"He Said"

"So your life feels like it don't make sense
And you think to yourself, 'I'm a good person'
So why do these things keep happening?
Why you gotta deal with them?
You may be knocked down now
but don't forget what He said, He said

I won't give you more, more then you can take
and I might let you bend, but I won't let you break
and No, I'll never ever let you go
Don't you forget what He said"

These are the opening lyrics to a song I recently discovered via Pandora entitled "He Said" by a Christian band named Group 1 Crew. This has to be one of my favorite Pandora discoveries.

Everything about this song is amazing and it really speaks to me. The number of times in my life I have asked "Why do these things keep happening?" is almost too many to count. I have had so many difficult times where I felt like I kept getting knocked down and felt like I was at my breaking point. I have had to deal with heartache, loss of loved ones, loss of friends, family illness, depression, anxiety, and the normal stresses. Sometimes it felt like they all came at once. This song serves as a great reminder to me that I'm not going to break anytime soon and whatever comes my way is there because God knows I am capable of handling it and He will help me find a way to cope with my stuggles. I hope you, my readers, can find some inspiration in this song as I did.

Here is the music video for "He Said". Enjoy!

Original Poem:Balloons

It has been quite some time since I wrote a poem. This my newest poem. It is about the time my good friend Joe and I released some balloons and a letter I had written. The letter was for my grandfather who had passed away and was written about a month after his death.

Four balloons.

One is like the ocean.
One is like a blade of grass.
One is like a medal.
One is like snow.

These four are tied together
with a letter.
All the words have been said
with a paper and a pen.

With my friend by my side,
we watch it float.
Above the water of St. Joseph.
Up near the tops of changing trees.
And into the clouds.

The things that were not said
when you were here
go up to you.

We stand nearly silent,
watching.

This moment brings peace
and knowledge of you
forever with me.

Book Review: The Time Keeper

 I have been on somewhat of a reading kick for about a year now. Since January of last year I have read 8 books and just started Wuthering Heights, which will be book number 9. The last book I read was a book by Mitch Albom. I have now read four of his books, The Time Keeper included. The other books of his that I have read are Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and Have a Little Faith. All of his books are super quick reads and have wonderful messages. I think I have read each book in less than a week, but they could definitely be read in one sitting.

The Time Keeper is a fictional story and a bit of a strange book. In the book, there are three separate plots which all come together withing the last few chapters of the book. The underlying similarity between Dor, Victor, and Sarah--the three main characters-- is that they are all messing with time in their own way. Dor finds a way to measure time and eventually becomes Father Time as a punishment. Victor has a terminal illness and is searching for a way to live forever. Sarah is a teen girl from a broken family who is looking to end her life. For each of them, looking for and measuring time is a distraction from the beautiful moments and people that are around them. The only way for Dor's punishment to lift is to show Victor and Sarah how their decisions of what to do with their time affects the people in their lives. The message of the book is really simple and something that many of us have heard many times over: be in the moment or you will lose sight of what is important.

If any one of my readers is looking for a new book to read, I hope I helped you find your next book. :)

Rotations, Applications, and Uncertainty

As of Wednesday, I have accomplished two things in my path to nursing. First, I finished my first rotation at the hospital. Second, I submitted another nursing program application, which brings me to 4 out of 5 completed applications.

The last day of my first rotation at the hospital was this past Wednesday. Looking back on my first rotation, I can say that I enjoyed my experience on the medical pulmonary floor but I am glad to be moving on. One drawback about the floor is that it is notorious for having patients who are in isolation. These are the patients whose visitors need to put on a special gown, mask, and/or gloves before entering the room. Because I am a volunteer, I am not allowed to go into those rooms. This meant less helping the staff and less patient interaction. I did get to see many things that I will probably be seeing as a nurse. I got to help with dressing changes, physical therapy, IV and vital sign checks, blood draws, and of course discharges. On my downtime, I would restock isolation carts, glucose monitors, and visit with patients. Many patients were happy with how their hospital stay had progressed despite being in a hospital. Good patient care makes for happy patients. Next week, I move onto the telemetry/cardiac floor. This floor seems like it will be more fast-paced than the medical pulmonary floor. I'll be glad to be busy since it will make the time go by faster and it makes me feel more useful.

I have one more nursing program application to go. I've applied to 4 schools so far, all in the Southern California area. I will be applying back to Saint Mary's. The fact that by next month I will be receiving notification letters is mildly terrifying. Since all of the programs start at different times, I don't know where I'll be going or when I'll be starting as of now. My ultimate fear is that I don't get accepted anywhere. My top three choices are UCLA, Concordia University Irvine, and Saint Mary's. UCLA's program is ranked in the top 10 in Southern California, if I remember correctly which means more job opportunities and lots of clinical hours. If I were to go to CUI, I could live at home and possibly keep going to my Sunday ballet class. One thing I know is that I want to be do some type of dance wherever I go even if it is only once per week. Going back to Saint Mary's would be fun for me. I have friends who would be in their senior year (shout-out to Molly, Patrick, and Nicole!) and I know I would have no trouble feeling at home there.

As soon as all applications have gone out, it will be in God's hands. I will go where He leads me and will have a great outcome no matter what. Let the praying begin...or continue.