Glenda’s NACC Blog

I think that since it is Sunday that it’s only befitting to write a devotional. I’m certainly not trying to preach to anyone, because I’m the least person to do that, but I would like to share something with you that happened to me several years ago. Just for the sake of privacy, I have changed the name.

Several years ago I worked a second shift job, and one day while cleaning the house before leaving to go to work, I began to think about Mary. Mary was a little girl that I had gone to school with some twenty years ago at that time. Every day I would see her on the school bus and I always felt so sorry for her. My heart would break at the run-down house that she had to live in, and the worn out hand- me -down clothes that she had to wear. Most of all, I could tell that it bothered her, and for that reason alone, it broke my heart.

Now there I was that day, with every dish I washed, and every bed I made, all I could think about was Mary, a sweet little girl that I had gone to school with. To be honest, I had not seen her, nor even thought of her in over twenty years, and now, all of a sudden I couldn’t keep my mind off of her.

As I left to go to work, it began to rain, and of course I was running late. As I approached Hwy 40, I say a woman walking on the side of the road gathering cans. She had one child on her hip, and several smaller ones following behind her. Since it was beginning to rain, I looked back in my rear view mirror, and as I looked, my heart leaped in my chest. I began to say out loud, “Lord that was Mary!” I wanted to stop, but I was running late for work, and for those of you that know me, I’m never late. In fact, it’s just the opposite. I’m always way too early. I felt that I didn’t have time to stop so I continued on to work.

All night long all I could think about was Mary and how she had been on my mind and then placed right in front of me and I didn’t even stop. It would take too much time to tell you the whole story, so I’m going to fast forward.

I promised God that if he would help me make it home, that the next day that I would not give up until I found her and that was exactly what I did. I went to see her and oh how my heart broke. Here she was a woman in her thirties and the weight of the world that she carried aged her well beyond her years.

Her husband had left her, and it was getting close to Christmas and there she was with all those children. I asked her if she would be offended if I put her name on our Church’s list of families to help out at Christmas.  We were just starting the process of gathering names, and she seemed to be pleased at the offer.

She agreed, and it was amazing at the response that we had. I wish you could have seen the look on those children’s faces as they received the clothes, toys and money. Most of all, I wish you could have seen the look on Mary’s face.  She cried as she began to share how she felt that God had forgotten her. Though she personally didn’t get a lot, she seemed to have received the most as she watched her children bask in the joy of the day. Just in those few short minutes, she looked twenty years younger. You could just see the look of a woman who now knew that God had not forgotten her.

As I left her home that night, I thought I had it all figured out! God had put her on my heart because he knew that her children needed Christmas, but that wasn’t it at all. I guess it was part of it, but little did I know that two weeks later that Mary would be killed in an automobile accident.

God knew that her time was drawing near and I believe that He wanted to show her how much she was loved and that she was NOT forgotten.

 I don’t understand why she had to die, nor do we ever understand why anyone has too; but this we do know. The bible says, “It is appointed that all men must die, and after that the judgment.”

We know that at some point we are all going to leave this world, and I feel that some have to leave way too early. I guess it is just not meant for us to understand why bad things have to happen to good people.

But the amazing thing about this is the Grace of God and how He prepares us for each step of the way, and how that even in the midst, of what seems to be the worst of times, that God can do the greatest of things.

So this was written for all the Mary’s in the world, for all those that may be feeling that they have been forgotten.  Just remember, God knows where you are, and most of all, He knows exactly what you stand in need of.

Wishing you all the best,

Glenda

So many times in our lives, we grow frustrated at the smallest of things. Out of nowhere, we just go crazy. Ordinarily I’m a very patient person, but slow drivers can make me batty.

I can get road rage quicker than anyone I know. They pull out in front of me like a mad person and then slow down to 5 mph. IT DRIVES ME CRAZY.  There have been times, if not for breaking the law, I just wanted to slap somebody, or bump them real good from behind. Something! I’m always murmuring out load, “If I could just get my hands on you.” I hate it when I lose control of my emotions like that and allow my mood to become heightened over something so silly.

Today when Ms Hopson was lecturing she was trying to teach us that even though the patient is in control of their care, we are in control of how it affects us. We can teach the client, but ultimately they chose if they’re going to listen. She was bringing home the point that when a client doesn’t act appropriately that we must learn to act in the right way and not to react.

 She was explaining to us that we shouldn’t give our power away. Once we let them drag us into their behavior, then we have enabled them to have control over us.

I now realize that all I was doing when getting so upset was giving my power away. I was allowing a complete stranger to take control of my emotions and how I felt that day. The biggest thing that she helped me to see, was that it wasn’t the other driver that was making me batty, but it was me making myself batty when I gave in and gave my control away. Truth be known, some of those drivers may have been handicapped, or whatever. It doesn’t matter the reason why they were driving so slow. What matters, is that I was giving them the power to control my emotions while I sat there yelling “can you not drive?”

 As I’ve mentioned before, life is a constant change and thank God for that. Change reminds us that hope is always a possibility, and faith ensures us that all things are possible. It leaves us with a promise that all roads may have obstacles, but if we stay in control we can still enjoy the ride!

So in closing, I thank you Ms Hopson for turning on the lights;  it’s a whole lot better than driving around in the darkness yelling at people who can’t drive.

Here’s to walking in the light, or in my case driving in the light!

Glenda

I’m having so much fun blogging. I live alone and sometimes I get lonely. Blogging makes me feel that I have someone to talk to in the midst of all the silence. I’m not sure if anyone is reading it, but it still makes me feel good. Alright, I know at least one person is. I pay someone to read them and act interested. Just kidding!

I’ve been thinking about my life today and trying to put my finger on why it is that I’m so happy. I’m getting old. I’m over weight. I live alone. My children are grown and gone, and all I do is study. This is a true example of what negative thinking looks like. Then I flipped the coin.

I’m still aging, so that means that I’m not dead. It means that I still have a chance to change anything that I don’t like such as being overweight, which by the way, is not a permanent diagnosis. Yes, my children are grown and gone, but what’s really to be sad about that. For heaven’s sake, their happy, healthy, and most of all INDEPENDENT!  I do study all the time, but it makes me feel good when my mind is growing and my body isn’t. I feel good about not keeping my face in the television, but rather keeping it in a book.

Isn’t it amazing at how the different approaches to thinking and life makes you feel. I never thought that I would be starting all over again at this time in my life, or that I would be alone, but I am. Most of all, I never thought that finding myself here that I could manage to turn it around to be happy again, but I have.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that regardless of what life throws at you, you can survive it. Trust me, I’ve played in the major leagues.  I have been thrown some real curve balls in my life time, and I know that we’re capable of overcoming them. It’s not always easy, and sometimes we may feel that we’re not going to, but we do. You keep putting one foot in front of the other and before you know it, you’re walking out of the bad into something wonderful.

For those of you that know me, you understand that not too long ago that something very tragic and unexpected happened to me. It rattled my world and completely knocked me off of my feet. I thought it had me. I really seen no way of bouncing back, but I did. Grace stepped in, and when I couldn’t do anything for myself but grieve, God did the rest.

It didn’t happen overnight, but it happened, and here I am today telling you how happy that I am. I mentioned this because I know that I’m not the only one that’s going to get hit with a curve ball that knocks you down, and too, because I have someone that I want to thank. Yes, here I go again thanking someone, but it’s important that we do so.

I don’t want to go into details, but I want to thank Mr. Webb in the theatre department. I took one of his classes, which by the way, I highly recommend. You will love it! All my life I had wanted to be in a play, or just to know what it felt like to be able to stand in front of a crowd and have them mesmerized. It just amazes me how actors transform themselves into something that seems so real. Anyway, to make a long story short, he convinced me to try out. Now here I am, sitting beside a young girl and we’re both waiting for our turn. I’m 2x her age, and she already had 2x the experience. She knew the correct way to audition and was practiced to the hilt. Here I was, I had no idea on what to say or do.

My heart was beating in my throat, in my head, and I sware I think I could feel it in my shoes. I got up to leave the building I don’t know how many times, but somehow I managed to stay in my seat until it was my turn. When I walked out on the stage I was thinking that he was going to give me something to read, but he didn’t.  I was supposed to re-enact something that I had prepared, or already knew which was absolutely, NOTHING!

You talk about PANIC! Before I knew it, I began to talk about the bad experience that had happened to me.  It was like I was telling a theatre full of people, though no one was there listening other than Mr. Webb, and myself. I’m sure he thought this poor crazy woman, but he NEVER let it show. He listened, he was professional, and two months later, I received a call to be in a play. Which by the way, I declined because I knew he must have only pitied me.

The acting was awful, if you could even call it that, but the relief that came from standing on that stage and talking about what had happened to me was enormous.  It was like a huge weight was lifted off of me. The weight of that burden left, and the fact that I was able to overcome my fears of standing on that stage, changed me.

I will always be grateful to Mr. Webb for encouraging me to reach beyond my comfort zone, and for treating me as if I had just given a normal audition, of which I knew I hadn’t.  Sitting there and listening to me was probably a small thing to him, a small gift or gesture on his part, but to me it was one of the greatest gifts that I have ever been given. It was that moment that I realized that I was bigger than the problem. I could overcome it! How many times are we tempted when choosing a gift to pick the biggest, or the prettiest and shiniest package? I have learned that sometimes, the greatest of gifts comes in the smallest of ways.

NACC is so fortunate to have the theatre department that we do. I would like to thank all the people who support it and who help to keep it at the caliber that it is. If you have not seen any of our plays you have to do so. They are so great. I have never seen one that was not outstanding.

So in closing, try to remember that sometimes the smallest gestures on your part can have the greatest significance to another.

See you at the theatre!

Glenda

Twas the night before clinicals

As I crept into bed

I couldn’t sleep any

for all the thoughts in my head.

Will I pass my check-off,

Or will Ms Gardner have to say

Take your stethoscope and shove it

You best be on your way!

Can I walk into a room

With a stranger unknown

And ask to clean their bottom,

Or help them on the throne.

Can I make their bed or shave them

Without cutting their throat into

Can I actually be of assistance

And know what it is that I should do.

I didn’t have the answers

Therefore no sleep would come

So I got up at 2:00 am

and just waited for the sun!

All day long at clinicals

Much to my surprise

I did the task before me

And NO ONE had do die!

I did it! I know that little story may seem silly, but it’s really a true scenario of my night before clinicals. When I say I didn’t sleep, I mean not one minute. Needless to say, by the end of the day, my tail was dragging the ground. As I look back on it, my being that nervous seems as silly as “Twas the night before clinicals.”

Isn’t it funny how we become so anxious over the unknown? We make such a big mountain out of a small mole hill. If you’re like me, you spend way too much time fearing things that never happen. Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s healthy sometimes to be a little anxious. Our senses kick in, our adrenaline starts pumping and it pushes us to excel. We start to consider barriers and ways around them, so that we’re fully prepared. We don’t want anything to go wrong, but to get to the point of fearing slitting someone’s throat when you shave them. Now, that’s a little too much anxiety!

All in all, I had a great day. I didn’t get to see a lot of things, but some of the girls did, and just to be able to hear their stories and see the look on their faces as they talked about it, made it all worth it; especially Dana. I’m sorry I have to set the story straight. Don’t let her fool you, she is not shy. She cracked me up. I thought she was so quite, NOT! She had me laughing my head off. We have such a good group of women in our clinical group. Come to think about it, that may be why it is so good, there are no men! No, I’m just kidding, it would have been nice to have had at least one man in the group– that way I could say that I have a man in my life. (smiling)

I think that I must have some Chinese in me. My name should have been Ms. Wr-ong”, because every time that I meet what I feel is Mr. Right, they call me Ms. Wr-ong”! Doesn’t that sound Chinese to you?

I hope everyone knows that I’m just kidding. I am not looking for Mr. Right. I know that all good men are either married, or dead so I have given up. H o w e v e r , just in case you know of one that might be lurking around ask them if they like Chinese women. Tell them about Ms. Wr-ong. I just might be available. (smiling)

Well I don’t know how I got off on all that, but I guess when you’re single you have to laugh about it to keep from crying. I just wanted to wish everyone best of luck in doing their clinicals and to encourage you not to fret as much as I did that first night.

There’s an old Chinese saying that says, “Too much worry today, makes too much gray hair tomorrow.”

Talk with you soon,

Ms. Wr-ong!

Get on your mark. Get ready. Get set. GO!!!!  You talk about running. The race to the finish line is on. I am amazed at how much there is to do. We’re just barely into the Nursing Program and it’s been constant, except for a few quick pit stops and then off you go again. One thing I’m really amazed by is how organized the program is. You can tell that the Instructors have worked really hard in putting the program together. There have been a few unexpected glitches due to weather, but we made it through them.  I’m sure the instructors were scrambling around to pull it off, but we never knew it. It all seemed to go off smoothly without a hitch. Hitch, now there’s a phrase that dates me.

Speaking of running, I’m sure that many of you watched the Olympics. It was amazing to watch the world’s finest athletes at their best. They all trained so hard and really deserved all the medals and attention that they received. I admired each one of them, but this medal is for another group of trained professionals who I admire as well. A group of individuals who train very hard and rarely do they receive any recognition, let alone, any medals.

  SO, HERE IT IS                                  THIS MEDAL IS FOR YOU

-You -being all the nurses and 2^nd year nursing students who have gone before me. WOW, at the race you had to run! I now realize what you had to go through to call yourself a nurse. The funny thing is, even with all the hard work, sweat and tears; I know that you would do it again in a heartbeat. The program is so amazing. I guess you can tell that I love it. If you’re a student that’s still undecided about your major, I would encourage you to look into the nursing program. I don’t think you would be disappointed.

On another note, I would like to recognize someone else. I would like to thank all the staff that works in the Financial Aid department. They have been so helpful to me. I am so impressed at the way they handle their full workload and still take all the time needed to help each student with their individual needs.  I had been out of school for a long time and didn’t really know the way things worked regarding financial aid, scholarships, and etc.. They were so helpful to me, without making me feel inadequate. Alright, I’ll say it again, without making me feel old. To know your job is one thing, but to know it and do it with a smile is another. I want to thank them, for always having that “how can I help you attitude”, and always doing it with a smile.

One of the things that I love most about blogging is that I get to take the time to share life experiences with others, or to just be able to recognize someone for a job well done. I think it’s important that we appreciate people and to let them know as such. Have you ever heard the old saying, “Don’t give me roses when I’m dead, but rather give them to me now while I can still enjoy them?  There is nothing prettier than a bouquet of roses, and nothing sweeter than giving someone a bouquet of kindness.  A nice thank you, sealed with a big smile.

Let someone know you appreciate them today.

Off and running,

Glenda