Labor and delivery nurses are a rare, special breed. We are at your cervix—uh, I mean service! Do you need those good ice chips? Another pillow? A warm blanket? We got you! You need a stat C-section or help with your postpartum hemorrhage? We got that, too! And actually, like it or not, and most people do not, we are…
What Olive Can Teach You About Faith
Last December, my friend Lisa made me aware of this story and I’ve been wanting to share it for a while now. But it’s really just thoughts on somthing I find interesting. It’s a bit different, but maybe you, too, will not only find it interesting, but will find yourself thinking deep thoughts as I have. Have you heard of…
My Baby. My Savior.
He’s beautiful! He has a head full of black hair. He’s perfect. Well, except for his cone shaped head. But the women told me that might happen and said it would round out to normal in no time. He’s been asleep, lying in a little manger. I did not see that coming! My pains got really strong as we made…
Bethlehem Road Trip
We’ve been traveling for days. It’s going as good as I could have hoped. I am young and healthy so I’ve handled it pretty well. I’ve seen some older women with child and they seem to be struggling a bit more – bless their hearts. By the end of the day, though, my feet are screaming and I have so…
That Was a Big Kick!
I’ve got 99 problems, but sleeping all night isn’t one of them. I’ve been awake for hours. Feeling these tightenings in my belly come and go. Some make me squirm into a different position, but some make me want to hold by breath. The older women tell me to breathe through these pains — they say it is normal. They…
Row, Row, Row Your Boat Gently Down the Stream
We’ve all sung the song. But have you actually rowed the boat? A raft, a canoe, a kayak? Have you rowed in choppy water? Or rowed with the wind blowing hard against you? Have you rowed until your arms ached and your chest burned? Our favorite apostle Paul knew a thing or two about rowing. Recently, I talked the family…
What’s That Smell?
So here’s the deal. In Arkansas we have chickens — lots of chickens. And with chickens come chicken litter. When a farmer’s Bermuda pasture needs a boost, chicken litter is generously spread on the field. And when that farmer wants a really big boost, he calls for a potent slurry from our local hog farms. Wally had just spread hog…
Next Slide . . .
As we sat down in the pew at church today, my friend Robert Swanson was up front speaking He was doing a special feature on the servanthood of deacons, and being true to his eccentric self, Robert shared a slide show. But with no slides. “Here’s Mr. X cutting wood. Next slide. And here is Mr. YZ stacking the wood.…
Recalibrating Your Values
I think I can speak for at least for the nurses I work with that there are parts of our job that annoy us! Like for instance, operating the controls on the glucometer. A glucometer is a little machine that is used to get a patient’s blood sugar. There is a hardstop every 24 hours that the operator cannot go…
Mountains to Molehills
Are you familiar with moles? As in the critter? Do you have any experience with the molehills and tunnel damage they wreak upon your yard? Unfortunately, I do. Moles can be minor menaces. Do you have any experience with turning molehills into mountains? Unfortunately, I’ve experienced that as well! It seems I’m good at it. Taking something small and minor…