A Borrowed Facebook Status

"Prayer is not about a duty; it is about a relationship. When we neglect to pray, we should not feel guilty; we should feel lonely."

Thought for Thursday

"You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."~C. S. Lewis

"Class Stand and Recite..."

I have fond memories of the words in the title of this post. My high school English teacher used them frequently, especially when she wanted the entire class to recite a poem or verb list. I learned Crossing the Bar in one of her classes. I can almost hear her reciting it--with excellent expression and enunciation.  This morning that sweet lady crossed the bar and is now home in Heaven. My heart is heavy for her family, especially her husband, but at the same time, I am excited for her. Her love for Christ was evident in her life and now she is rejoicing in His presence.  Her signature smile is most likely a little bit bigger now that her journey is complete. 

Crossing the Bar 

~Alfred Lord Tennyson~

Sunset and evening star, 

And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,

And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place

The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

When I have crost the bar.

Not Just a Nurse

If I had the gift of communication with all patients,
including the withdrawn, angry, hostile, and psychotic
but didn’t have love,
I would be nothing but just a nurse who punched a time clock.
If I had the gift of knowing all patient outcomes
and could understand all about pharmacology
and pathophysiology
and could measure cardiac outputs, cardiac index
SVR, MAP, SVO2, CVP, PAP, PCWP
and could titrate multiple IV drips
according to changes in the patient’s condition
but didn’t have love,
I would be just a nurse who cared for critically ill patients.
If I built hundreds of homeless clinics
and provided money to construct and
maintain hospitals around the world;
If I became a missionary nurse
and was brutally murdered for Christ
but didn’t have love
all these acts would count for nothing.
I would be just a nurse who was philanthropic.
Nurses who have known God’s love
are patient and kind;
they are not envious;
they do not focus on themselves
or on their own importance.
Caring nurses are never rude,
and they always behave professionally.
They are not interested in taking advantage of others.
They do not keep a record of their colleague’s errors.
They think the best of others:
They do not enjoy nightlife in questionable places;
they find enjoyment in truly recreational activities.
Caring nurses feel the joy of parents who give birth at three am,
and yet are able to comfort and pray with the sick and dying.
They will not fail in their duty, and one day their work will end.
There will be no more suffering, no more disease,
No more trauma from abuse and injuries
Soon our Savior, Jesus Christ, will come in clouds of glory
to restore health to all those who have accepted his gift of salvation
But, unless I reflect his image,
And unless God’s love is seen in the nursing care I have given,
Then I will have been just a nurse.
By Shirley E. Spears

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Thought for Thursday

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."
Psalm 19:14

"The reason why so few people are agreeable in conversation is that each is thinking more about what he intends to say than about what others are saying, and we never listen when we are eager to speak."
Francois La Rochefoucauld