Mighty Mom posted a link to this Monday March 10 entry by blogger Lucy, of Lucy's Frugal Living. Folks, you have to read this--and grab a kleenex first.
Thanks for the link, Sarah, and Lucy, thanks for posting it. I've copied it and sent it in an email to many friends.
http://lucysfrugalliving.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Magic Moments Monday
Late again! Same song, second verse--got called in to work until 2am last night then had a 10am appointment. So let me jump in without further delay!
A reminder about the reason and how to participate:
Mondays, for most people, are the "Ho hum, weekend's over, work is WORK, and can't wait 'til Friday" type of day. My intent is to help us begin our week with something positive, something to hold on to, to get us through the rest of the week. Your entry can be a Scripture verse, a quote, an insight, something that touched your life or changed the way you look at things. I expect some of the first entries to be from the past, until we learn to look each day for those magic moments that remind us how wonderful life really is.
Please leave a comment with a way to find your post, either the link through your signature, or insert the link, so we can all read your experience. Then, on your post, link back to this post, so others visiting you can participate if they'd like.
I am woefully computer illiterate so don't know how to make a logo or do the Mr. Linky thing, so we'll just bunt for now, okay?
Okay!
Each year our hospital puts on a "Competency Fair", where there are "stations" set up about techniques, new equipment, etc. I grumble about going in on my offdays, but it really is a good refresher. This year, they are calling for everyone to bring in their quick and easy recipes, so I assume someone in Education is putting together a cookbook of sorts to distribute. Well, I am all about getting the cooking over and done with ASAP, so I pulled out some of my trusty recipes and grabbed a deck of rubberbanded (is that a real word?) 3x5 cards to write on.
Some of the cards were yellowed on the edges and when I pulled them from the stack, found a bunch of quotes I had posted on my bulletin board at an office job I held years ago. Wow! There were some great quotes there, and I had forgotten most of them. As I sifted through them, I came across one that really stood out--well, 2 actually--but the second one is another post. This is by Charles T Jones, from a book he wrote, entitled "Life is Tremendous".
In the first chapter are three guidelines to improving your outlook on life:
1) Be learning to say something positive to everybody all the time.
2) Be learning to see something positive in everything that happens.
3) Be learning to See It Big and Keep It Simple--SIBKIS.
#1 reminded me of a compliment one of my patients gave me many years ago. First you have to understand, I am not a pretty person. I might have been okay-looking for a few years in my early 20's, but I was always a chubby little girl with glasses who grew into a fat teenager with glasses and braces and became a fat woman with glasses and slightly crooked teeth. (Let's just say the braces worked only temporarily.) I am under no delusions about my looks.
But one night, as I was busy with an older gentleman in CCU, he told me "You know, you have a nice mouth." I stammered something, don't remember what, but first chance I got, I looked in the mirror, and you know, I DO have a nice mouth. That was not an earth-shattering statement; in fact, he probably forgot me and what he said within 2 weeks of leaving the hospital, but I won't ever forget it. At a time when this man was dealing with serious cardiac issues, he took the time to give me a compliment. And he made me feel pretty for a while. He probably had no idea the impact that one little compliment has had on another human being.
So I am going to work on step #1 this week--be learning to say something positive to everybody all the time. Because it doesn't cost me anything, but it might make someone's day a little brighter.
Your turn!
A reminder about the reason and how to participate:
Mondays, for most people, are the "Ho hum, weekend's over, work is WORK, and can't wait 'til Friday" type of day. My intent is to help us begin our week with something positive, something to hold on to, to get us through the rest of the week. Your entry can be a Scripture verse, a quote, an insight, something that touched your life or changed the way you look at things. I expect some of the first entries to be from the past, until we learn to look each day for those magic moments that remind us how wonderful life really is.
Please leave a comment with a way to find your post, either the link through your signature, or insert the link, so we can all read your experience. Then, on your post, link back to this post, so others visiting you can participate if they'd like.
I am woefully computer illiterate so don't know how to make a logo or do the Mr. Linky thing, so we'll just bunt for now, okay?
Okay!
Each year our hospital puts on a "Competency Fair", where there are "stations" set up about techniques, new equipment, etc. I grumble about going in on my offdays, but it really is a good refresher. This year, they are calling for everyone to bring in their quick and easy recipes, so I assume someone in Education is putting together a cookbook of sorts to distribute. Well, I am all about getting the cooking over and done with ASAP, so I pulled out some of my trusty recipes and grabbed a deck of rubberbanded (is that a real word?) 3x5 cards to write on.
Some of the cards were yellowed on the edges and when I pulled them from the stack, found a bunch of quotes I had posted on my bulletin board at an office job I held years ago. Wow! There were some great quotes there, and I had forgotten most of them. As I sifted through them, I came across one that really stood out--well, 2 actually--but the second one is another post. This is by Charles T Jones, from a book he wrote, entitled "Life is Tremendous".
In the first chapter are three guidelines to improving your outlook on life:
1) Be learning to say something positive to everybody all the time.
2) Be learning to see something positive in everything that happens.
3) Be learning to See It Big and Keep It Simple--SIBKIS.
#1 reminded me of a compliment one of my patients gave me many years ago. First you have to understand, I am not a pretty person. I might have been okay-looking for a few years in my early 20's, but I was always a chubby little girl with glasses who grew into a fat teenager with glasses and braces and became a fat woman with glasses and slightly crooked teeth. (Let's just say the braces worked only temporarily.) I am under no delusions about my looks.
But one night, as I was busy with an older gentleman in CCU, he told me "You know, you have a nice mouth." I stammered something, don't remember what, but first chance I got, I looked in the mirror, and you know, I DO have a nice mouth. That was not an earth-shattering statement; in fact, he probably forgot me and what he said within 2 weeks of leaving the hospital, but I won't ever forget it. At a time when this man was dealing with serious cardiac issues, he took the time to give me a compliment. And he made me feel pretty for a while. He probably had no idea the impact that one little compliment has had on another human being.
So I am going to work on step #1 this week--be learning to say something positive to everybody all the time. Because it doesn't cost me anything, but it might make someone's day a little brighter.
Your turn!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
My Sponsored Daughters
This past week I got my newest sponsorship package. I've just finished filling out the folder for her, with a current photo and our information and tucked in a couple of coloring book pages for her.
So I thought I'd share these photos of my two girls:
On the left is Dalia, now 15 years old, from a family of 6, living in El Salvador. She's learning to do hair, and maybe will learn dressmaking. She's not attending school, since her mother pulled her out (I don't know why), but the Compassion Center is doing their best to teach her a trade, a way to provide for herself.
On the right is Aduri, 8 years old, from Bangladesh, who waited for over 6 months for a sponsor. Workers in her village earn up to $22/month. I can make more than that in an hour. How could I not send $32 each month to help support her and her family of 6?
I am their only sponsor. I send them letters and stickers and photos and postcards, and they send me about 3 letters/year. They know my name, I know theirs. It is a relationship.
If you haven't been over to Compassion's website to look at those beautiful faces, please take some time to do so, and see if you can find it in your heart and in your wallet to make a difference in a family's life. These people don't have access to health care, to free birth control, to food stamps or government assistance. They are fortunate if they have electricity and clean water. And if you can't sponsor a child right now, consider a donation to one of their programs: Their unsponsored child program, which helps care for children waiting to be sponsored, or maybe their Child Survivor Program, which teaches mothers prenatal care, and how to treat dehydration, etc.
THey have a program for AIDS victims, and one to treat/prevent malaria, and a program for assisting victims of the earthquake in Peru.
There are so many ways we can make a difference in this world, that sometimes we can get overwhelmed. This is one of the ways I have chosen to give back some of what I have been given. I also like to donate to USO for our troops, and Habitat for Humanity, because they don't just give houses away, they empower people to change their own lives.
THere are so many worthwhile causes out there. How do you choose who gets your assistance? What are your soft spots? Your favorite charities? Maybe some of you are looking for worthy projects or programs to help. I'd love to hear all your input!
So I thought I'd share these photos of my two girls:
On the left is Dalia, now 15 years old, from a family of 6, living in El Salvador. She's learning to do hair, and maybe will learn dressmaking. She's not attending school, since her mother pulled her out (I don't know why), but the Compassion Center is doing their best to teach her a trade, a way to provide for herself.
On the right is Aduri, 8 years old, from Bangladesh, who waited for over 6 months for a sponsor. Workers in her village earn up to $22/month. I can make more than that in an hour. How could I not send $32 each month to help support her and her family of 6?
I am their only sponsor. I send them letters and stickers and photos and postcards, and they send me about 3 letters/year. They know my name, I know theirs. It is a relationship.
If you haven't been over to Compassion's website to look at those beautiful faces, please take some time to do so, and see if you can find it in your heart and in your wallet to make a difference in a family's life. These people don't have access to health care, to free birth control, to food stamps or government assistance. They are fortunate if they have electricity and clean water. And if you can't sponsor a child right now, consider a donation to one of their programs: Their unsponsored child program, which helps care for children waiting to be sponsored, or maybe their Child Survivor Program, which teaches mothers prenatal care, and how to treat dehydration, etc.
THey have a program for AIDS victims, and one to treat/prevent malaria, and a program for assisting victims of the earthquake in Peru.
There are so many ways we can make a difference in this world, that sometimes we can get overwhelmed. This is one of the ways I have chosen to give back some of what I have been given. I also like to donate to USO for our troops, and Habitat for Humanity, because they don't just give houses away, they empower people to change their own lives.
THere are so many worthwhile causes out there. How do you choose who gets your assistance? What are your soft spots? Your favorite charities? Maybe some of you are looking for worthy projects or programs to help. I'd love to hear all your input!
Monday, March 03, 2008
Name Change
Well, folks, it seems we have a slight glitch here. A Very Nice Lady named Beth over at A Mom's Life started a weekly topic entitled "Miracle Monday". Today. Yep. Great minds think alike, huh?
Now, Beth is calling for posts about miracles you have been a part of, witnessed, or heard of that inspired you, and it's a wonderful idea. But the name is so similar, there's already been a mix-up, and it is not my intention to cause confusion in Blogland.
So I'm going to change this slightly, and call it Magic Moments Monday.
Since my focus is on anything positive that helps us make it through a week, such as quotes, Scripture, "AHA" moments, anecdotes, insights, etc., I'm hoping there will be enough difference that both Blogs will benefit. Also, we might have different visitors. And if Magic Moments Monday undergoes a quiet little demise, well, then, just head on over to A Mom's Life and add your thoughts to the wonderful posts her blog has inspired.
Sweet dreams, all.
Now, Beth is calling for posts about miracles you have been a part of, witnessed, or heard of that inspired you, and it's a wonderful idea. But the name is so similar, there's already been a mix-up, and it is not my intention to cause confusion in Blogland.
So I'm going to change this slightly, and call it Magic Moments Monday.
Since my focus is on anything positive that helps us make it through a week, such as quotes, Scripture, "AHA" moments, anecdotes, insights, etc., I'm hoping there will be enough difference that both Blogs will benefit. Also, we might have different visitors. And if Magic Moments Monday undergoes a quiet little demise, well, then, just head on over to A Mom's Life and add your thoughts to the wonderful posts her blog has inspired.
Sweet dreams, all.
It's Magic (Moments) Monday
First off, I apologize for being a little late getting this post up. One of the gals called in sick for last night and I split the shift with someone, getting home and to bed at 2am. I fully intended to have this entry all written out and ready to post before now! lol
So, a quick reminder about how it works:
Mondays, for most people, are the "Ho hum, weekend's over, work is WORK, and can't wait 'til Friday" type of day. My intent is to help us begin our week with something positive, something to hold on to, to get us through the rest of the week. Your entry can be a Scripture verse, a quote, an insight, something that touched your life or changed the way you look at things. I expect some of the first entries to be from the past, until we learn to look each day for those magic moments that remind us how wonderful life really is.
Please leave a comment with a way to find your post, either the link through your signature, or insert the link, so we can all read your experience. Then, on your post, link back to this post, so others visiting you can participate if they'd like.
I am woefully computer illiterate so don't know how to make a logo or do the Mr. Linky thing, so we'll just bunt for now, okay?
Now, I'll start us off.
I gripe a lot about my job (I'm a hospital-based nurse), sometimes on this blog, most of the time to my long-suffering husband. Today I am going to list 5 things I am thankful for about this job, and try to keep these in the front of my mind when things spiral out of (my) control at work.
1. I'm thankful I HAVE a job. One of the other small hospitals in this part of NC just lost their funding from Medicare/Medicaid, and several insurance companies. Services there are severely limited now, and at least 5 of their nurses just hired on at our hospital, fearing the other one will have to close down and they will lose their source of income. Kinda puts things in perspective for me.
2. I'm grateful for patients (and the family members)who say "Thank you." Those two words go a long way when my back and shoulders are hurting, when my feet are a little swollen, when another patient is irritable, and I feel as if I can't get it all done in 12 hours.
3. I'm thankful for the flexibility of my schedule. We are a small hospital, and telemetry is a small unit, and we pretty much write our own schedules. If there is a conflict about days off, we work it out with each other. Therefore, I don't have to work more than 3 shifts in a row if I don't want to (and I don't) and I can have 2 nights off in a row (which equals one full day).
4. I'm grateful for managers who stand up for us with administration, who try their darndest to hire good nurses, not just warm bodies, and who are not too good to roll up their sleeves and work right alongside us. I'll even work 4 shifts in a row (occasionally) for them!
5. I'm thankful for my co-workers, the gals and guys of telemetry and ICU, who pitch in and help put orders in the computer when we're swamped with admissions, who rush to our aid when a patient is going bad, who ask "How is it going with the C-PAP?", and split a shift when someone is down with the flu. Come to think of it, I believe I'll make a batch of cookies to take in tomorrow night to show MY thanks!
Okay, I think I'm going to print this off and carry it around with me for those days when working McDonald's during lunch hour looks preferable to what I do.
Your turn!
So, a quick reminder about how it works:
Mondays, for most people, are the "Ho hum, weekend's over, work is WORK, and can't wait 'til Friday" type of day. My intent is to help us begin our week with something positive, something to hold on to, to get us through the rest of the week. Your entry can be a Scripture verse, a quote, an insight, something that touched your life or changed the way you look at things. I expect some of the first entries to be from the past, until we learn to look each day for those magic moments that remind us how wonderful life really is.
Please leave a comment with a way to find your post, either the link through your signature, or insert the link, so we can all read your experience. Then, on your post, link back to this post, so others visiting you can participate if they'd like.
I am woefully computer illiterate so don't know how to make a logo or do the Mr. Linky thing, so we'll just bunt for now, okay?
Now, I'll start us off.
I gripe a lot about my job (I'm a hospital-based nurse), sometimes on this blog, most of the time to my long-suffering husband. Today I am going to list 5 things I am thankful for about this job, and try to keep these in the front of my mind when things spiral out of (my) control at work.
1. I'm thankful I HAVE a job. One of the other small hospitals in this part of NC just lost their funding from Medicare/Medicaid, and several insurance companies. Services there are severely limited now, and at least 5 of their nurses just hired on at our hospital, fearing the other one will have to close down and they will lose their source of income. Kinda puts things in perspective for me.
2. I'm grateful for patients (and the family members)who say "Thank you." Those two words go a long way when my back and shoulders are hurting, when my feet are a little swollen, when another patient is irritable, and I feel as if I can't get it all done in 12 hours.
3. I'm thankful for the flexibility of my schedule. We are a small hospital, and telemetry is a small unit, and we pretty much write our own schedules. If there is a conflict about days off, we work it out with each other. Therefore, I don't have to work more than 3 shifts in a row if I don't want to (and I don't) and I can have 2 nights off in a row (which equals one full day).
4. I'm grateful for managers who stand up for us with administration, who try their darndest to hire good nurses, not just warm bodies, and who are not too good to roll up their sleeves and work right alongside us. I'll even work 4 shifts in a row (occasionally) for them!
5. I'm thankful for my co-workers, the gals and guys of telemetry and ICU, who pitch in and help put orders in the computer when we're swamped with admissions, who rush to our aid when a patient is going bad, who ask "How is it going with the C-PAP?", and split a shift when someone is down with the flu. Come to think of it, I believe I'll make a batch of cookies to take in tomorrow night to show MY thanks!
Okay, I think I'm going to print this off and carry it around with me for those days when working McDonald's during lunch hour looks preferable to what I do.
Your turn!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
