Oh to be like Catherine of Siena

"According to legend, her devotion to the ailling poor was so pleasing to the Master, who had gone healing the ailing, that she a number of visits from celestial personages. Above all the Christ Child was so much interested in this young women who when scarecely more than a child, had insisted on devoting herself to His ailing poor..."

We Have Met to Worship

It's a Good Day

It's a good day to be alive. The sky is bright, the snow is pretty on the ground (not so on the roads however), and although nothing big is happening in my day I am thankfull to be here. With american thanksgiving on its way i am beginign to think about all that i am thankful for.
1) Family; although all of my family is in NB celebrating this holiday this year, i am blessed to have a loving family, who when push comes to shove come together and supports eachother no matter what. And we have a new addition to the family Baby Michal who by the way is ADORABLE!
2) Work; Although somedays i complain when i get called in for overtime, or am asked to stay late to do Med Pass, over all i am blessed with a Job that i love, and thank God for daily.
3) Friends; I am blessed with some really great friends in my life. I spent the day with my College Rommie yesterday laughing, and talking just enjoying eachother's company. It was so great.
4) Deep Water; I have been so blessed to be able call Deep Water my church home. I am not there as much as i would like what with work and such, however i am so impressed by the vision God has given the church. THier focus on compassion ministy lines up with the desires God has placed on my heart. God is using AJ and his team to impact eternity, Praise Him for that!!!!!
So i guess with all of that and soo much more its a great day to be alive!

It was a little after 7 when i left the floor and headed down to the staff lounge to get my coat and boots. the night had been long filled with much to do. We started the cold walk up the hill to J's apartment. We had decided that it would be easier to stay at her house as she was closer to work then I. We arrived home with enough time to shower, eat, and get ready to leave for church. Tired, it would have been very easy for us to skip we had worked all night after all, we had every reason to stay home. But we didnt, so coffee in hand we went to the theater at Park Lnae where we meet and met with God. . THe worship was great and the message poinient. But i think the thing that hit me the most, was how the crowd lined up to recieve communion. I was filled with emotion to see so many lining up to celebrate the gift Christ gave when he suffered death on the cross. I am in no way capturing the raw emotion i felt in that room, but i guess thats ok, God was in that service today and i am so thankfull to serve the God I serve!

He is here!

HE is here halleluah, HE is here AMEN! That is very evident in the creation of earth, man kind, and the universe, galaxies otherthan and including ours. We watch an incredible video at church yesterday that was so eye opening and well AWESOME! THe worship was excellent as well. I knelt on the floor of the theater in my seat and prayed for Gods continued presence in my life, in the church and with every part of my world. God was there, and how great it was! I am beyond tired and hungry after a loooooong 12 hr shift so i am going to getr some supper, and curl up with some TV, i well deservedc luxuray!!!!

Sometimes I Forget

I just got home. The rain has drenched my hair, and it deffinatley feels like fall in halifax. The family i board with is having thier family christmas get together. The laughter from above seeps down to where i am and i am reminded of christmas's past, where my own family once gathered and laughed, ate, sang and reminiced. How often we take for granted those we love. Perhaps we don't call as often as we should, or maybe we forget to tell them how much they really mean to us. But being miles and miles away from my own family make me realize just how important it really is!

This Journey is my Own

When I stand before the Lord, I’ll be standing alone
This journey is my own
Still I want man’s advice, and I need man’s approval
This journey is my own

Why would I want to live for man, and pay the highest price
What does it mean to gain a whole world, only to lose my life
So much of what I do is to make a good impression
This journey is my own

And so much of what I say is to make myself look better
But this journey is my own

And why would I want to live for man, and pay the highest price
And what does it mean to gain a whole world, only to lose my life
And I have never felt relief like I feel it right now
This journey is my own

Cuz trying to please the world, it was breaking me down It was breaking me down
And now I live and I breathe for an audience of one
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one
Cuz I know this journey is my own

And why would I want to live for man, and pay the highest price
And what does it mean to gain a whole world, only to lose my life
And you can live for someone else, and it will only bring you pain
I can’t even judge myself, only the Lord can say, ‘Well done.’
Oh, this journey is my own

I Corinthians 13-- Nurses’ Version

Though I’ve memorized all medical terminology,
and have learned every treatment protocol we’ve had in class,
if I have not love, I will be of little worth as a caregiver.
Though I may be great at reading test results,
and seeing health patterns that others overlook,
if I forget that my patients come to me broken and in need, yet made in His image,
I am little better than a clanging, robotic machine.
Though I have all faith to believe that my patients will be healed,
and pray fervently and loudly toward that end,
if I do not touch them as Jesus would, my prayers mean nothing.

Love is patient...
especially when Mrs. Smith in 214 rings for the fifteenth time in the last half hour.

Love is kind...
especially when the family of Mr. Williams has just been informed that his cancer is terminal.
Love never envies a colleague for having nicer or more interesting patients.
Love is never boastful or conceited about the wonderful care my own patients receive.
Love is never rude...
even when having to tell Mr. Jones for the umpteenth time that it really is imperative
for him to take his insulin to manage his diabetes.
Love is never selfish, hoping to get more compliant patients than other nurses have.
Love takes no offense...
even in the face of Mr. Abernathy’s constant grumbling about what poor care he receives.
Love doesn’t keep score...
even when it seems I’m carrying more than my share of the load,
and takes no pleasure when those who are struggling seem unable to keep up
their end of the bargain.
Love delights when one of my patients improves,
and is doubly-delighted when they are restored to full health.
There is nothing which is too great to face with Love –
no disease too overwhelming,
no trauma too gruesome,
no sorrow too great,
no person too difficult -- for Love to bear.
There is no limit to the enduring faith and hope that grow out of deep, abiding Love.
Love never ends.
There will, most certainly, be perplexing cases for which diagnosis will not be forthcoming.
Miraculous healing will sometimes give way to the reality of death and loss.
Knowledge will fall short of a cure far too often.
For all that I know and all that I can now see is only part of the picture,
and I must keep reminding myself that it is only through the grace of a Love-sustaining
Creator that any of us ever experience good health at all.
I used to think, like a child does, that only old people die or get sick.
Now that I’ve grown up, though, I’ve moved beyond such a simplistic perspective.
I now know that physical, mental, and spiritual health is a gift...
And while I have come to know many things about good health, many mysteries remain...
My knowledge is only partial,
and I can only see the dimmest of glimpses of this miracle we call Life.
What I can count on, though, are the three things that last forever: Faith, Hope, and Love.
And the greatest of these is Love.

I Stand On Holy Ground

And God called to Moses from the middle of the bush: ..."Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is holy ground." Exodus 3:4-5

The nurse's smile warmly embraces the cancer patient arriving for a chemotherapy treatment. This is holy ground.

The nurse watches solicitously over the pre-op child who tearfully whispers "I'm scared"... This is holy ground.

The nurse gently diffuses the anxieties of the ventilator-dependent patient in the lCU. This is holy ground.

The nurse listens with a caring heart to the pain of the Alzheimer patient's loneliness.

This is holy ground.

The nurse lovingly sings hymns to the anencephalic infant dying in the nurse's arms.

This is holy ground.

The nurse slips a comforting arm around the trembling shoulders of the newly bereaved widow. This is holy ground.

The nurse tenderly takes the hand of the frail elder struggling to accept life in the nursing home. This is holy ground.

The nurse reverently touches and is touched by the patient's heart, the dwelling place of the living God. This is spirituality in nursing; this is the ground of the practice of nursing;

This is holy ground!

(From Spirituality in Nursing by Mary Elizabeth O'Brien.)

5 things

i stole this off the blog of a guy who goes to my church.

What were you doing 5 years ago?
-Working as a nanny
-Taking night classes
-Spending a lot of time at the beach
-Studying
-just being cool

What are five things you did today?
-Went to the Deep Water Picnick
-Watched the Fire Works
-Went to Boston Pizza
-Watched Jon and Kate
-Enjoyed the sun

What are five snacks you enjoy?
-Crispy Mini's
-Peanut Butter and apple
-Fruit & yougurt
-Wheat Thins
-Raison Bran

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
-continue to Tithe to my church but no in great amounts
-Build/repaire a hospital in 3rd world country and help them provide cost effective medical care
-Build an AWESOME nursing home
-Donate $$ to a nursign school and have them put my name somewhere in it ie: the NAomi
Brown Skills Centre lol conceided i know
-Pay off my families Debts
What are five jobs you have had?
-Nanny
-Waitress
-Hostess
-Personal Care Worker
-Nurse
What are five things you are looking forward to?
-My niece being born
-Finally getting a sunday off so i could go to church
-Seeing what God has instore for my life
-moving into a new apt
-the day i can BBQ again... i loove bbq hate that i dont have a balcony to do it on

For one to another

A message to Joshua that i too needed to hear.

In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! ... Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

God Provides

Well we hear it and many say it "God provides... Do what you can trust God for the rest... etc..." It becomes almost mundane, more colacial than anything. But i am here today to say it really does happen.
The past few weeks for me have been tight financaily. I have used the last of my saved up summer money and my 40$ a week i make at the boarding home doesnt cover rent let alone the bills. My parents sent money allowing me to cover rent , but that leaves food to fall to the wayside. I wasnt completely starving but lets say i was forced to be pretty open with what i was eating lol. Today i annswerd the door to a woman standing there with bags of grocerries. Tuna, crakers, casseroles, butter, fruit, cheese, bread, potatoes, jam, chips, cookiesand much more that i cant even list it all, and MEAT like i have never seen. I was overwhelemed by the generousity of this person and how God was able to provide through her. Yeah so I'm a pretty happy girl today. I am going to go eat a lovely homemade sheppards pie compliments of this woman who doesnt not want credit. I will respect her wishes on here , but God will give her credit in glory! I will also be paying this on forward you can count on that!!!! SOmeday some girl or guy will be strugglin to make ends meet doing what they know God wants them to do and i will be blest to payforward the gift that i recieved today!
Love to All

You just never know!

You never really know whats going on with a person from day to day. You don;t know what they are struggling with, what they are dealing with above and beyond the task at hand be it work, school a driver ont he road etc. Far to often we are quick to pass judgment on a persons performance and never do we ask them how they really are or why they might not be performiong quite at thier usuall level. I find this especially true in nursing wich is sad because of all people we are supposed to be a profession of caring. ANyway i am going to sign off before i tell you how i really feel lol.
Much Love

Between the Lines

Time to tell me the truth To burden your mouth for what you say

No pieces of paper in the way Cause i cant continue pretending to choose

The opposite sides on which we fall The loving you laters if at all

No right minds could wrong be this many times My memory is cruel

Im queen of attention to details Defending intentions if he fails

Until now, he told me her name It sounded familiar in a way

I could have sworn i'd heard him say it ten thousand times If only i had been listening

Leave unsaid unspoken Eyes wide shut unopened

You and me Always between the lines, Between the lines

I thought i thought i was ready to bleed

That we'd move from the shadows on the wall And stand in the center of it all

Too late two choices to stay or to leave Mine was so easy to uncover

He'd already left with the other So i've learned to listen through silence

Leave unsaid unspoken Eyes wide shut unopened

You and me be You and me always be

I tell myself all the words he surely meant to say

I'll talk until the conversation doesn't stay on

Wait for me i'm almost ready When he meant let go

Leave unsaid unspoken Eyes wide shut unopened

You and me Always be

You and me Always between the lines

Long time no post!

Well its been a very long time since i posted. In my own deffence, i have had sooo much in the go and so much happening in my life blogging wasn't really a priority. But some of that is behind me now. I have started a women of faith study which is prooving to be soo benificial in my life. It is meeting me right where i am at!!!!!! Lets just say my focus had gotten shifted slightly but know with some time and work i hope to get my focus right again. I am excited to see what GOd is going to show me through this study, and what piece of lifes puzzle he will reveal next. How awesome to know that through it all "the love of God is greater far than toungue or pen can ever tell"
Love you!

Fresh Coffee Conectoion.

I pulled back the freshness seal on a new caniser of coffee this morning. Scooped the coffee into the filter and let it do its thing. I took one sip of the coffee post brew and was suprosed at its beautifuly fragrent taste. YEs coffee always taste good in th morning but this cup as awesome! Then it hit me...the coffee itself was new and fresh, and that the other coffee i had been drinking although not bad, it just was a littlestale, and not as flavourful as new coffee. THen God used a cup of coffee to speak to me, and that our spiritual lives to can become a little stale. not worth throwing out, but it just lacks some of that bold beautiful taste that some have. anyay bottom line. I dont want to be stalein my walk with God, because the fresh is so much better!!!

Happy Birthday!

Another year has past since i last posted a happy birthday message to my dear Grandma Brown. This year's message is a little different. God brought her home last April. I contrast her birthday last year, her not knoing it was even her special day, longing to be there to let her know if even for that moment that i loved her. This year Grandma B is no longer sick. There is great debate i know about the recognition of people in heaven, but i like to think that she and beth, and papa, and are all having some cheese cake and a lasagna, chillin out with Christ. Before he barely sets down his fork she has wisked the plate away and is washing it in some heavenly sink. (assuming of course there is food in heaven) Beth is smiling, sitting with Jesus and he is telling the story about how he created her. Papa is carying on and all is well. I know that even if there is none of this and that as some theologians think there is no recognition of ppl in heaven, i know that she is happy. She is well, uninhibitied by the disease that took away a part of her life

Matt. 25:40

In the Message Bible, Matt. 25:40 says Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.' I read that and it gets me thinking. How the face of christ is all around us, its the hungry woman waiting in line at the foodbank, its the little old man lying in the bed at the Nursing Home, or maybe even a friend, classmate, or co-worker. We all know of someone or we oursleves are "down and out". Some look at these individuals as mearly social outcast, dirty, or hopeless. Some of the people thinking htat are christians. However, if we look at this passage we are saying that christ is dirty, christ is a hopeless cause and that he is not even worth our time. I can bet that there are few if any christians who would say that they didnt have time for christ if he stared them in the face and asked for a bit of their time. Christ in his human form is not on this earth, but this passage tells us how he is on this earth and that we are not to overlook "the least of these" Chris Tomlin sings "'Amazing love how can it be that you my king would die for me. Amazing love i know it's true and its my JOY' to honor YOU, in all i do i honor you" Are we really honoring God in all we do? Are we steping out to help those that are poor in money or poor in spirit? Are we befriending the friendless? Bringing hope to the hopless? Kinda makes me wonder why the church doesnt place a higher importants on servant leadership.

Meloncholy

The rain is pouring outside my window, and dashboard is serenading me. I would be lying if i said all was well. I am missing Yarmouth (more importantly the ppl there), missing my parents, and waiting to hear back from both student loans, and the job apps/ resumes i put out. so much of this summer i have yet to understand but a wise person wrote this: "I've realized that this summer has been difficult for all of us in ways that each of us probably don't even know...and that as much as we hated it...we all needed to be separated...for reasons that I'm not even sure I understand yet" It reminded me that things happen and some times they suck! but they are happening for some reason, its all part of a geander paln, a purpose.

Jesus Paid It All - Kristian Stanfill

Powerful truth!