good day

I had such a good day today! Clinicals went really well. The patient I took care of was super nice and she was younger, so it was really nice having someone being able to understand what I was saying. (Apparently my voice is too high-pitched for hard of hearing old men to understand me.)

Then I got to take a NAP! :) It was pretty nice.

And now (and I mean now in a very immediate sense) I get to go babysit!

Have a lovely day, my friends!

God bless you!

Jesus for sale

This is really upsetting, so if you aren't having a good day, you might not want to read it!

My dad told me at lunch today that someone was selling a host on Ebay that had been consecrated by Pope John Paul II in the 70's or 80's. I am absolutely disgusted! How horrible! The top bid was like $2000 or something. I really hope someone bought it to take proper care of it and to take it off the market. I pray it wasn't someone wanting it for a satanic ritual or something.

Poor Jesus...will Your passion never end?

where's the love?

I just got back from the retreat in Iowa City. I will write more about it later, but it was AWESOME! The Holy Spirit was definately at work in all of the young people there. It was so wonderful to see them go from spread out in the back pews to being pressed up as close as they could get to the front, all hugging and singing together.

It made me think of how sad it is that it is so rare to be shown love these days. People at school seem indifferent to you, people on the streets at best will acknowledge that you're in their way...even friends seem reluctant to hug, hold hands, and cry together unless they know each other super well. So seeing the youth taking others under their wings and just loving them was so beautiful to me! I just sat there watching them and thanking Jesus.

The small groups seemed to go well, too, although I am not sure how mine went, but the youth seemed to enjoy themselves. Hopefully they learned and grew closer to God as well (for isn't that the point).

I have so much more to say but I will save it for a later time as I need to study for my nursing test tomorrow!

God bless you all!

maybe clinicals aren't so bad

So today was an interesting day. I was at the hospital for my second day of clinicals and let me tell you, I just got thrown right in there! But unlike last time, I did not feel horribly inept. I was able to know what to do and only had to ask my teacher about things about 20 times (which is much better than last time when I asked her how to do everything).

And I learned that one good thing about having all nurses as teachers is getting to ask them questions about your own health and getting their professional opinion.

I have been feeling really faint whenever I'm at the hospital and both times I was at clinical I almost passed out/threw up. I felt really weak all day today and felt a lot of pressure in my chest. I tried drinking juice to raise my blood sugar, which had helped the first time, but that only helped for a little bit. My teacher said it could be a few things: dehydration, diabetes (which I'm statistically too old to get type 1 and statisically too thin to get type 2), or anemia. I don't really know what it is, but I've had this problem before, especially in the summer. I think it's probably a combination of the heat, the smell, standing all day, low blood sugar, and dehydration. So I'm going to try to drink lots more water next time and see if it gets better. Otherwise I'm going to make a doctor's appointment to get tested for anemia and diabetes. (I guess having diabetes would be one way to practice injections.) ;)

But now I'm off to help with a retreat up in Iowa City! So pray for me because I'm giving two talks and have been too busy to majorly think about them.

Then on Sunday I am going out with some friends, so I'm excited about that too!

Have a great April day!

God bless you!

major oops!

So today we learned how to insert catheters and care for colostomies and about hydration and stuff. By the end of talking about "voiding," I had to go to the bathroom really badly.

So I went over to the bathrooms, but the women's bathroom is occupied, so I decided to use the unisex bathroom. (Get it? There's no men's bathroom because women's bathrooms are notorious for always having a long line.) Anyways. The bathrooms at my school are single stall bathrooms with a lock on the outside door and then a stall with a lock on the inside of that. The unisex bathroom also has a urinal without a stall. Ok...I'm getting to the point, but all of this is important for you to know.

SO...I walk into the unisex bathroom, which is unlocked, and get some paper towel ready so I don't have to touch the nob after I've washed my hands. Then I go around the corner to where the stall is and there is a MAN in there completely using the urinal and just staring at me.

I was so shocked and embarrassed that I was just like "I'm so sorry!" and left!

How humiliating for both of us!

But really...if you're going to use a urinal WITHOUT a stall in a UNISEX bathroom, please lock the outside door! And if you can't do that, at least say something when you hear someone else coming in! Don't wait 15 seconds or until the other person (who happens to be a WOMAN) has to come around the corner and see you using the restroom!

Ok...that's my story. I'm done now.

not so baywatch

This summer my aunt and uncle who live in Stafford, Virginia invited me to come and stay at their house! I am really excited about it! At first I didn't really want to go, but then I realized that all I ever do during the summer is sit at home. So this will be great!

I want to get a job as a lifeguard somewhere, which is something I've always wanted to do!

First I need to get my lifeguard training from Red Cross, which shouldn't be too hard, providing I can find a class.

Actually, I just checked, and it's a good thing I thought of this when I did, because the classes are starting VERY SOON! Acutally, most of them have already started! I'd better get on this when I get home from school tonight!

Yay!

"the ex"

so i thought i was bad a being a girlfriend.

but evidentally i'm really bad at being an ex-girlfriend.

i wish his peace with this did not make me want to vomit.

i wish i could forget and move on as he has.

i wish my thoughts were not tainted with jealousy.

i wish i could be happy that he is.

-happy for what he's found.

-happy by myself.

i wish i wanted what i know i should.

but do i?

i am very confused.

help me Jesus.

without You, only sorrow can reign.

changes afoot

Today during the Eucharistic prayer at Mass instead of saying

"Lord, remember your Church throughout the world; make us grow in love, together with John Paul our Pope, Joseph our bishop, and all the clergy."

The priest said

"Lord, remember your Church throughout the world; make us grow in love, together Joseph our bishop, and all the clergy."

And then during the part where they usually say

"Remember our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again; bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence."

He said

"Remember especially our dear departed Holy Father, Pope John Paul II and all of our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again; bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence."

It was so weird! I am so used to having a Pope and now he is gone. But, as Ed said, now we have a powerful new intercessor in Heaven who will be able to do much more good now than he's ever been able to do before.

Pope John Paul II, pray for us and for our Church. Jesus, guide the cardinals to elect the Pope who You desire to be Your Vicar. May he be holy and desire only Your will.

threshold of uncertainty

I step reluctantly into the darkness
-----into the terrifying beauty of the swirling
-----------black abyss
-----known only to the Three
Uncertainty consumes my heart
Had I not once been assured of where this path led?
----Yet now here I stand
-------in the threshold of an ebony somber
------------unknown
And ever so silent
-------------------never revealing its long-kept secrets
------I tremble
------------I want to run to the familiar pains
------------------of things since revealed
------of a generosity too great, too soon, too certain
Yet my feet are forced to walk forward
----------further and further
-------------------------------into the night
Why do I fear?
---------Was it not You who created the darkness?
--------------------pronouncing it good
------Have You not promised to guide my steps?
----------------never allowing me to fall
Hide my inhibitions from me
----------------------walk by my side
---Help me to embrace the night
-------I cannot face the unknown without You

Papa

Pope John Paul II in his last days

I was reading an entry on Peniten's blog that was very eloquent, much more so than I could have ever written, about our Holy Father.

To read it (which I highly recommend) click here.