By His Grace: Sunrises and Much Needed Reminders

I should be studying for the midterm I'll be taking in a few hours, but I had something on my mind so I thought I'd share. Yesterday I had a vacation day from school, so of course I used that free time to work.:o) I am so thankful that the Lord provided this job!!! I am continually amazed at the blessing that my job at UCLA is, and the amount I'm learning while there. I really enjoyed my shift yesterday. It was by far the toughest patient load I've had yet, but SO rewarding. My patients were awesome, and they're families were so great. I did a million things I'd never done before (sometimes making it up as I went along...:o) and ran around like a crazy person. At one point I went to cover for another CNA who was monitoring a confused patient, so that she could take her lunch. He was pretty quiet when I got there, so I pulled out my note cards to study for the nursing midterm I have today. The patient's wife saw me studying and immediately asked, "Can I quiz you?" So for the next hour, she taught me all about heart dysrhythmias and kept me laughing at her fun pronounciations and declarations that nursing school was "ridiculous." At the end of the shift (which of course went overtime), she told me I was wonderful and gave me a big hug. And they pay me to work there!:o)

Anyway, after I got off work I ran into Coffee Bean to get one of the free holiday drinks they were giving away and headed to the next hospital to pick out my patient for clinical today. Of course they were low on patients, so I hung out waiting for a few hours and then frantically attempted to piece together a newly admitted patient's chart. (Everything you've ever heard about doctor's handwriting is true!) By the time I got home it was 10-something, and I still needed to do the entire write up, I hadn't had dinner, and I needed to be up in about five hours. Admittedly, when I ran into my uncle in the living room after getting home, my mind was not exactly engaged in thinking about the grace of God and the incredible opportunities that my day had held. Instead I proceeded to detail for him how long my 12 hour shift was and how difficult it had been to pick out a patient for clinical. In the course of the conversation about work, he casually mentioned that they had had some excitement at the school where he works because one of their students had come to the office complaining of chest pain. He said she's in 10th grade, and near the top of the list for a heart transplant. Now I know my uncle was just adding to a conversation about medical things, but as soon as he said that I couldn't help but just stop talking. I stopped whining, stopped having a pity party for Emily, and just thanked God for my heart. I can't imagine simultaneously worrying about high school geometry and whether or not my heart will continue working long enough to find a donor!

I know this has gotten lengthy, but it was such an amazing reminder that I wanted to share it with you all. It turns out, working a 12 hour shift and going to clinical and taking a midterm the next day doesn't equal the end of the world. God is sovereign. He will provide for me both in the easy and tough days, and I can trust Him for that. You could try to count up just the blessings I remembered and included up above, but it would take you a while. And you know something? On top of all of the blessings the Lord has already lavished upon me, the sunrise this morning was incredible. How could you possibly feel tired or stressed with this on the horizon?:o)

Lamentations 3:21-26