Keep Short Lists

I’m stepping off the Disney/Vacation bandwagon for a moment to share something that’s really been on my heart and mind these past few weeks.

In my line of work, every once in a while, something happens that helps me refocus on the things that are truly important. Cancer doesn’t care whose life it invades. It doesn’t care about the person’s story, how old they are, how many children they have, or who their family is.

Working in oncology these past eight years has taught me that nothing is unchangeable or impossible. Our lives can change in the blink of an eye (either good or bad) before we have a chance to catch our breath. Life is SO short. I know that 80 or 90 years seems like such a long time, but it goes by incredibly fast. I spent a few moments at my grandfather’s house this past Saturday for the first time in a long time, and I was amazed at the emptiness there. Walking in the door with him not sitting in his usual chair, greeting me with a kiss and a “Hey, Kid!” was almost more than I could take. It amazes me to think that life ends so quickly. Sure, I know all about the dying process and what to look for when life is about to end, but it still amazes me that a person can be here, alive and breathing one minute…and gone the next. The craziest thing is that NONE of us know when that date or time will be!

Nothing that happens on this earth to us is a surprise to God. He already knows what choices we are going to make and what directions our lives will take us. It’s what we do with the choices we are faced with that makes a difference. He knows our birth date, and he knows the date we are going to be taken away from this Earth.

We were placed here on this earth for a reason and for a divine purpose. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I know that I want to fulfill God’s plans for my life while I have the chance. I want to make a difference and leave an impact while I’m here.

Working in Oncology has taught me a lot about life and living life to its fullest. Above all else, it has taught me that I need to take advantage of the time my family (and I) have on this earth, spend as much time as possible with those I love, hug more often, say I love you every chance I get, and truly LOVE those around me.

I’ve been re-reading a trilogy from my teen years, and a sentence in one of the books caught my attention. I thought the quote was a perfect way to sum all of these thoughts up:

“Keep short lists. Learn to forgive quickly and go on because one day you’ll wake up and find that somehow you got old when you weren’t looking. Your lists won’t matter at all then.” –Robin Jones Gunn

Maybe this all started with my birthday and turning 31? No, I think it was actually a culmination of things – my birthday was definitely a factor along with thoughts of my grandfather, and case studies I’ve been working on this past week. I don’t want to grow old, but its inevitable, I don’t really have a choice in the matter. Age is what you make of it and I love Walt’s quote that says, “That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up!”

Sorry if any of my thoughts came off as sounding morbid, I just wanted to share what’s been on my heart and mind lately.

Have you ever faced a situation that helped you refocus on the important things in life?

Weekend Glimpse

I don’t know about you, but this past weekend seemed to fly by. I cannot believe it’s already Monday again!

Thankfully, my two busy weekends and all of the events I was planning are over, so now my life can return to normal for a little while.

From now until the end of August, it’s “all Disney ‘till Disney”!

Friday, I had a conference our local college (and my Alma Mater) on Oncology Nursing. I especially enjoyed learning about innovations in Oncology care – we had several great speakers! Being back at my old “home” (cause I practically lived in the nursing building) and seeing old friends was really nice. Friday night, I was able to visit with family from Missouri and really enjoyed seeing them, too!

On Saturday, I ran the hottest and most miserable 12 miles I’ve run in a looooong time. I wasn’t the only one who complained, several others felt the same way.

I do believe that delirium started to set by the end of it all.

After our run, we had breakfast at our local favorite diner, and a cold glass of chocolate milk make up for everything!

Yum!

When I arrived home after eating breakfast, I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Once my head hit the pillow, I was OUT for several hours.

Saturday night was exciting as I was able to meet my niece, Leigha Belle for the first time! Leigha is my husband’s sister’s little girl.

So sweet and such a good baby, too!

We have a joke with Jason’s name…he LOVES Monster’s Inc. Well, you know how Boo calls Sully “Kitty” in the movie? Jason thought that was hilarious….now, EVERYTHING is “KITTY” to him! Therefore, his name is “Uncle Kitty”. :0)

Sunday morning was Leigha’s baby dedication. Here’s most of Leigha’s immediate family. So glad we were all able to attend!

I’m having a hard time putting last night into words. I am the coordinator of a girls program at my church. Over the years, we’ve graduated a lot of girls through this program, but there was just something special about this year.

Before the ceremony – we had 8 girls in all!

The program is called Mpact (or National Girls Ministries) and really focuses on Bible reading, scripture memorization, relationships, life lessons, and so much more. Think of it like Girl Scouts with a Scripture based focus. It’s hard to put it all into words.

The girls you see pictured above have been in the program since they were 4 years old (they are now 18 years old) and earned the highest level of honor in the program, the Gold Medal of Honor. I taught these girls specifically since they were in the 4th grade so needless to say, last night wasn’t easy for me…lets just say there were a lot of tears shed.

Since I teach Middle School and High School, the girls pictured above were mine. :0)

This is the gift I received from the church in appreciation for my service over the past year. It’s an Origami Owl necklace and inside, they included all kinds of  personal beads – a running shoe, a camera…..gee, sounds like they know me all too well! They also included a symbol for each class we graduated last night. Wasn’t that sweet? I love it!

SO, that was my weekend…now it’s Monday again and I’m already looking forward to the next one! How was your weekend? Anything exciting? Have a fabulous Monday!

Happy Nurses Week

A very Happy Nurses Week to all of my nurse friends!

My parents sent flowers to me at work yesterday. I opened the attached card and had to giggle – it said “Happy MOTHER’S Day! We are very proud of you!” Whoops!

My husband also brought flowers home to me last night! He said my parents beat him to it, but that’s ok…both arrangements are beautiful!

I’m often asked why I became a nurse, especially one in the field of Oncology. To be honest, I’m not really sure why I became an nurse. For years, my answer to the question “what do you want to be when you grow up” was always “A Teacher”. I grew up around the hospital system. My mom is a Clinical Laboratory Scientist and my dad is an accountant that works in healthcare. As a Junior in high school, I volunteered in a local hospital’s Cardiology unit. I will never forget the first time I saw a heart cath. I was in awe. The fact that I could see a heart on the screen in front of me, with dye flowing through it absolutely amazed me. I knew from that moment on, I wanted to be a nurse.

Nursing school was hard, I am not going to lie. There were times I didn’t think I’d make it through. With a lot of prayers, hard work, (and a little bribing on my parents end), I graduated.

As a senior graduate student, I knew deep down in my heart that pediatrics was my calling. I loved loved loved working with kids. However, God had a different plan. I was accepted into a program for brand new graduates that took me from a surgical unit for six weeks to the cardiac unit for 4 weeks to the oncology unit for 4 weeks and finally to the ER/ICU for 2 weeks each. It was during this program that I discovered my love for Oncology nursing. My grandfather passed away from Lung Cancer my senior year in high school….so oncology held a deeper, more personal meaning for me.

After a few years of working on the Oncology floor, I switched to Radiation Oncology and that’s where I am today!

I absolutely LOVE what I do. People ask all the time, “How do you work with oncology patients? Aren’t you sad all the time?” Me? No. I look at it this way – we might have failures, but there are always successes. It’s rejoicing with those who have been given a clear report…cured…that keeps me going. Yes, being an oncology nurse is hard, but I absolutely love it.

I’ve found other ways to give back, too. I’m currently our area American Cancer Society Leadership Council President and I serve on various councils throughout ACS. It’s a satisfying feeling knowing what I do on a daily basis has purpose – fighting back against a terrible disease that has claimed so many of our loved ones.

Ok I might have gotten off on a tangent there – my main reason for this was to say HAPPY NURSES WEEK to you!! Thanks for EVERYTHING you do! :0)

P.S. – Please continue to pray for my grandfather. He now has fluid on his heart/lungs and is having a very difficult time breathing. It breaks my heart to see him like this. :0(  We appreciate your prayers!!