Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends.  I always love this day because I am able to get with family that I have not seen in a while and just relax and spend time with them.  Family- no matter how long you haven't seen each other, once you get together, it seems like you haven't been apart at all. It is so funny, that as I get older, our family get togethers become more adult! I mean, after everyone has eaten and all the little kids are outside or in another room playing, we break out the adult kool aid (wine!). Now that's what I'm talking about! Funny how when I was younger, I never remember this part of our family holiday meals. 

Lately, I have been challenged to get out of my comfort zone once again. You see, I would much rather just spend time at home with my kids and husband, but I am having to get out more with large groups of people. It is a struggle, but I am doing it.  I did go to a friends house and was able paint the tree above. I think I did a good job!

So I am just taking a deep breath and taking a leap of faith.  I will be getting out quite a few times this month for some christmas parties.  I will be going with Robby to his work christmas party. I have not met anyone he works with yet, so I hope it will be fun. We are going to go the axe throwing place.  Robby said that my axe may not even make it to the target! I will just have to show him how it's done! 

I love the daily scripture for today. "Give thanks to the lord for he is good; his love endures forever." Yes his love does and he will be my guide throughout this next month. 

love to all,

Positivity

Philippians 2:14-15 says, Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

Do you ever feel like your light has been burnt out? Sometimes I feel this way. I am trying to live how God wants me to, and it seems like I fail every time. Old habits come out and before you know it, I am thinking negative thoughts, feeling like I am a failure, and anxious that I am not going to get through it.
I think that this is because that the world is so negative and it is hard not to have those thoughts invade into your thinking. You see so much negativity on TV, you hear it on the radio and then it affects you when you work or at home with your family. Problems or issues in your life seem to take over and you feel like there is not an out. You start to complain about things and then it gets contagious and soon everyone around you is doing it.
I know I have caught myself complaining at home that the dirty dishes even make me mad at times!

Romans 12:1-2 says Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

This means to change the way you think.  BE INTENTIONAL with your thinking.  What a great reminder, at least for me, to be intentional.  It is easy to be in a bad mood, to frown or to get lost in your thoughts or to feel sorry for yourself. You have to intentionally think about how you are talking, feeling, or intentionally smile. 
What I have learned is attitudes are contagious, whether it is good or bad.  Smiling is contagious, you smile at someone and that just cheers them up.  I know it does that for me.

So I can choose to either be conformed by this world and let it bring me down and to follow in the negativity of it or be transformed by the renewing of my mind through Jesus.  Daily, I need to remind myself that I can do this, I can get up and be intentional to be a positive influence to someone.  If I fail, I need to look at what I can change, learn and start over the next day.
The question I need to ask myself daily is : Is my life today holy and pleasing to God?

Love to all,

new

I'm cool, I'm beautiful, I am wonderfully made.

Yup that's me!

New glasses or a new outfit sometimes can help lift  your spirits. It gives you a different look, a different perspective at how to look at yourself and how others will see you.  To make a change, it takes confidence. Sometimes, you may lack this confidence and making just the smallest change will help boost it. 

So I went out and got some new specs! I think it helps me look smarter! (or makes me look something!)

I just want to say to you, and you know who you are, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. Sometimes I forget this. I feel like a slug or that I am failing at home and even at work. I want to be thinner, and I wish I never had cancer. But that is my life. I accept it. I mess up a lot, and it's ok to mess up.  God forgives me, every day! He knows I am human and that I struggle with things each day. I am sure he laughs at what I do sometimes, and then I am sure there are days that my Father in Heaven cringes. Sometimes my mouth runs faster than my brain.  It's like it has a mind of its own and things come out before my brain can say STOP! THINK! Then before you know it, I have my foot in my mouth. It's kinda like when you ask someone when their baby is due and they are not pregnant! I wish I can blame it on being blonde, but guess what. I am not blonde, just brown (with gray now)! 

BE YOURSELF, BE WHO YOU WERE MADE TO BE. Not who you think others think you should be. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. This only makes us stronger when we learn from our experiences.

But you cannot find happiness in the things of this world or the words of others.  True happiness comes from finding the peace in God. Just rest in him and you will have peace and happiness. Just keep saying positive affirmations to yourself and you will start seeing yourself beautiful and wonderfully made.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Romans 12:2

Love to all,

planning

I have been planning my trip for 2020 and fundraising started as soon as I got back from my last trip.  If you know me, I am a planner and I don't like to wait for anything! It is hard to think about next year and wish away my time in between because I am so excited about going back. There is a lot of things I "wish" I could do, like learn to speak conversational spanish!  I am struggling with this and  work on it, but I have not successful with it so far.
Another "wish" is the hopes of recruiting nurses and doctors to go with me and participate on our medical team. I have been doing the medical clinics with our team for 4 years and it has grown. I am excited to see what God has in store for us and I have a feeling it is going to explode into something more larger than what it has already grown to be.
In my planning, I need to be reminded to stop, be still and listen to God. Because it is not my way, it is His way. I am a part of His plan and he sure does have the plan. So my advice to myself is to slow down, talk with God regularly and listen to what he tells me.

Psalm 46:10; "He says, Be Still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Love to all,

Starting to plan

Well, it's that time again to start planning for next years Honduras mission trip.  I am so excited!!!  I wish I could express into words how excited I am.  It is just something you have to experience for yourself, then you will know what I am talking about.  I am anticipating the time when I will be reunited with people I have met and become good friends with and to those I consider family.
I have experienced some stressful times when there, but I know it is just the evil one trying to distract me and the others from the work we are doing there. I have never experienced so much distraction as I did this last trip.  We were doing exactly what God wanted us to do at the right time. And once we got past that distraction, some amazing things started to happen. We were witnessing to people, they were accepting Christ as their savior, we were healing their minds, body and spirit. 
And they were healing me as well.  Sometimes, you set out to help others, and in return you get some of that healing too. To be able to give to others is something wonderful.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

Love to all,

Not playing cards

I have been holding off, but I just can't anymore.
So a politician said that nurses don't do much but play cards while working.  I cannot believe someone would say that! I have worked in rural, small hospitals and in big city hospitals and there is ALWAYS something to do!  I take offense, as many of the nurses that have responded to her comment has, to the public thinking that nurses do nothing. 
Nursing has evolved into this new profession.  Yes I said profession because we are professionals.  Long gone are the days where we follow the doctor around or give up our seat at the nursing station for the doctor or do their bidding.  We are an important part of the medical team.  The nurses are the eyes and ears, and sometimes noses, for the doctor. We call them when the patient isn't responding to treatment, save your life when your heart stops and comfort you when you have received devastating news. 
It is a continual fight with nurses for us to get the respect we deserve.  I am lucky to work for a company and work with other staff and doctors that do respect nurses.  We all work well together for the good of the patients we care for.
So back to the "playing cards". This comment is just what we do not need.  If our patients and families feel like we are not caring for them or paying attention to the monitors or delivering their medications as ordered, then we are back to square one with fighting for respect and all the work that we really do.  This comment can be the confirmation for some of those in the public to not support nurses and act terrible to us while we are working.
As a manager, I deal with a lot of complaints.  And most of the complaints are because the public do not really understand what nurses do and how busy nursing is during their shift. I get complaints from families because they "haven't seen their nurse all day", but other staff and nurses have helped out their nurse with the care because that nurse was with their other patient who was coding, or with a patient whose family was withdrawing care on their loved one. 
All nurses are part of a team.  We help each other out, without asking.  This job is hard enough, and without each other, no one would ever become a nurse.
I love being a nurse and all the experiences I have, whether they are difficult times or good times.  You see,  I am with your family or friend while they are at their worst.  I can help them get through their difficult diagnosis, or their surgery.  I not only give life saving medications or help control their pain, I also hold their hand, cry with them and pray over them.  You may not see this, but be assured, the nurses are dedicated to the care they provide, not planning card games. 

So next time you see a nurse, thank them for their service.  It is hard and we have many experiences during our 12 hour shift that you will never know about.  Pray for all nurses, to give them strength to get through their shift. To give them courage to return to work after a horrible, long, stressful shift.  We will all have trouble in this world, but our God will help us through those difficult times.

John 16:33; "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world."

Love to all,

Back to adjusting life from mission

I have read many articles about how hard adjustment is when returning from a mission trip.  I always have had trouble with getting back into "normal" routine in the times past, but this year it seems like it has been a little more harder.  I love going to Honduras and working there.  I feel like I do more there to help others.  I know what I do here in the states is just as important, and I know that there is people in need here, but there are people in need all over the world.  God is blessing the work that is being done there.  We saw 979 people in 6 clinics.  That is 979 people that were witnessed to and shown God's love as well as their physical needs being met.
Our trip has some hiccups in the beginning, but we got through them and didn't let it bring us down.  We were able to shine God's light through our work and not let satan put it out.  Satan knew we were doing a good work, and he tried to stop it, but he couldn't.  God is so good.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Love to all,

Being confident in conflict

Preparing for my mission trip, I am struggling with keeping focused on the reason.  But I have recently learned that through my conflict, I am able to serve others, Glorify God, and become more like Christ. It is hard to see this when you are going through the conflict, but God will use it for his plan and will.
I choose not to run as Jonah did when God asked him to go.  I choose to listen and step up and speak out.  God will give me his words that need to be said.  He will bridge the gap in the language barrier and we will be able to communicate.
So the next few weeks, with all the medical clinics, womens ministries, children ministries and construction, God is going to use our team for his good. 

John 16:33 says; “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Love to all,

confidence

So I have decided that my word for 2019 will be confidence.  I feel I am a confident person, but at times, I do not show this.  I also want to help others to be more confident. 
So with the new year, I got a new job! So this happened.....I am nurse manager of the ICU unit I work on! I am so happy and excited despite all the new work I have to figure out and get use to.  I never imagined there was so many meetings involved!!
So with the start of the new year and we are in the second month already, I feel I have a pretty good start on it.  And I get to go to the TobyMac concert saturday too!!  Honduras is right around the corner and my kids are graduating college in May.  I feel so lucky that my life is so full.
So you get 2 confidence builder verses today!

Isaiah 40:31 (My favorite)
"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (NIV)

Isaiah 41:10
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (NIV)

Love to all,