::That Moment

::That dreadful moment, the terrifying, adrenaline rushing moment when your Patient goes unresponsive.

::That heart-dropping, stressful moment when you open your e-mail to a read of an error that occurred on your watch

::That awful moment when your brain is so foggy you don’t know what to do, you flounder as you search for the next step

All moments that leave lasting memories.

But we grow & learn from these moments. I’ve been told by many people that starting a new job is stressful. The first year as an RN is a year of learning. But being told something & experiencing it for yourself are two very different things.

The stress will continue but it cannot weigh you down. Confidence is gained from intense situations done right, but just as important, situations gone wrong can grow us, stretch us, and leave lasting impacts on our lives.

As I reach the end of my first year as an RN, I look back & see how far I have come. Situations I never thought I could handle I can. Things I used to balk at have become second nature. But there is much more to go. Lessons to be learned, tasks to be accomplished, knowledge to be gained, all come from experiences, both good & bad.

::That wonderful, confidence building moment when you catch a new heart rhythm

::That tearful, tender moment when  you really connect with a patient & are able to encourage them

::That awesome, inspiring moment when you realize…I am a Nurse.

Communicate Hope

Do you ever hear a phrase that just jumps out at you? A powerful combination of together that strung together express your vision or feeling.

Today just such a phrase jumped out at me.

::communicate hope::

am I daily communicating hope to those around me?

How does one communicate hope?

To understand this I think of love hopes all things from 1 Corinthians 13:7

hope:: does not allow the failure to be final

hope:: allows us to look forward, to get up & to move on

Hope is a powerful emotion, an outlook on life, a glimpse at a better tomorrow.

What are you hopeful for?

Why do you have hope?

Who are you communicating this valuable lesson to?

 

Hope Communicates 

Hope Communicates

Failure is not the end

Hope Communicates

Get up, Move on

Hope Communicates

There is a better future

 

The sorrows of life, they

drag us down

The storms, the trials,

all surround us

 

We Fall, We Fail

But we Rise up Again

 

Hope Communicates

Failure is Not the end

 

 

{Trust}

 

“Sarah, do you Trust Me?”

“Of course I do” I hurried to reassure Him

The blunt response came loud & clear,

{Then Live Like It}

OUCH

Do I live like I Trust? What does a life of Trust look like?

If I trust a chair do I only partially sit down? Nope, I plop right down & put my whole weight on it. If I am seeking advice from a trusted friend, do I only tell them half of the story? No, I confide in them all the details, trusting that they will give me the best advice.

Do I truly Trust God? Do I allow Him to lead me?

Do I spend my time worrying & fearing the future?

{Trust} 

Not an easy lesson to learn, not an easy lesson to practice.

Trust:: practice it daily

{Live Like It} 

Lack of Inspiration

I’ve started about 20 blog posts….none of which have made it through the final draft.  I’ve started to write about several topics, all of which fizzled to nothing…

{SIGH}

“Writing is a struggle against silence.” – Carlos Fuentes

This is a struggle I am losing, and to be honest, not one I am even used to struggling with.

Well this I know…

{Inspiration will come} 

not when I will it, but it will come

From IDK to IK

{Pardon the text lingo}

As a student nurse I found myself often using the phrase, I don’t know. You’re being taught, people are always telling you why and how to fix the problem. Obviously this is expected (it’s what I was paying for right?) and it gradually transitions and the pieces start to fall into place, but I still use the phrase IDK frequently!

But now…I am a Real Nurse (RN for short), and the phrase IDK needs to be removed from my vocabulary. The problem is there, how do we solve it, what should I be looking at? I may not have all the answers, but I need to be transitioning into I Know where to look. Enough of the deer-in-headlights response, I am a nurse, I can solve this problem.

And it’s not just in nursing this applies. There are situations that arise and seeking advice is not wrong, but am I seeking advice or someone to pass the problem onto? I’ve gotta step up & deal with the problems on my own. I’ve experienced a full (*23*) years and have seen others go through things, so it’s time for me to start saying, IK what to do!

{IK} 

HappiNess

The secret to happiness is not in doing what one likes to do, but in liking what one has to do

Do you live life loving what you’re doing? Happiness is a choice!

I find myself focused on the things I hate, which then automatically brings me down.

What wonderful things do you get to be a part of? Whose lives are you influencing? What friends are you making?

Positive motivation goes further than negative.

Good feelings trump bad thoughts.

Being happy is a choice we have to make every day.

We’re only on the Earth for a short time. Don’t waste it wishing for happiness.

 

There is a Plan

I was reading in Deuteronomy today {not the most inspirational couple of chapters} and the thought struck me, God had this wonderful plan, but His people disobeyed and messed it up. God had laid out His law, His plan for redemption, and Israel disregarded it.

And Moses, even after a long lifetime of serving the Lord & following Him, rebelled once out of frustration & was unable to reach the Promise Land of Israel.

In his last message to the people (ch 4) Moses just keeps reminding the people to obey the statutes of the Lord.

^{4: 9}  “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.

 

He also reminds Israel to have no false gods or idols. This is not something I think about often, but so many times I can see there are things in my life that I value more than God.

God’s Plan is for me to love Him, to be knowing Him better, and I mess it up. Through laziness, through busyness, through excuses, I do not take the time to know God and His Word, as He has planned.

{God had a Plan–I must follow it} 

I Wanna Change the World

I wanna change the world….

….but I’m not willing to stop and change one person’s day.

This thought stopped me in my tracks.

{Confession} It occurred to me after I didn’t smile at someone who I knew needed a friendly smile & an encouraging word.

But instead, I glanced away, attempting to look busy, maybe if I look stressed then it’s acceptable not to reach out…

 

But it’s not.

Everyone you interact with needs to be shown love and encouraged.

Everyone you interact with is fighting a battle, you can’t ignore that.

You can change the world for one person at a time.

Changing the world is a lofty and noble goal, but the big picture needs to be made into specific goals.

Step One: Smile -at everyone!

Step Two: Say Hello -be genuine, ask how people are doing and wait for the answer!

Step Three: Remember that people are more important then deadlines & schedules

 

so change the world, with every interaction

 

On Purity

What’s the image that comes to mind when someone says the word Purity?

Is it a peaceful, clear, cold mountain stream? Is it a white rose? A purity ring? No sex? Amish Living?

The list could go on; there are many ways a mind can go when the topic of Purity is brought up.

{Purity} “The condition of being pure” 

{Pure} “Free of dirt, pollution, and impurities; virginal, sinless, chaste” 

Purity is so much more than outward. Purity is a life-style, a condition. 

What does a life-style of purity look like?

Are you pure?

As I muse on the subject of purity I am sure more rambles will appear on the blog.

What are your thoughts? What do you think of when someone mentions purity?

Do you desire to be pure? Is it something that is overrated? Is it to hard in today’s world?

It’s {NOT} about Me

“it’s not about you”

words to live by.

Many times {a day} I find myself whining ~either out-loud or just internally~

“I don’t feel like it”

I see someone I should talk to; I don’t feel like talking

I see someone I should encourage; I don’t feel like verbalizing encouragement

I see someone I should reach out to; I just sit on my bum & do nothing

I see something I should be doing; I quickly distract myself with something inconsequential

“I don’t feel like it” rolls off my tongue

The decision not to do something is rooted in the desire to serve self.

My needs and desires comes before the needs of others.

It becomes all about me~

But it shouldn’t…it’s {NOT} about Me.