Heart Joy

I should follow up that last post with another. (Kaylene, this was origionally a comment in response to yours, but it got long enough I decided to post instead. Thanks for commenting.) I usually have new patients on different floors every day, but I really hoped and prayed I could have him again. The next morning, I was woken up by a phone call saying that I was to go to Methodist Hospital again. And...I had the same patient and his wife again! The wife was gone for the morning and had just come back when I was about to leave to spend my last four hours on the medical ICU. I gave report to the next nurse and I was leaving at 3 o'clock, when the charge nurse stopped me to say that I was staying for the next four hours after all. I think it was God, because the patient's wife and I had such wonderful talks during those last four hours! We talked about why I wanted to be a nurse, that I am a Christian, the kind of nursing I dream of in foreign countries, the fact that she was accepted into nursing school and would have started 3 weeks ago if it were not for her husband's illness, her boys, my family, culture, Ramadan... We laughed; we shared. I was able to stop giving her husband as much sedation, and he became more alert, though the breathing tube still prevented him from speaking and his condition is no less critical. He smiled, gave a thumbs up, and was otherwise much more responsive. The wife gave me a bottle of mango juice, a delicious pastry filled with spicy meat, and a great, big hug as I left. Oh, the day before, she told me, "I love you!" as I left. I walked home so happy. What a joy these things are! How many other people receive these kinds of blessings at work?

Heart Ache

I'm sitting here in Methodist Hospital listening to the Koran being read to my patient with prayers being sung in the background on a cassette tape and an Arabic channel playing on the TV. The patient's wife is lying on the foot of the bed; his restrained hand rests on her foot. She has cried a lot today. He may not live. Her brother is here. He is the one reading the Koran. She has three children at home trying to go to school. Other than that, she is alone in the United States. Her oldest son is depressed because of his dad's condition. He is not doing his school work. She talked to his teacher today. What can she do? She has no one, she says, other than her husband, whom she loves very much. He loves her and has always treated her well. There is no one else from her country that lives in her town. My heart aches for her.

Random

I am cold because it is the middle of the night and my body says I should be sleeping. My patient is... This evening I spent 2+ hours listening to my pt's husband tell about his missionary experiences in Kenya at Kijabe. He is a pathologist and would go there every year for awhile for 6 weeks or so at a time. He just talked and talked and it was hard to stop him, because he so wanted to share all about it and encourage me to do it. He told about the kind of needs there are, the kind of work doctors do there, the people, the church, the animals, the birds, the lakes, safaris, diseases, religions...and on and on.

This is my sixth shift since I have been off orientation. Every single shift has been wonderful. I find that I love dealing with patients and families who are confronting life and death issues. It is humbling to see how God speaks words through me even when I don't know what to say. Most days have been slow enough that I am able to spend time listening to families and providing a little extra touch. One of my patients responded with an extra touch for me that meant more than I can convey. It was the end of my 12 hours with her. She was intubated, so she couldn't talk, but she seemed completely oriented. She reached for my hand and held it for a moment. Then she reached up to touch my face softly. That was one of those precious moments that makes me want to hold my breath and never let it pass. It was such a loving expression of appreciation for my care that she showed me even though she couldn't speak. See the poem about human touch from a couple of posts ago; it can be so powerful!

I feel like summer is finally here! After being busy and gone so much of the time, I have been able to be in Rochester and make the most of the gorgeous weather. I bought a bike and love to take it for a spin on the trails. A little over a week ago, Sarah, her sister, Matt, and I went kayaking on the Root River in Lanesboro. Last weekend, Matt and I visited his brother and sister-in-law in Madison. We visited the huge farmers' market there, went swimming, and took a long bike ride. I'm so thankful for these times of enjoying the weather before fall comes. There are already hints of it coming. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed one kind or tree was already turning yellow. There were a few turning red on the road from Madison to Rochester. Even the air is starting to have that crispness that reminds of fresh apple cider, pumpkin pie, and a fire in the fireplace.

I've had a hard time keeping up with blogging and making it interesting, so suggestions are welcome! I hope you haven't all given up on checking my site:)

Incredible Friends

I have incredible friends! I'm so blessed by them each time we talk. A couple of days ago, eight of my Rochester girls and I had a sleep over. It was like a reunion, because we hadn't been all together for...a long time! Summer gets so busy and we're going here and there, so it was refreshing to get to fellowship, pray, share, confess, laugh... Then there are my friends who will share any joy or grief. They are willing to just be present or share, but when they talk, their words are wise. They point me back to God. They love me with a love that many people have never experienced. Then there is my family. They are ALWAYS there for me.

The Human Touch

The Human Touch

‘Tis the human touch in this world that counts,
The touch of your hand and mine,
Which means far more to the fainting heart
Than shelter and bread and wine;
For shelter is gone when the night is o’er,
And bread lasts only a day,
But the touch of the hand, the sound of the voice
Sing on in the soul always.

Spencer Michael Free

Elizabeth's Wedding

This picture is from a photo shoot with friends in Rochester.

L-R Emily, Tiffany, Amy, Rachel, Sunita, and LindsayI went down to Arkansas last weekend for Elizabeth, one of my college roommate's, wedding. The picture above is of the bridesmaids and Elizabeth after her shower that we threw on Friday. L-R Megan, Elizabeth, Brittany, AmyThe rehearsal dinner was on the porch of her family's golf course. The view below is from the porch. Gorgeous!The couple, now Elizabeth and David Bruce.

Bridesmaids: Megan, Amy, Brittany

Update

Here's just a bit of the trip home in May. Below are Angela and Anna against the sunset.

Daniel on the job...

Life Continues

Life continues... Caleb came to visit me and meet Matt last weekend! Sarah and Bob graced us with their presence for Sunday lunch.

L to R: Sarah, Bob, Caleb, Matt, Amy
We had a nice time going to Matt's choral arts ensemble concert, playing Frisbee, hiking, eating sushi (my first time!), and of course, talking. I received my own private concert in the Ghonda building with Caleb on the piano and Matt singing.

Today completed 12 weeks of ICU training classes that I went through with some of my best friends here, Tiffany, Emily, and Sarah. This picture was taken by Bob, Sarah's special guy, on our last day of class.

Bob jumped through so many hoops to provide a feast for us during lunch break that day! His story brought many chuckles.

Below: Sarah and Bob. Enough said:)

My girls. These and a few others are my girls here in Rochester. They're fun, encouraging, inspiring, thought-provoking, interesting, beautiful blessings! Left to right: Kristy, Sarah, Lindsay, me, and Tiffany.

My friend, Leah, and I went for a walk and talk to a lake at the edge of town. Even though it is very green and the flowers are in full bloom, it's still rather cold for late May. Yesterday and today, the high was in the 60's.

Now that my classes are over, I will leave the neurological ICU and begin orienting on all of the others, including medical, trauma/general surgery, thoracic/vascular, cardiac transplant, cardiac surgical, cardiac medical, and the ICU at Methodist Hospital, including liver and kidney transplant patients. Thursday means a trip home to Texas! We will help Grandmother and Granddaddy celebrate 60 years together! Other things include camping out with family and friends, touring the Eagle Med flight team place where Daniel is working now as a flight medic, spending time with all of the family, and playing with the newborn baby goats! I'm just a little bit excited!

New Growth Green

"Open your eyes to the beauty around you,

Open your mind to the wonders of life,

Open your heart to those who love you,

And always be true to yourself."

Donna Davis

The breeze is softly tickling my face, twirling my hair and lifting the music through the air. How can I convey to you how I feel in my heart right now? It's spring!

Several things have happened since I started this blog...Maurita came over for lunch, we tramped around the woods taking pictures and laughing, and I had a wonderful visit with big brother Micah. Now, I am listening to the St. Olaf choir on CD, drinking ginger tea, and downloading pictures from the walk today to share with you!

On our walk, Maurita and I had to stop to breath in the smells, admire the flowers, climb enbankments, run up hills and down little paths, sing, and laugh at ourselves. The green was that of new growth, so bright in the spring. I thought of Helen Keller quotes. Because she was unable to see and hear, she had to touch, smell, and feel with the heart.

"Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousand of miles and all the years you have lived." Helen Keller

"To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug." Helen Keller

Slacker

I was just informed by a very important person that I have been a blog slacker. I take this seriously, and though it hurt, I believe it is having the desired effect. I'm blogging again!

I don't know where to start or what to include, but certain life events have driven me to journal more and blog...well...none. Many things have happened in this last month, but it's hard to know which of those things are blog material.

I started dating Matt:

Had a visit from Mama, Daddy, and Angela...

...and found out that Daddy likes to do dishes...in Minnesota!

Had a murder mystery party at my house for Sarah's birthday:

Went to visit Ben and Tandalee and am now home with a cold and pink eye: [no picture]

Babysitting...

When was the last time you totally jammed out to kids music? Played baby tigers? Spent a whole hour trying to get two kids to go to bed? Well, that's what I did this evening, plus some:) It was a nice change and totally different kind of challenge after spending all day studying ECG's in and out of class. Lunch included stimulating conversation with Sarah and Emily at a Greek restaurant, but other than that, it was a day of ECG overload. After walking by my old hospital floor and tying up some loose ends on this and that at work, I dropped by home barely in time to leave to babysit four kids, ages 7 1/2 to 1 1/2, three boys and little girl.

Spring is in the air! Everyone and their dog were out running today! Just walking the 4 or so blocks home, I must have seen 4-5 people running or walking with a dog. The grass is beginning to show in places in the front yard! Are you catching the excitement!!!

Melting

"Sunshine cannot bleach the snow

Nor time unmake what poets know."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

After class today, a friend and I went for a long walk and talk along the river. It was in the 40's today, and the coat became unnecessary as we trudged through the melting snow! See! Bits of grass are showing through and the ice on the river is cracking!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the winter, but it is exciting to have more sunshine, see some ground, and even hear the first few birds chirping. A few days ago, we had the fluffiest snow imaginable. I hated to brush it off of my car and wanted to take pictures instead, but alas, I had to go to work. Even with signs of warm weather, we will probably get a few more snows before Narnia completely melts into spring. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain and snow! Here's how I feel about it:

"To appreciate the beauty

of a snow flake,

it is necessary to stand out in

the cold."

"I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old aquaintance among the pines." Henry David Thoreau
"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." John Ruskin

Note: only the first two photos are from today.

Winter Sea Caves

We debated as to whether it would be worth making the trip to Bayfield yet again simply on the hopes that the sea caves would be half as spectacular as the few pictures I had seen. Wow! It was well worth the time!
The picture above is a personal favorite. Fairyland? Is this real? Erin taking a picture, gloves and ski pole aside.No, Erin is NOT suspended, and no photo editing was done!

While there appear to be pools of water in some of these photos, its all ice, except in the photo below, where a stream did run into the lake.