Today's Loveliness

. Catching Up - The end of a semester is the most satisfying time in more ways that one.
. Cream Puffs - A delicious dessert that satisfies sugar cravings. I dusted mine with some cinnamon powder and drank warm apple cider for a cozy seasonal treat. The family enjoyed them, too.
. Tool - They aren't paying me, (unless a representative is reading right now and would like to contact me with an offer of compensation... ), but I must say this saves me time and makes me happy.
. Family - After a game consisting of guns and hiding, Dad and I played catch. I love doing that with my dad because he always teases me for throwing like a girl, and I furiously insist I do not ('cause I don't ).
. Melody - Can it get any better than a song with the word rose in its title? Aye, it can. It is sung in French by an entrancing voice.
. God - He is my Constant One.
. Warmth - I have some I bought from Wal-Mart. They make me happy.
. Reading - I am obsessed with health related blogs. Hers is one of my favorites.

I will close with a poem my last link quoted.

"Nursing is an art:
and if it is to be made an art,
It requires an exclusive devotion
as hard a preparation,
as any painter's or sculptor's work;
for what is the having to do with
dead canvas or dead marble,
comparedwith having to do
with the living body,
the temple of God's spirit?
It is one of the Fine Arts:
I had almost said,
the finest of Fine Arts."

-Florence Nightingale

Elizabeth Cheryl
Ellie, Connie,
Bets, Bubbly,
Firecracker, Rosie,
Squeaks, Twitchy,
Shrimpy, Cheerio,
Shortcake, Pinkie,
E, & Liz!

Questions and Answers

guy is sitting in a wheelchair with a mask on outside the TV room. At first I was confused. Who is he and what is he doing there? Then I realized he was my patient. Oh, boy. Now I have to know what he is doing there. I approach cautiously trying to gauge his cognitive abilities.
"What are you doing out here, sir?" I ask.
"Will you open the gate?" he responds.
"Um, what gate?"
"You know, the gate," he stops and squints as he searches for words, "the one to the world."
He motions for me to follow him, so I do. It turns out he wants me to open the door to the rehabilitation patient's smoking area (yeah.. I know.. what they really need to be doing).
"You know, it might be too cold out there," I warn. It might be Arizona, but it is chilly at 2000 hours. He is still very insistent, so I open the door for him.
As the sharp wind rushes in, he pauses, "Too cold."
That is what I thought.

That was only one interesting event concerning this man.

It turns out that Bob (as I shall call him) has MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus - try saying that three times fast). This infectious bacteria is a great concern to the health care community as it is a popular nosocomial infection. Precaution are used to prevent the spread of the bacteria, but it still manages to run rampent.
Bob was wandering our halls. Let me put this in perspective. A man with a highly contractable bacteria was touching railing, doors, walkers, wheelchairs, ice containers, counters, and a sundry of other items with nothing but a mask on to protect others from infection. I talked to my nurse about it who was very nonchalont about this situation.
"Shouldn't he be in his room," I ask.
"He won't stay," she responds.
"Oh."
Now, where I work, we are not allowed to use restraints, none, whatsoever. That includes bed rails. (Yes, we have gotten many complaints about that one. "I'm going to fall off!")
So, there is nothing I can do except try to keep his mask on his face. However, he seems to like taking it off no matter how many times MRSA and the fact that he has it is explained to him.

It is hard for me to see circumstances like this one (which is not rare where I work). I am fastiduous about universal precautions and hand washing. No wonder MRSA spreads so rapidly and kills so many. It would make me feel better (until I got sick with an unexplainable illness) if I did not know that microorganisms existed.

How often do you wash your hands a day?

Wash your hands!
Elizabeth Cheryl
Ellie, Connie,
Bets, Bubbly,
Firecracker, Rosie,
Squeaks, Twitchy,
Shrimpy, Cheerio,
Shortcake, Pinkie,
E, & Liz!

Funny Quote

Elizabeth: My shoes do not match my outfit.
Mom: Well, then just stop looking at yourself.

Really too funny. :)
Elizabeth Cheryl
Ellie, Connie,
Bets, Bubbly,
Firecracker, Rosie,
Squeaks, Twitchy,
Shrimpy, Cheerio,
Shortcake, Pinkie,
E, & Liz

"Formation, transformation, translation. May the Captain of your salvation navigate you through the narrows and every time those mountains seem close and those eddies swirl, remember, He made you, He transformed you, He's waiting to translate you."

- Ravi Zacharias

His Kindness

• His Kindness

  Seen the power of God? I have and just recently in fact. The past three days I have had a combined total of ten hours of sleep. Tuesday and today (Thursday) I had quizzes in math. Now, if you know me, you know that math is definitely not my strong suit. Quite the reverse, actually. On days where I have had adequate amounts of sleep, math makes me nervous enough. You can imagine my apprehension of these quizzes with minimal sleep. This is where God is amazing. Despite my sleep deprivation, He enabled me to get a score of 20 (out of 20) on both quizzes. He is gracious, and I am thankful to Him for His kindness.
  
  Because He reigns I live and serve Him.
  
  Elizabeth Cheryl
  Ellie, Connie,
  Bets, Bubbly,
  Firecracker, Rosie,
  Squeaks, Twitchy,
  Shrimpy, Cheerio,
  Shortcake, Pinkie,
  & E!
  

Not Done in Vain

"Vanities of vanities, says the Preacher, all is vanity."
-Eccl. 9:8

This verse epitomizes a teacher I have in college who extols the amazing achievements of science. She says that one day we will be able to live much longer than we do now through the assistance of machines. This indefinite living is something she would like. Her reasons are not that she is afraid of dying, for she believes we cease to exist after death, but because there is so much to discover and learn in life.

A life lived for Christ is glorious indeed. However, the Bible expresses her motives for living differently. "[T]here is a just man that perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongs his life in his wickedness." (Ecclesiastes 7:15) This is what she is doing. In her depravity, she seeks to extend her life and, ultimately, the time before judgment. One verse later, the author of Ecclesiastes (Solomon?) inquires why we make ourselves overly wise when it only serves to destroy ourselves?

The unregenerate want to explain their existence apart from an all powerful Creator. They do not want to acknowledge that there is a God who will judge them for their thoughts and deeds. One day they will realize (either in this life or after) that the works, toils, and pursuits of their earthly bodies and minds are all worthless; it is all vanity.

As Christians, we have the great privilege of pursuing all we do for God's glory. We do not have to fit non matching puzzle pieces together. Instead, God has revealed His plan and design to us. We can contently rejoice and be overwhelmingly awed at His wise orchestration. It is our responsibility, our commission to share with the lost (as we once were) the magnificent act of God on their sinful behalf. Our lives must be lived as a testimony to His work on the cross that was not done for us in vain.

May God who began a good work in you perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Love in Christ,
Elizabeth Cheryl
Ellie, Connie,
Bubbly, Bets,
Firecracker, Rosie,
Squeaks, Twitchy,
Shrimpy, Cheerio,
Shortcake, Pinkie,
& E!

The Indispensables

After having gone to college for a little more than half a semester, I have compiled a list of indispensable items I keep in my backpack.

• My little Bible - The words contained in this book will keep me from sin and sin will keep me from this book. God's gift to us is an ultimate treasure that I have learned to prize even more because of this college excursion. It's teeny tiny size is perfect for storing in a backpack that seems to gain weight by its existence (I've suggested a diet for it...). With God's Word at my fingertips, I can be exhorted and encouraged between classes! Thank God for Mr. Gutenerg!
  
• Tide to Go Pen - or as Daniel nicknamed it, my Tide to Stay pen. It has saved almost all of my shirts from a stain-y demise with it's incredible stain-fighting abilities. I put it on and the stain is gone!
  
• My Little Black Moleskin Book - I love this thing! I have a ruled moleskin where I record my ramblings, schedules, quotes, Bible verses, and doodlings.
  
• Nano Stapler - (I have the pink one! Of course. )This stapler is not an ordinary stapler. It has gone through at least ten pages of printer paper no problem and no extra effort. I do not have to muster a lot of force to get this stapler to work. Plus, because it is small, I am the girl who always has a stapler to share.

I am on the last leg of this semester's journey. God is finishing the good work He started in me. He is good, and I am in awe of Him.

I will leave you with this quote...

"The stamp of the saint is not the metallic rapping out of a testimony to sanctification, but the true humility which shows the fierce purity of God in ordinary human flesh." - Amy Carmichael

May the God who is able to keep you from falling present you faultless before His presence with exceeding joy.

Love,
Elizabeth Cheryl
Ellie, Connie,
Bubbly, Bets,
Firecracker, Rosie,
Squeaks, Twitchy,
Shrimpy, Cheerio,
Shortcake, Pinkie,
& E!