Yesterday was my last day of my mentorship. This is both exciting and scary. :) They have full confidence that I will do fine ... Now its my turn to believe them. Yesterday was a good mix of everything so I am grateful to get a taste of it all.
A big part of my job is keeping everything confidential so for the sake of privacy I will call my patient Journey. what I am about to share will not have details but it touched my heart deeply.
Our call was to a hospital to transfer Journey home to palliative care. As we entered the room I noticed that Journey had a family member there and their was a bible at the foot of the bed. Journey was very soft spoken and weak. It was clear that Journey lived a long life, and I wonder now what difficulties they may have had to endure or watch in the course of their lifetime.
Our job of course was to provide as much comfort as we could. Journey immediately held onto my hand with a surprisingly strong grip and didn't want to let go. Our transfer was quiet and little words were exchanged. When we arrived and got Journey settled, the grip once again returned. "I am going home Journey said." I heard the words clear as day but for some reason I needed to hear them again to be sure. "You are home" I said. "No, I am going HOME!" Journey exclaimed. It was then that Journey pointed up to heaven. "I am going home ... to heaven." Journey announced. I smiled. I knew then that my intuitions were correct. Journey was a believer and knew that there was a better place to be after this.
Now, the unspoken/spoken rule of the normal workplace is that you are not allowed to share your faith with fellow employees, customers etc. They have every right to complain about you and your job could potentially be on the line. In this situation I felt it was fair to say something since it was the patient who brought it up and we obviously we share the same faith.
I leaned close to Journey's ear and whispered "Jesus Loves You!" Journey broke out into a huge smile, and with a nod of the head said ... "Jesus Loves You too my dear." The dams of water immediately began to fill and I was on a mission to hold them back. :) I assured Journey that I would pray for comfort throughout the wait. I told Journey that my mom and dad were in heaven and with an even larger smile Journey said "Oh my dear ... My mom and dad are in heaven as well." I told Journey that "I bet knowing you get to see your parents again after all this time is the best thing ever." Journey smiled again and with a slow nod of the head agreed. "it sure is!!!" said Journey.
Our little conversation only took minutes but as I look back today, it feels like hours. I wish that I could have stayed and learned the story behind Journey's life. I will have no idea of how long Journey will remain in that bed but I have great confidence that a very special journey to heaven has begun.
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Jun 4, 2015
Jun 2, 2015
Taking a moment
Three twelve hour shifts in a row. Nothing makes getting up at 4:30 an easier. The scenery sure helps though.
I snapped a picture of the sunrise on my way to work today. A beautiful golden field with red barns and rolling hills. The flaming red sky behind. The picture didn't do it justice at all. It made me think of heaven ... Perhaps the reason heaven is left to our imagination is because a picture wouldn't do it justice.
As I rounded the corner with the sunrise in front of me, I glanced in my rearview mirror and noticed a rainbow behind me. A rare beauty to see at once.
After transferring an individual today I was disheartened to see how a nurse could be so uncaring. Soon after, I ran into the man who encouraged me to follow my dreams a year and a half ago when I travelled with my own father in the back of an ambulance on his way for tests. Dan reminded me that some nurses may be callous and uncaring but I chose this job to be those individuals exact opposite. I chose to be the light to those who need it the most.
I snapped a picture of the sunrise on my way to work today. A beautiful golden field with red barns and rolling hills. The flaming red sky behind. The picture didn't do it justice at all. It made me think of heaven ... Perhaps the reason heaven is left to our imagination is because a picture wouldn't do it justice.
As I rounded the corner with the sunrise in front of me, I glanced in my rearview mirror and noticed a rainbow behind me. A rare beauty to see at once.
After transferring an individual today I was disheartened to see how a nurse could be so uncaring. Soon after, I ran into the man who encouraged me to follow my dreams a year and a half ago when I travelled with my own father in the back of an ambulance on his way for tests. Dan reminded me that some nurses may be callous and uncaring but I chose this job to be those individuals exact opposite. I chose to be the light to those who need it the most.
One more thing to LOVE
Six years ago ... My first born turned 9 years old and I was taking the biggest leap of my life. My baby wasn't even in Kindergarten and I was no longer going to be his daily playmate. My life as a stay at home mom was ending and for the first time in my life I was embarking on an actual CAREER! Back then ... My world was small. I was excited with serving as a church secretary, being the go to person, the voice on the other end of the phone. I had no experience at all, yet by the grace of God I was given an opportunity. Overnight I became a book keeper, and a secretary, and I loved it!
Fast forward to six years later and as I reflect back to what I have accomplished, what I have achieved, and what I have become, I can't help but smile. Had someone told me then that in two years I would be jumping into a farm truck and driving to Lesser Slave Lake to serve others and stay in a hotel by myself I would have shook my head and said "Heck No!" The day I volunteered to help Samaritans Purse I was filled with uncertainty and fear but the people I met, the time I spent and the things I did made me love it! If you had told me that eventually I would stand by my husbands side on a volunteer fire department (running into a house fire instead of going out) I would have laughed at you. I will always remember the thrill I got when that pager went off. The house so hot that the coffee on the table was bubbling, and holding the hand of a man that was seriously broken in pieces. The good and the bad ... I loved it. If someone would have told me that in just 4 short years I would be saying goodbye to my mom, and then my dad ... I would have pulled the covers over my head and refused to let another day go by. Yet, by grace again, I made it through. I cherished the moments I spent with both of them as I cared for them, curled up in the hospital bed watching tv with them, or reading to them. Those were tough moments but I loved them. Now, had you, or anyone I know told me all of this, and then told me that I would become an EMR and work for the city of Edmonton. I would have asked an E - M what?
Like I said, my world was small. It didn't include logistic rooms, fire trucks, hoses, and blood. To me those things were impossible. Fortunately my plans are not up to me. Of course I could stay as an admin assistant until I retire. Being safe, working at a desk, within driving distance to my kids when they need me, being home each week night to have supper with my family. If I did though ... I wouldn't love it. The day I chose to follow God is the day I chose to follow his plan for my life. Its not easy and its not like I have a crystal ball, knowing which path to take and when to just sit idle. Its the people that have been put in my life, the ones that show me grace when I fail, the ones that listen when I struggle, the ones that hold me dear to their heart, lifting me up when I am weak. Its the people that I have worked with along that way that have inspired me, taught me, helped me, and encouraged me. Its the events that happen ... All this is a plan, my plan that I have no clue about, but that I trust I am not alone in.
So, as I take the pictures off my wall, as I strip the name plate off my door, and as I close the door to everything familiar and what once was ... I step into a new world ... A much larger one, with new beginnings, new fears, new unknowns. I am scared! I will fail! I will succeed! I am excited, and I LOVE IT!!!
I believe we get more than just one thing to love, and one day something will click and you will know you found it. I have to believe that.
Fast forward to six years later and as I reflect back to what I have accomplished, what I have achieved, and what I have become, I can't help but smile. Had someone told me then that in two years I would be jumping into a farm truck and driving to Lesser Slave Lake to serve others and stay in a hotel by myself I would have shook my head and said "Heck No!" The day I volunteered to help Samaritans Purse I was filled with uncertainty and fear but the people I met, the time I spent and the things I did made me love it! If you had told me that eventually I would stand by my husbands side on a volunteer fire department (running into a house fire instead of going out) I would have laughed at you. I will always remember the thrill I got when that pager went off. The house so hot that the coffee on the table was bubbling, and holding the hand of a man that was seriously broken in pieces. The good and the bad ... I loved it. If someone would have told me that in just 4 short years I would be saying goodbye to my mom, and then my dad ... I would have pulled the covers over my head and refused to let another day go by. Yet, by grace again, I made it through. I cherished the moments I spent with both of them as I cared for them, curled up in the hospital bed watching tv with them, or reading to them. Those were tough moments but I loved them. Now, had you, or anyone I know told me all of this, and then told me that I would become an EMR and work for the city of Edmonton. I would have asked an E - M what?
Like I said, my world was small. It didn't include logistic rooms, fire trucks, hoses, and blood. To me those things were impossible. Fortunately my plans are not up to me. Of course I could stay as an admin assistant until I retire. Being safe, working at a desk, within driving distance to my kids when they need me, being home each week night to have supper with my family. If I did though ... I wouldn't love it. The day I chose to follow God is the day I chose to follow his plan for my life. Its not easy and its not like I have a crystal ball, knowing which path to take and when to just sit idle. Its the people that have been put in my life, the ones that show me grace when I fail, the ones that listen when I struggle, the ones that hold me dear to their heart, lifting me up when I am weak. Its the people that I have worked with along that way that have inspired me, taught me, helped me, and encouraged me. Its the events that happen ... All this is a plan, my plan that I have no clue about, but that I trust I am not alone in.
So, as I take the pictures off my wall, as I strip the name plate off my door, and as I close the door to everything familiar and what once was ... I step into a new world ... A much larger one, with new beginnings, new fears, new unknowns. I am scared! I will fail! I will succeed! I am excited, and I LOVE IT!!!
I believe we get more than just one thing to love, and one day something will click and you will know you found it. I have to believe that.
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