Thank You Lord...

...for bronchitis! As you can see I am back to blogging. By God's grace, after 10 days of a powerful antibiotic, I am also back to breathing, sleeping through the night, standing for longer than five minutes without needing a two hour nap, and a myriad of other seemingly simple activities. During this latest illness I was made aware of many blessings which God showered on me. I can't remember all of them now, but I wanted to share a few that I can recall with you.


*It created a thankful heart. I am never so thankful for my usual good health (that I too often take for granted) as I am when I'm sick.

*It reminded me of how many wonderful people the Lord has placed in my life who encourage and support me. From taking me to the doctor, to midnight check-ups, to uplifting e-cards, friends and family met so many of my needs.

*It provided another reason to be thankful for my current living arrangement. I distinctly remember being sick in the dorms my first year in college, and how miserable it was to go through it on my own. My aunt and uncle were amazing! My aunt was literally in and out of my room the whole first night, and she even stripped my soaking wet sheets off the bed after my fever spiked to 104.5. If that isn't love...:o)

This was the make-shift sick bay they set up in my room. Let me just say, it was wonderful!

*My nursing instructor allowed me to miss a day of clinical. Not my first choice, but definitely necessary at that point.

*This is a bit of a random one, but I had ordered a few "fun" books a little while before I got sick. I had had some recommendations, and decided to check them out despite my limited time for reading. They were a little later than expected, but that made their arrival precisely during the time I was laying in bed. Time and books...how rarely those two things coincide!:o)

*I had wise family members who suggested I visit the doctor. Those of you who know me know how bad I can be about doing that, but I am quite certain the bronchitis would have drug out much longer without the prompt treatment.

*The two midterms I took right as I was starting to feel a little better went really well. (My uncle suggested that it was because I was taking "performance enhancing drugs"...;o)

*At the advice of those wiser than me I took some time off of work while recovering, and that allowed me to spend time with my aunt, uncle, and another family member who was visiting. We even took a trip to the Reagan Library, which is always a treat.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I cannot possibly remember (and likely was not even aware of) everything. I mostly wanted to share my experiences of God's faithfulness and sustaining grace in the midst of a few tough days. My prayer while I was sick was that above all God would be glorified, and He certainly provided for all of my needs and more. I am excited to be healing and feeling a million times better, but am so very thankful for all that the Lord taught me through it. If nothing else it reminded me of how thankful I am that this world is not my permanent home, and how eagerly I am anticipating an illness free eternity with my Savior.

Joy Filled Chores

Even

painting

can

be

fun

when

you

paint

with

friends!

Random Things Which Make Me Smile :o)

1. Mint chip ice cream.

2. The smell of fresh cut grass.
3. Doing my devotions outside early in the morning.
4. Seeing sunshine through rain.

5. Having air conditioning in my car. (I think having a car for several years without air conditioning when I was growing up has helped me not take this for granted.:o)
6. Cold seedless watermelon on a hot summer day.
7. Having mornings when I don't have anywhere to be and can sleep in and then linger over a cup of coffee and God's Word.

8. Getting mail from friends.
9. Looking back through my prayer journal and praising God for His faithfulness as I see how He has answered prayers.
10. Spending time with my sisters and brother-in-law.

Fun Scrubs Monday: Wednesday Edition

So here we are on Wednesday and I have not yet gotten around to posting about my "Fun Scrubs Monday." I suppose it's a good thing work canceled me today, as a Thursday Edition would have just been ridiculous.:o) I had a wonderful weekend, with some time spent with family on the holiday and even some working in there somewhere. I worked a 12 hour shift on the 4th which ended up being so wonderful, and a terrific learning opportunity. When I started this job I was terrified of the ICUs, but I have to say that the surgical/transplant ICU is now one of my absolute favorite floors to work on! Sunday was a wonderful church service in the morning and some studying in the afternoon. And then Monday.

I knew before I went to clinical Monday that I was scheduled to go to the operating room. And I remember even thinking to myself at one point, "Maybe I'll see an open-heart surgery." And then of course I laughed.:o) And I was wrong. I saw three!!!!! I arrived at the OR desk and was looking at the surgery board. There were some dental surgeries, appendectomies, etc. And then I saw it. A surgery with a heart drawn next to it. (Yes, believe it or not, we draw cute hearts despite our knowledge of what an anatomically correct heart looks like. The real thing just isn't quite so cute.:o) Before I could even mention what I was thinking, the scheduler said, "I have you in the heart room." Of course doing a little victory dance in the hallway would have been somewhat less than professional, so I just calmly said, "Ok. Sounds good." But on the inside I was doing cartwheels!

Because I am aware that not all of you have a love for medicine in the same way I do, I shall spare you the details. I'll simply say that it was incredible! As they were doing the surgeries and explaining the procedure and the radical alterations they planned to make, I stood in awe. Not of the surgeons and the surgery (though they were pretty great), but in awe of our Creator. The heart in our textbooks astounded me, but watching a heart beat overwhelmed me. In Psalm 139 David says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." You may already know this, but just in case you'd like the opinion of someone who has stood about 10 inches from a beating heart: YOU ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!!! Thank you Lord for the privilege of having a front row seat to observe your handiwork!

Ok, so these scrubs aren't too fun, but after wearing all white for a year they look pretty exciting.:o)

Watching televised fireworks with my aunt and uncle on the 4th.

Random Things Which Make Me Smile :o)

I've decided (at least for a while) to make Friday posts titled "Random Things Which Make Me Smile." (In case you were wondering I am indeed thinking of getting a trademark for that clever and original title...;o) Not sure how long this will last, but here are the first ten!

1. Pulling into a parking spot and finding leftover minutes in a parking meter.
2. Feeling the ocean breeze through my sun roof as I drive home from a long day at work.
3. Sunrises and sunsets. (With my current schedule I see plenty of both...:o)

4. Singing as loud as I can in my car with the windows all rolled up.
5. Learning something new about a Bible passage I've read many times.
6. Phone calls and text messages from friends.
7. Having class only two days a week.
8. Baking (and sharing) chocolate chip cookies.

9. Successfully running all the way up the big hill on my run.
10. Discharging patients from the hospital. (Especially new moms who smile in amazement at their precious little ones all the way to the car.:o)