We Are Healed by Your Sacrifice Lord!

What Are You Living For?

Something to think about...

Blessings in Disguise

We may not always understand why we have to bear crosses in this life - but what if they are meant as blessings in disguise? It is always during the times of greatest struggle, that I cling to the Lord the most.



22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
24 But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty,who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
Genesis 49:22-26


God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty.
Peter Marshall

May God pour out His richest blessings on you today and may you feel his love through the process,
Kymber

God's Provision

**Warning - LONG post ahead**

Thus far in my journey as a new nurse, I have been spending most of my time waiting. I have two new adventures ready to begin, but it has been an extremely slow process to say the least! I am trying not get too anxious about it, and am instead using the time God has given me to rest up for the busyness that is sure to come.

After a LOT of soul searching, I decided to reexamine what was MOST important to me. I needed to come to a conclusion in what direction this new phase of my life would take.

I have always been very old-school when it comes to my marriage and family. I want my husband and family to know that they come first in my heart and in my priorities. When I was in nursing school, I tried to do my best to make things as normal as possible for my husband. I tried to make sure he had homecooked meals waiting for him - breakfast, lunch and dinner. It wasn't always easy, and there often wasn't a good variety, but he knew he could count on me to take care of him and his needs.

Since I have been home these past few months without school obligations to bog me down, it has been so great to have things back to normal again! I forgot how much fun it was to sit and watch a movie with my husband or to spend my Sunday afternoons baking a large family dinner and cuddling up to watch football with him. I suddenly realized what it would mean to me to have to give that up again.

When you become a new graduate nurse, straight out of school and wet behind the ears, not many people are willing to give you a chance. It is obviously easier to hire someone who knows what they are doing and has experience working as a nurse. Graduate nurses usually have to take shift hours that others don't want - just to get their foot in the door of a facility. I really struggled with this because after school was over, I was EXHAUSTED and needed time to reflect and consider my life and what was truly important to me at my age. Yes, I want to serve the Lord with ALL my heart and soul. Yes, I am willing to step outside of my comfort zone to do so. (Frankly, I have been outside of my comfort zone since I STARTED this journey - so why stop now ~smile~) Yes, I want more than ANYTHING to do God's will. As I put in job applications, I kept ALL of my options open - so that I would be certain without a DOUBT as to the direction the Lord wanted me to go in.

That being said, in my prayers, there where certain considerations I asked the Lord for. I prayed that the Lord would use me for HIS service. I know that this journey was God's doing - every step of the way was guided by Him. I prayed that He would show me the way He wanted me to go, and I also prayed that He would help me to put my priorities in order. I thanked Him for my husband and for my family. I humbly asked the Lord to help me find a job taylored around the needs of my family. I know that the Lord gave me the desire to be home - taking care of my "nest" and that even though I believe He has a job for me to do, I know He never expects me to give up on my desire to "be there" for my family. I believe now, that the Lord has provided me the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds and I am so grateful!

Let me tell you how the Lord has blessed me. I am SO excited to share this with you because it shows God's hand in EVERY aspect of my journey and His awesome answer to prayer!

Backing up in time a little bit, let me share a little bit of history with you. When I first arrived here in Georgia, I took a job at a nursing home as an nurse's aide. The facility was lovely on the outside, but evil on the inside. The staff was HORRIBLE to the residents who lived there and at the time - just having moved to a new state and desperately missing family and friends, I regret to admit that I wasn't strong enough emotionally to "take on" what it would require for me to work there. I have such regrets about walking away from that place! No - the resident's were not abused physically or anything like that, I couldn't have watched that and not reported it, but having come from a wonderful facility in Washington State, where the residents were well cared for and loved, it was a sharp contrast and I couldn't bear it. I would come home from work every night and cry in anguish for the resident's who lived there. I have such guilt for keeping quiet about it and not reporting some of the things I witnessed. I wish I was stronger during that time! It haunts me that I wasn't. I truly did my best for my residents while I was there, but I was exhausting myself and tried to take on too much - and I felt like I failed everytime I went home at night! It is a long story - one I will save for another day.

The pain I felt over this horrible facility, caused me to actually run away from healthcare for a time. I convinced myself that I was justified in doing so and prayed that the Lord would find me something ELSE to do that would bring glory to Him. I was RUNNING from His Will, just as Jonah had run from Ninevah and ended up in the belly of the whale.

I applied for nanny jobs and the Lord gave me a job working with a family of three children. I worked for this family for a year, and also worked for four other families in my neighborhood. Remember - I had convinced myself that God wanted me to get out of healthcare and do something else with my life- unbeknownst to me I believe my new middle name was Jonah at that time :)

Sometimes God gives you the desire of your heart to prove to you that it really wasn't what you wanted after all :)

I absolutely LOVED all of the children I nannied for, but my heart was restless - God was calling me back to healthcare and the pull on my heart was tremendous. I would go to bed thinking about it, and wake up thinking about it - I couldn't get it off my mind. I wasn't happy and I knew I needed to make a change. I applied to another facility, was hired as an aide, got back into school to continue pursuing nursing, and now we are back to the present time - a new graduate nurse, looking for work, filling out applications in ALL areas of healthcare, to see where the Lord wanted me to serve.

Hopefully you are still reading this, and I haven't totally bored you to tears, because the BEST part of the story is about to be revealed - God's ultimate answer to my prayer - He STARTED me on this journey long ago, He has been there ALL the way through, and He has used EVERY LITTLE DETAIL of my life, bringing me full circle to the point where I am right now...

I applied absolutely everywhere I could think of to apply including a school district where I had done my clinicals during nursing school - at these clinicals we were required to follow a school nurse. She happened to be a beautiful Christian and I struck up a friendship with her. After my clinicals there were finished, she told me that I could use her as a reference because she thought I would be a natural for the job. Well, LONG story short, I applied to this school district, I got the interview, and GUESS WHAT I was able to present to my interviewer as my references....not ONLY was I able to use my school nurse "friend" as a reference, but I was able to use ALL of the families who I had worked for as a nanny! As a result of this, I GOT THE JOB!!! It is very unheard of for a graduate nurse to get a school nurse position but because of my experience working with children, and my excellent references, they were willing to give me a chance!

As I called the families to ask if I could use them for a reference, It became crystal clear to me that the Lord's hand was in ALL of this. EVERYTHING happens for a reason - and the Lord had used my time (even though I was running from Him like Jonah) to bring Him Glory! As the scripture verse says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:27-29
I know this to be true - I am a prime example of this - even though I ran from God's ultimate plan for my life - He used that time to bring me to the place I am right now. The proud owner of a job perfect for me and for my family! My days will be filled working with children, and I will be home every evening to spend time with my husband. I can enjoy my weekends at home with him, and have the whole summer and holidays free to work my schedule around my family, my home and my husband - which is my greatest heart's desire!

BUT - my story isn't finished yet - because my heart was still yearning to continue to work with the elderly. I have such a heart for them and knew that the Lord wanted me to continue working with them. I was able to get my old job back - I had to quit working there when I was in school because my grades were suffering and I needed to devote all of my energy to my schoolwork, but I always had full intention of returning there when I finished. The Lord allowed me to go back there - this time as a nurse. I will be working PRN (as needed) so I will be able to make my own schedule - around my husband and families needs. I can work as much or as little as I want to - I have complete control over my life again and I couldn't be happier!
I have been completing the Orientation process, and will start both positions on Monday. It will be hard for the next month as I get used to both jobs, I will be working more than I want to at first, because I need to go through the training process. After the training is finished, I will be able to plan my own schedule, but for the next month, I am going to be surviving on VERY little sleep. My schedule will consist of going to the new school nurse position from 8:30-2:30, then leaving there and going straight to my nursing home job - and working from 3:00pm - 11:30pm. I will then turn around and do it all over again the next morning - and so on, for one month until my training is complete!

Please pray for me - that the Lord will give me the mental and physical strength to do both jobs well, and that I am able to prepare enough meals this weekend so that my husband can easily warm up home cooked meals for himself every night. Remember - HE is my top priority and I don't want him to suffer during this time of adjustment.

Thanks for reading this LONG post - I will keep you updated on all aspects of this new journey I am on, and I promise to make my posts shorter :)
Blessings on your day today,
Kymber

Been a Long Time

I have truly neglected my blog for months! My life has been INSANELY busy, and I have put most everything on hold. Just a quick update:
- I finished nursing school in June
- I took my State Boards Exam in July
- I PASSED and am now official a Licensed Practical Nurse!!!
- I got a job immediately - working PRN (as needed) at a nursing home. I worked two weeks of orientation and am now flying solo (yikes!)
- I am STILL looking for a job that will give me a full time position. The PRN position may only yield about 1 shift per week (if I am lucky).
- I have TWO job interviews tomorrow! One is for a fulltime position, it is second shift (2:00pm-10:oopm - which isn't really what I want, but if it gets my foot in the door, I am okay with it, until a daytime shift comes available). The second job interview is for another PRN position. Who knows? Maybe I can just piecemeal a schedule together! If I take the PRN postion, I know of one other place where I can get PRN (which means I will be working at three places) maybe I can then totally avoid working the weekends, so I can still spend my Sundays with the Lord at church, and my hubby watching football (our favorite thing to do together).

So as you can see - my mind has been on Job searching! I can't wait to have my life back again! I have been devoting about 3-4 hours a day to filling out applications. I am also going through all of my school books and materials, organizing them and then putting them AWAY in a large rubber maid container so that I can finally be at peace and move on with my life!

In other news - my dear daughter is about to have my second granddaughter any minute now! We will be flying to San Diego to meet her in a couple of weeks. I was hoping to be with my daughter when she gave birth, but as you know, it is close to impossible to plan that sort of thing, SO - this is the next best thing. I will be able to spend 10 glorious days with them, and I can't wait to bury my face in my new granddaughters sweet little neck and give her sweet Nana 'loves and kisses'!

I have so many things I want to share - but I am off to walk my dog and pray to my Lord and get my mind and heart ready for church

Here is a wonderful skit I heard when I attended a Women of Faith conference here in Atlanta. Such an inspirational event! This skit is about women and the impact we have on those around us. Our role as women may often go unnoticed by everyone, but GOD has given us a role we can be proud of - we have been given such a GIFT - and we all need to recognize how special that gift really is!
Blessings on your day today,
Kymber

Christ has Risen! He has Risen Indeed!

Crazy Quarter Schedule

I am finally DONE with my third quarter of nursing school and decided to put down in writing what my schedule was like - just so that I could remember how crazy it was. There was no way I could have found the time to blog during the quarter - I was literally bogged down with work every single moment of the day. In order to stay on top of all of the work I had to do, it was necessary for me to get up every morning at 3:00am! I am an early riser so it didn't bother me too much - but by the end of the day - I was EXHAUSTED! I apologize in advance for boring anyone - I am sure this is only interesting to me, but I really want to remember what Nursing School was like - I only wish I was able to blog about my daily events - it has been an amazing experience from start to finish and I am ALMOST done! I am so close to graduation- I only have 10 more weeks left and I will graduate June 16th. My dream to become a nurse is finally just around the corner! All of my struggles will become just a memory to me. I have met some of the most wonderful people this year - my classmates. We have seen so much together. It truly has been such an amazing experience!

This quarter we studied Obstetrics and Pediatrics.

Here is what my schedule was like:

We had 8 clinical Obstetric days at the hospital - and we had assessments that we had to do for each of the sites that we were at - for example:

We had to do an assessement on a vaginal delivery and on a neonate (newborn)

We had to do an assessment on a cesarean delivery and on a neonate

We had to do a postpartum assessment AND we also had to do a 26 page assessment on any one of these patients

So that is a total of 6 assessments due for Obstetrics!

We spent 5 clinical Leadership days at a nursing home - (we had a 26 page assessment that we had to do on a resident of our choice)

We had 1 clinical Growth and Development observation day at a day care center (we had to write a paper on our observations about a child and answer questions regarding their development - 5 pages)

We spent 3 clinical days at a day care for medically fragile children (we had to write a paper about a child that we observed. A lot of these children were born premature so we had to write about what there developmental delays were and what a normal development for this age group should be - 4 pages)

We spent 3 clinical days following a school nurse (for me it was at a high school) thankfully we didn't have to do any paper work for this rotation.

We had to organize and participate in a school Blood Drive

We had to organize and participate in a Pediatric Health Fair

We had to write a Resume and Cover Letter and participate in a mock Panel Interview. It felt like it was real because we had to dress up in our business attire and sit before our instructors and 6 of our classmates. Everyone was graded on their performance - by the instructor AND by our classmates! It was very unnerving!

We had to participate in a Group Panel Discussion and give a presentation - each person had to speak for no less than 8 minutes. My speech was about Organ Donation - complete with a power point presentation

We had 3-5 papers due every week on various subjects pertaining to Leadership. These papers took FOREVER to write!

We had 6 Homework assignments due for OB, and online quizzes every other week.

We had 4 homework assignments due for Pediatrics.

We had 3 exams for OB and 3 for Pediatrics. We had 2 finals for OB, 2 for Pediatrics, and 2 for Leadership

WHEW! I can happily say that I survived this quarter and I received 4 A's and 2 B's ! I worked so hard for those grades and even though it is STILL hard for this type A personality to get B's - I will take it because I am moving forward every day toward my goal!

I am heading off to Miami tomorrow with my sweet husband for an extended weekend - I can't wait to lay out in the sun and do NOTHING. I probably should be reading ahead - because school starts back up on Monday - but I have decided to just relax and enjoy my few days off before the stress starts up again.

If you are still with me - thank you for your continued prayers and support - this has been such a crazy adventure and even though I have enjoyed it immensely, I can't wait to be done with it so I can get back to my life again. I look forward to the days when I can work in my yard, and in my home, and do some sewing projects. I look forward to having time to share my life on my blog again.

This is just a moment in time and then it will be over - so I am enjoying it while it is here.

I HAVE started crocheting a baby blanket for my new grandchild who will be born sometime this fall - it feels so good to be doing this again - I forgot how relaxing it is to just sit and crochet and reflect on the new arrival!

Blessings to all of you,

Kymber

All We Need is You, Lord

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Isaiah 58:6-14

“Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”
Mother Teresa
Blessings on your day,
Kymber

What Love Really Means

This song really speaks to my soul - there are so many people out in this world who are broken by life and have never felt love or acceptance. We can all make a difference by showing love to these forgotten, hurting people. Help show the love of the Father - reach out to someone today!
"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread"
Mother Theresa



“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:40
Blessings,
Kymber

Reflections

This post will probably be all over the place so I am preparing you now -
I was awakened this morning from a sound sleep by a cry out from my daughter who is living far from me in another state. She has been struggling with great difficulties for the past three years and she and her husband have been desperately trying to get on their feet. As a mother it is so hard to watch your kids flounder! You want the best for them and the best for your grandchildren. I have just found out that I will be a grandmother again - she is expecting baby number two. While this information fills me with joy at the prospect of having another grandchild in my life to love, I fear for her and her family. I am overjoyed that my daughter is trying to turn to the Lord for direction for her life and I know that He will keep her in His tender loving care. They are facing great difficulties right now and yet - I know that she will be all right. God will provide - as He always does. In HIS perfect timing! We must just continue to pray hard that that direction will be made clear - SOON please Lord!

As a mother, you always want the best for your children - and as I struggle with worry and fear for my daughter, I know that God must feel the same way about me when I am following the path that I choose for myself - instead of listening to HIS voice and following HIS will for me, I choose to stumble along blindly opening doors for myself that God never meant for me to open - yet walking PAST the door that leads to Gods perfect plan. I know that God never wrings His hands with worry over me - He just simply holds me in His loving care and gently guides me toward that door that He wants me to open for my life. How long Lord - must YOU wait before your children get a clue? How long Lord must THIS mother wait - loving her daughter gently from afar - watching her stumble and bump into walls searching for that door that will bring her perfect peace?
How you must ACHE for your children Lord!! How I ACHE for mine! You Lord, who are the epitome of the word LOVE - You have put love in our hearts for our children and sometimes I am overcome with it. How much more YOU love us Lord and must ache when we turn to OUR ways instead of yours!

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us and being our gentle Shepherd. Help us Lord as we struggle to know Your Will for our lives. Have patience with your lost sheep Lord. Open our eyes to Your wisdom and direction and please continue to keep us safely in Your tender loving care. We love you Lord! Help ME to cling to Your promises and please take away all worry from my heart. Help me Lord to take to heart the words of Matthew 6:25. Have patience with me! I cling to Your promises Lord - please grant me Your peace! In Your precious Holy name I pray - AMEN!


“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:25-34

NIV

Rearview Mirror Reflections

I've always thought that you can see the hand of God best in the rear view mirror. Looking back, it's easier to understand why He placed us in the home that He did; why He brought certain people and circumstances into and out of our lives; why He permitted difficulties and pain; why He took us to different places and put us in various jobs and careers.
In my own life, I get a lot of clarity (though not PERFECT clarity - that's heaven's joy!) about the wise and loving ways of God as I reflect on the ways He has managed my journey by "the works of His hands" (Ps.92:4). With the psalmist, it makes me glad and strikes a note of joy in my heart to see how often God has assisted, directed, and managed the outcomes so faithfully (Ps. 111).
Looking ahead, though, is not always so clear. Have you ever had that lost feeling when the road ahead seems twisted, foggy, and scary? As you move into the next year, stop and look in the rearview mirror of the year gone by, and joyfully realize that God meant it when He said, "'I will never leave you not forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear'" (Heb. 13:5-6).
With the promise of God's presence nd help in mind, you can move ahead into 2011 with utmost confidence.
Joe Stowell
Our Daily Bread

God's guidance in the past gives courage for the future.


Praise the LORD.
I will extol the LORD with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established for ever and ever,
enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
Psalm 111

Blessings,
Kymber

Will We Be Sleeping?

I started listening to Christmas music on Thanksgiving morning while I prepared food for my family. I heard this very thought provoking song by Casting Crowns and wanted to share it with you - Enjoy!



"While You Were Sleeping"

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night....

Majesty

Follow You God

Such a beautiful message - faith in action

Coming Up for Air

FINALLY able to breathe again!!
One quarter is done - and I made it through!Only three more to go now! I wish I had had more time to blog about my experiences, but I have been desperately trying to keep my head above water this entire quarter.

I usually don't have such a hard time in school, but nursing school is unlike anything I have ever had to do. It is exhilarating, frustrating, and wonderfully exciting all rolled into one! I believe NEXT quarter I should have more time to blog - I had to make a few changes to my schedule to keep my sanity :) One of the changes I had to make was with my work schedule. My constant prayer to the Lord has been - as long as He wanted me to work, I would work - but the MOMENT things started to slip with my grades, I would know that it was time to let it go.

My Dosage Calculations/Pharmacology class isn't all THAT challenging - as long as you stay on top of things, but if you fall below an 80 in the class, you will fail Nursing School. With the twelve hour shifts I had to pull on the weekends, it didn't leave enough time for me to study. I received a really poor grade on one of my tests and it scared me! I realized that if I didn't make a change soon, my grades and dream to become a nurse could slip away from me.

I have gone back to working PRN (as needed) which will work out better for my schedule right now. I will have more control over my schedule and can work as I am able to - not be held to a schedule that may not work with my schoolwork. It was very hard to have to make this decision - there are a lot of people who have been hurt by this (meaning - the residents whom I worked with on the weekend).

I had one sweet gentleman cry when I told him it was my last day! I had been spending lots of extra time with him - which is one of the main reasons why I LOVED my weekend job - I would take him outside and sit with him in the sunshine and just visit. I had no idea how much this meant to him until I told him I had to let my job go. It BROKE MY HEART to have to do this to him! This is a man who had a stroke four years ago. He now spends his days trapped in his wheelchair. He is put in his wheelchair every morning, and spends his days in front of his television - until it is time for him to go to bed. Day in and day out - this is his new existence! Before his stroke - he loved to spend every waking moment outdoors. He loved to garden and enjoyed the birds. Now he is trapped in a hell that he can't wake up from. His body is no longer able to do the things he once was able to do, but his mind is still sharp - which leaves him plenty of time to sit and think about all of the things he will never be able to do again. Things we take for granted - like walking outdoors - going for a drive in a car (it takes two people to help him into a chair - I am trying to figure out a way to take him for a drive - but it will be a challenge) FEEDING himself - he has to rely on others to do this for him too!

I can't imagine the pain and depression he must feel at times - and yet, this beautiful man NEVER complains - he always has a smile to share, and if you ask him if he is in pain - he will tell you that he is in CONSTANT pain, but that he doesn't want to bother the nurses to give him anything for relief! My heart BREAKS for him - God has given me such a love for people like this! THIS is why I do what I do! And yet - I had to disappoint him and make him cry because I had to make the terrible decision to let my job go! I CAN'T let my opportunity to be a nurse slip through my fingers. I have a very small glimpse at times of what God may have in mind for me, and if He really IS leading me in the direction I believe He is, I HAVE to keep going!
BUT....
I couldn't stand the thought of this gentle and loving man hurting on my account - so I decided to make it a point to continue seeing him at least two days a week. My school is only a mile down the road from my work - so I have been going to my work and visiting my "friends" a few days after my classes. I take my sweet gentleman friend outside to sit again - he is happy, I am happy - it is a win-win situation! Yesterday I took him some homemade biscuits - he had received some pear preserves from another resident but didn't have anything to eat it on - so I asked him what he would like to have and he said "MMMM... some warm homemade biscuits slathered with pear preserves sounds WONDERFUL!" Such a small, simple act on my part - meant the world to him.
If EVERYONE would reach out in this world - to take just a FEW moments out of their busy days - and REALLY SEE the hurting people all around them - who just need a little love and kindness in their lonely lives! To do this for these special people who oftentimes go unnoticed after they get older - the world would truly be a better place! I am definitely not trying to say that I am wonderful - because I AM NOT!! I am just like everyone else - I am SOOOO busy and stressed and tired and some days I REALLY don't want to take on ONE MORE THING! I tell myself after class - "Ohhhhh I REALLY just want to go home and take a hot shower after the stressful day I just had - I don't want to go to the nursing home today"!! Then I STOP and think about my dear, special friend who is waiting for me to come. I think about him sitting in front of his television waiting - because that is all he has in his life now - is to wait and look forward to the little time that I give him each week! THAT is what drives me to keep going back - when I get there and knock on his door and his eyes light up - it makes it ALL worth it! I believe that I get SO much more out of our little visits than he does! He blesses me beyond belief!

I hope that YOU will feel the urging of God to reach out to someone who needs you in this way - a simple smile and a visit goes such a long way for someone who is hurting and starved for human contact!

Okay...I will step off of my soapbox now....

I have the next two blissful weeks off from school so I hope to blog more about my experiences with nursing school during this time, and to have time visiting my special blog friends who I have neglected for these three long months.
Blessings on your day,
Kymber

There's No One Like You

I Should Be Studying

Nursing school is no joke! It has been VERY challenging but I am having the time of my life! We have had exams every week which has kept me on my toes, and my nose in a book since I started this roller coaster ride!

I was told before entering this program, that if I expected to get straight A's, I would be severely disappointed. Well - it is so true! I have always managed to maintain an A through my college experience. Now, I am GRATEFUL for the B's that the Lord has allowed me to receive! This program is SO challenging and the pace so fast that you barely have time to finish up one test - before they throw another one at you. I am constantly struggling to kept my head above water! The content of the tests are ALSO nothing like anything I have seen before! They are all based on critical thinking skills - so straight memorization of concepts that you are learning, while it does good for you to KNOW the content, it really doesn't do you any good if you can't apply what you have learned to the situations that are presented to you in each question. For example - this is an actual question that was given to me in my Fundamentals of Nursing class:

A patient requires urinary catheterization but has difficulty keeping her legs in the usual position. The nurse has worked for many years and adapts the procedure to allow the patient to lie on her side. This action is based on the critical thinking element of
A. Curiosity
B Experience
C. Perserverance
D. Scientific knowledge

Now this question appears very straight forward, but it actually holds many different meanings. I picked the correct answer which was - B. Experience. You need to pick out key words in the question in order to answer correctly because in certiain questions - they may ALL be correct answers - you have to determine the best answer! In the above question the key words would be - has worked for many years and adapts the procedure. I don't know - maybe you can all see that "B" would be the right answer, but to me - it gets all so very fuzzy at times!!

Or try this one if you are not convinced. Now mind you - these are the easy ones - remember I am just getting started on my journey here - also - I am trying to give you examples that would be understandable without prior nursing knowledge:

The patient is able to ambulate without signs or symptoms of shortness of breath. Which statement by the nurse is the best example of an objective evaluation of the client's goal attainment?
A. Patient has no pain after ambulating.
B. Patient has no manifestations of nausea while up in hall.
C. Patient has no evidence of respiratory distress when ambulating.
D. Patient walked well and did not have any problem when up.

The correct answer - is C - Patient has no evidence of respiratory distress when ambulating.

I don't know - maybe it is just me - but THESE QUESTIONS ARE TRICKY!!! They really require you to stay on your toes - especially when you are taking an exam - because EVERY question counts against your grade!

If I fall below a cumulative grade of 75 in the class - I am out of the program! That is so stressful to everyone - because it is so hard! Every day presents NEW challenges that we have never been faced with. I could never imagine falling below a 75 - EVER! I study too hard for my classes for that to happen - but you just NEVER KNOW when it comes to this program!

I am trying to keep a positive attitude - my husband says I am so negative! I am sorry if I am coming across that way - this is all so new to me and I REALLY don't want to fail. I feel TOTALLy out of control which is disconcerting - but I NEED to start remembering everyday - that GOD IS IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE AND IS DETERMINING THE DIRECTION FOR MY LIFE!!! IF HE WANTS ME TO SUCCEED -HE WILL HAVE TO SEE ME THROUGH IT!

Please pray for me that I am able to get enough sleep - I have been surviving on about 4-5 hours a night and getting up at 3:00 in the morning to study. Please pray that I keep the RIGHT focus - and that I continue to put GOD FIRST in all tihngs - I am trying SO hard to find time to read His Word as well as study. I am trying not to panic and find the RIGHT attitude everyday. I am trying to keep pride out of my heart when I DO get a good grade - I want to remember that it is all GOD'S doing - when that happens and that He can just as easily allow me to fall on my face - if He wants me to!

More later - gotta run!
Blessings to you all,
Kymber

First Day of Nursing School

Yesterday was my first day of Nursing School and I think this picture says it all! YIKES!

I have been waiting for this day for so long and tried to be prepared for it. Our family went on vacation for a week to Florida before school started, and the whole time I was there I had my face in a book. Everyone kept telling me - "You should just relax and enjoy the time you have before school starts - because after it starts, you won't have any more free time". I am here to tell you - I am SO glad that I studied! Our first day of class WE HAD A DOSAGE CALCULATIONS EXAM!!!

Remember - this is my FIRST DAY - people! Dosage Calculations is a class in which I absolutely CAN'T make any mistakes! I have to get a cumulative grade of 80%. If I fall below an 80%, I will be asked to leave Nursing School. No stress right? Math has never been my strongpoint in school. I have to work very hard at it. To have an exam - without knowing how to REALLY do the problems, THEN having that exam count for a large part of my grade in this class - is insane!

Our day started off with wrapping up administrative paperwork, then we took time to get to know each other by everyone standing up and introducing themselves and telling why we decided to pursue Nursing. At Orientation, we started out with 33 people. One girl didn't show up yesterday - so she is out of the program. After our surprise exam, I am wondering who will fail to show up today! There were so many people yesterday who said they felt like throwing up due to all of the information being thrown at them!

After the introductions, we had a break and then we dove into Dosage Calculations - FOR THE NEXT 6 HOURS! My head was spinning and although the information was helpful, knowing that we had an exam at the end of it all - made it SO hard to absorb all of the material being thrown at us!

OKAY.....

I will calm down now - I will take a DEEP breath.....and I will prepare myself for day TWO of this wonderful new adventure......

I will remind myself Who is in charge of my destination and spend time with HIM in prayer -and I will jump back in with both feet- because I LOVE this rollercoaster I am on!

Blessings,

Kymber

Orientation

Orientation left my head spinning! Four hours went by in a flash and I STILL feel like there are questions that were left unanswered! Oh well - July 8th will come quickly now and I guess we will ALL find out then what we have gotten ourselves into!

Everyone arrived yesterday with a smile! We all have been waiting for this for such a long time and since the program is SO competitive - to have made it in, leaves us all feeling very honored to be a part of this awesome experience! There are 33 people in my class. 33 people that I will get to know well as we will be spending a LOT of time together this year! There are only 4 men in our class - and there is a wide range of ages.

We are in a new building so things are a little bit scattered right now - we are not sure where we will end up and as of now - we are elbow to elbow at our desks in a very small room. It is going to be interesting to see how small the room will feel when we each bring all of our books we will need for class every day. :)

Our class filled out the necessary paperwork and applied for background checks and drug tests, then we met with a uniform company to try on our nursing uniforms!! It felt SO great to be able to finally put one on! I am sure I will be sick of white by the end of the year! :)

We were given a large envelope filled with material to go over. There is just so much - I felt my head spinning. We went over our book list - I have nine books that I will need for the first quarter! I already have homework to be completed before the first day of class too - (Eek!)

A group of girls from the graduating class came to give us an idea about what the program will be like and to give us some ideas as to how to organize our time efficiently. We will need to bring ALL of our books with us everyday, so it was suggested that we invest in a quality rolling backpack. One of the girls said that her "Walmart" backpack only made it through 6 months! I kid you not - one of our books alone has over 1800 pages!

One of the girls said, "this program is no joke - you will have lots of fun here, but be prepared to cry ALOT as you will be pushed to the point of exhaustion. Be prepared to kiss your family and friends goodbye for this year of your life." She also said that she really didn't advise working - especially for the first quarter which has me worried - I HAVE to work two twelve hour shifts on the weekends! I have no choice in the matter. At least my hubby told me I could have a housekeeper come in every other week to clean so I don't have to worry about that.

This will definitely be an interesting year! I truly believe that this is all in the Lord's plan for my life - He has brought me to this place - He will have to see me through it! I will have to cling to Him - now just to find the extra time needed for reading my Bible - I really need to keep focused on Him and keep up my morning time with Him now more than ever - because I can't go to church and it would be TOO easy to just let my morning quiet time fall by the wayside - Lord be with me, and help me find the needed time to spend with You!!

I am SO grateful to Him for this wonderful new adventure I am on.

Off to order some books...

Blessings on your day,

Kymber

Countdown to Nursing School

It is Orientation day today and I am so excited!! I have been waiting so long for this! Today I will find out what I am getting myself into. We meet this afternoon from 12:00-4:00 to go over background checks, drug tests, order our uniforms and books and register for our classes which will begin on July 8th.

My plan is to journal as much as I can about this amazing experience so that others who are entering, or hope to enter into this wonderful field will know what to expect.

More later...

Blessings,