't recall now after what she was saying....ANYWAY...this girl went to college on a full scholarship (that's impressive)...had two tone hair, went and got piercings and a "tramp stamp" on her lower back...you know, one of those tattoos! Well then she pondered out loud, "What will her children think one day when they see that thing on her back??!!" What could she have been thinking??? The relative with the tattoo and piercings?!!!
I shrugged and quickly tried to change the subject......Unfortunately she lingered a while longer on the topic but then finally gave up on it after I didn't give much of a YEAH!! HOW DARE SHE??!! WHAT WILL HER KIDS THINK??!
I kind of wondered if, while I was getting up from my seat if she may have noticed the colorful inkings on my own backside..............OH MY!! WHAT WILL MY CHILDREN THINK OF ME??? WHAT KIND OF CONTRIBUTION WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO MAKE TO SOCIETY??!!! WILL A MAN EVER REALLY BE ABLE TO LOVE ME? WILL I END UP IN PRISON COSTING TAX PAYERS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS?? Man, I sure hope not! And my kids really haven't made a ruckus about a funny picture of a gecko that Mama has on her back. I have gotten pinched on the back by Lyndi...I think she was testing to see if it was real or not! Lila just told her Daddy when she was about 4 or 5 that she too will have a tattoo one day....he was like "GREAT!! SEE WHAT YOU'VE STARTED??!!" I told him that if that is the worst thing she ever does, I think we will survive!
I had a rather shallow boss say one time that if she had KNOWN that I had a tattoo that she wouldn't have ever hired me. That really hurt my feelings. The thing is that I always try to keep my backside covered up. I don't have sleeves or chest art. I don't have my kids names tattooed on my neck. She wouldn't have ever even known that I had a "tramp stamp" on my back if she hadn't been listening in on a conversation that I was having with a fellow nurse (my other supervisor).
People make a lot of judgement calls about others based upon appearance. I think its really unfortunate! I can not believe that someone would be so shallow that they wouldn't hire me just because I have ink! I love caring for patients more than anything! I am a great employee with a great work ethic! I care about my job! But this person was so shallow that she would have let her own personal biases effect her hiring practices. Its not like I'm a registered sex offender and want to work at a day care! There are no swastikas or nudey pictures on my body!
Anyway, my point is this...we shouldn't be so quick to judge others. For all this relative of Miss Tramp Stamp knows, her favorite cousin/niece...whatever could be a Noble Peace Prize winner some day! She might build multiple houses for Habitat for Humanity! She may save a baby from a burning house...She just doesn't ever know! But if this girl gets her belly button pierced or some other nether region...If she gets a panther tattooed over the rest of her back or on her leg...IF THAT'S THE WORST THING THIS GIRL EVER DOES...FOR GOODNESS SAKES, PLEASE DON'T JUDGE HER FOR THAT!!!! Self expression shouldn't be a crime! Purple hair when you are in college isn't the most awful thing ever...There definitely are much worse things in life! And I think that many people would be REALLY suprised to find out that their own Grandma might have a piercing or a "tramp stamp" above their bottom too....I've seen many folks in their birthday suits...and it suprised me to find many of both on ladies over the age of 50 that were freshly inked or pierced!!! And I'm not kidding!

Its been a long time

I realize that I haven't been as faithful about writing as I once was! Life gets kind of hectic sometimes...and well, we did lose power for a few days due to our most beautiful snow storm ever!! Let me just say that despite events involving my Dad and the ice, I really enjoyed the whole snowy few days. When our power went out, we made sure that our wood stand was full. There is nothing worse than having to make multiple trips to the wood pile in the freezing cold! Then we got out our oil lanterns and Coleman stove. Pete started up the generator, plugged in a lamp in our room, plugged in our electric blanket and an oil heater in our bedroom and the refrigerator. We were good to go! The girls slept on pallets on the floor. We slept in our bed all cozy and warm. I almost got too warm!

In the morning, we plugged in the toaster oven and coffee maker to the generator. I can not say that at any point during the whole snow event that we suffered at all! Nancy called me one of the nights and asked me if I had taken a double dose of my "relax my crack" medicine! I laughed and told her that I was actually really cozy and relaxing sans drugs! :) It was down right pleasant!

The afternoon when the snow started, we had just gotten home from church. We were planning on going to watch the Lady Dawgs play basketball. As we were about to leave for the game, the snow began to fall. It was so heavy and never slowed from falling! So my first instinct was to open all the blinds in my bedroom, slide into bed, pull the covers up to my chin and watch the snow fall! Within 30 minutes, my car was covered in snow! It was so nice! Lila and Lyndi came and piled in with me for a while to watch the snow. It didn't take long for Lila to head outside and play in the snow!

On Tuesday morning, some of the snow had begun melting but ice was a huge problem! The roads were covered with ice! As my Dad got out of his car at work, he hit a patch of ice, slipped and broke his left hip. At 9:30PM Dad came out of recovery from surgery and returned to his room. What a huge mess! Bless his heart, he was in so much pain.

Since Tuesday, Dad has been doing much better. He has been working with physical therapy at the hospital, trying to get his strength built up in his left leg. He has been keeping an unusually positive attitude. I have asked a lot of people to pray for him. My Dad is not the type to lay out of work and not be productive. He will need a lot of prayers and support while he is stuck at home!!! I pray for a speedy recovery. Tomorrow they are supposed to be releasing him home. He will have home health nursing and physical therapy for a while. I think he is going to do all he can to get (literally) back on his feet again!

My friend Cutina has been sick again. She has had two abscesses in her intestine here in the last couple of weeks. Her doctors have moved up the doses of Remicade that she gets to help heal the abscesses and hopefully (prayerfully) put her Crohns in remission. She told me that she has been feeling better in the last week or so. She still has some pretty significant attacks of pain daily.

We have been loving our new pup Iris! She is about 1.5 years old. She is a Terrier/Something mix breed. She was an adopted doggie from a foster home. She has turned out to be the best dog we have ever had! She is very sweet and well mannered. She minds better than my own children! :) And she loved playing out in the snow!!