tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172311102024-03-07T02:42:03.075-05:00Finding Joy in the JourneyI have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete! - John 15:11Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.comBlogger276125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-5989572388243467062009-01-03T13:00:00.003-06:002009-01-03T18:34:53.631-06:00He CaresBy my last couple of posts, you can guess that my life hasn't been easy lately. I know that the Bible tells us that in this world we will have tribulations, but lately it has seemed ridiculous. However, in the midst of everything, I see God's hand and see Him working...even in the small things. <br /><br />I lost most of my plants due to Hurricane Ike. However, this morning when I went out to look at them, my plumeria (which I thought was completely dead) has three very tiny leaves. He does care. He does provide. Even in the small things.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-29210612260291435182008-12-30T08:41:00.003-06:002008-12-30T09:13:01.938-06:00PurgingLast night I talked with a sweet friend about our Lord and what He is doing in each of our lives. We started out describing it as pruning (see yesterday's post)...and then stripping...but finally we decided that purging was the best term. <br /><br />If you think about it, when you have the stomach flu, the whole nausea and stomach pain leading to the vomiting is horrible. Sometimes it feels like you are actually going to die, and then you vomit and suddenly relief comes. It's like your whole body relaxes and you rest. <br /><br />Sometimes what God is doing in our lives feels like that. It's painful, and sometimes we may feel as though we would rather die. But the truth is that if we allow the Lord to complete His work in us...the other side is better. We will come out on the other side closer to Him...more resembling Him...and with a faith that is stronger than we have previously known. <br /><br />And so Lord, we thank You. We thank You for Your leading. We thank You for Your discipline. Your rod and Your staff...they really do comfort us.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-72215288362285138812008-12-29T09:55:00.003-06:002008-12-29T10:03:01.100-06:00Pruning<span style="font-style:italic;">"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."</span> John 15:1-2<br /><br />Going through a pruning process is never easy. I know...I'm in the midst of one. God takes away or calls us to give up things that at the time seem so dear to us. But ultimately, it is for our good. He has a plan, and during the painful portions of that plan, He longs for us to turn to Him. <br /><br />As the year comes to a close, is God asking you to give up "idols" and return to Him? Is He knocking on the door of your heart desiring to bring you closer to Him?Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-16254917093755985642008-07-14T07:18:00.000-05:002008-07-14T07:19:18.716-05:00Mornings...Some days I make really good coffee...some days I don't.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-62811375259707535232008-07-06T10:15:00.003-05:002008-07-06T10:22:25.509-05:00Houston ProjectEvery year my church does a what essentially is a mission trip within our city. Hundreds of church members go out to other churches, apartment complexes, and community centers to spend the early evening of every day sharing the love of Christ with people. As we spend our final days preparing for what is destined to be another amazing year...God is so faithful, I am realizing more and more how different Christians can look. Yes, we are unified through Christ, but some have tattoos, some have piercings, some have even have blue hair. I pray that as I go into this week God would continue to grow me and help me to truly know how big his love is.<br /><br /><blockquote>After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, <strong>of all the nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues,</strong> standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" - Revelation 7:9-10</blockquote>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-66438450870661248882008-07-06T08:18:00.002-05:002008-07-06T08:23:45.184-05:00Believe MEI'm not exactly sure why it happens. So often I blame it on being fallen...but the enemy attacks and doubt creeps in. I start to question God's path for me. I start to wonder if this is His best...surely there's got to be a way...a path that hurts less...and then He gently reminds me to believe Him...to trust Him.<br /><br /><blockquote>I watch you looking out across the raging water<br />So sure your only hope lies on the other side<br />You hear the enemy that's closing in around you<br />And I know that you don't have the strength to fight<br />But do you have the faith to stand and...<br /><br />Believe Me now<br />Believe Me here<br />Remember all the times I've told you loud and clear<br /><strong>I am with you</strong> and <strong>I am for you</strong><br />So believe Me now<br />Believe Me now<br /><br />I am the One who waved my hand and split the ocean<br />I am the One who spoke the words and raised the dead<br />And I've loved you long before I set the world in motion<br />I know all the fears you're feeling now<br />But do you remember who I am?<br />Do you..<br /><br />Believe Me now<br />Believe Me here<br />Remember all the times I've told you loud and clear<br />I am with you<br />And I am for you<br /><br />So believe Me now<br />Believe it's true<br />I <strong>never have</strong>, I <strong>never will</strong> abandon you<br />And the God that I have always been<br />I will forever be<br />So believe Me now<br /><br />I am the God who never wastes a single hurt that you endure<br />My words are true, and all My promises are sure<br />So believe Me now<br />Believe Me now</blockquote>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-16733462741901598472008-06-16T08:54:00.001-05:002008-06-16T08:56:09.874-05:00ReminderSo often, I need to be reminded of the words of Eleanor Roosevelt,<br />"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-55647584119787460782008-06-13T21:32:00.002-05:002008-06-13T21:34:19.179-05:00PostcardsOne of my friends always sends me a postcard when ever he goes out of town. I've gotten postcards from Chicago, Boston, Kentucky, San Francisco, and many other cities. They always bring a smile to my face.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-38361403540592917202008-06-10T22:41:00.004-05:002008-06-10T22:54:47.643-05:00BustedI'm currently doing a rotation in a prison hospital, and I often forget the amount of security that surrounds me.<br /><br />Well, yesterday I was walking down the hall, and I slipped on something and completely busted (I now have a huge bruise on my knee and a second on my hip to prove it). There was a gentleman and a housekeeping lady in the hall. They were both very sympathetic, and I assured them that I was okay. I really thought I'd had come out okay. Whew...only two people saw.<br /><br />...until I began walking by the wardens' station. And they asked me if I was okay. Just then I realized that there are cameras everywhere in the prison hospital and that they had seen me fall on camera. Yay!<br /><br />So there's probably now a YouTube video of me falling in the middle of the hall...just call me grace!Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-81328352608138103382008-05-21T18:55:00.002-05:002008-05-21T19:08:09.616-05:00To cut or not to cut...that is the question!Right now is the time when third year medical students begin seriously considering what they are going to do in their future. Is it going to be surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, anesthesiology, radiology, or something like aerospace medicine? Some know right off the bat. It's easy because they've wanted to be an obstetrician their whole life or the only rotation they've enjoyed is psychiatry. <br /><br />And then there's the rest of us...unsure of exactly where we are supposed to go and what God has planned. As I talked with a classmate this afternoon, she made the comment that she imagines it's easier to make the decision without having to think about a husband or children. I happen to disagree. I think it would be easier to make a decision if I did have those to think about.<br /><br />My dean wants my personal statement for residency applications in T-minus 7 days. I've tried to write it like 20 times already, but I can't get past the first paragraph.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-90592196483102033262008-05-19T23:31:00.002-05:002008-05-19T23:36:48.860-05:00Loving when blind is not true love.<br />True love is seeing the faults and loving nonetheless.<br />- AnonymousJeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-12075010739605860732008-05-14T20:35:00.002-05:002008-05-14T20:42:43.863-05:00Maybe a little too excited...My printer quit working several months ago, and I'd been stalling on buying a new one. I gotten by with using the printers at the hospital and the library.<br /><br />That's all changed now. I bought a new printer on Monday night. I went intending to buy a cheap printer that just printed on paper. I didn't need any fancy scanner, copier, photo printer contraption. I just wanted a printer. Well...I walked out with a fancy scanner, copier, photo printer contraption...and I couldn't be happier. I'm in love with my new printer...if that's possible. It's glorious. Seriously! It's beautiful. It does exactly what I ask it to, and the pictures are crystal clear.<br /><br />I'm doing the happy dance. I'll be doing the happy dance for a while. My new printer makes me happy...really happy!Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-31384713871055535242008-05-12T22:30:00.006-05:002008-05-12T22:45:56.238-05:00Fond memoriesThe other day I stopped by a very popular fast food restaurant to purchase a beverage. The line for the drive through was way too long so I decided to pop in and purchase my beverage at the counter. I ordered and was given my cup. I walked over to the soda fountain and realized that I would have to wait a minute or two because someone was ahead of me and she was making a suicide soda (you know...where you mix the different soda flavors together). She was very precise while making her concoction and would taste it after each addition. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I remembered doing the very same thing as a child. What made me smile even more was that the lady appeared to be in her eighties. Childlike innocence makes me smile...even in someone who isn't technically a child.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-50707418023255101282008-05-05T17:35:00.004-05:002008-05-05T17:56:02.175-05:00SurveyRules for the game:<br />1. Put these rules at the beginning of your post.<br />2. Answer each question (see below) in your post.<br />3. Tag five people at the end.<br /><br />What was I doing 10 years ago?<br />May 1998...I was finishing up my freshman year of college. <br /><br />Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:<br />1. Tithe and offerings<br />2. Pay off my student loans<br />3. Buy a house<br />4. Put a large chunk into savings/ investments<br />5. Start a philanthropic organization to help pay for medical care for those who can't afford it<br /><br />Five jobs that I have had:<br />1. Lifeguard<br />2. Floral arranger<br />3. Resident assistant<br />4. NICU registered nurse<br />5. Neuroanatomy and Behavioral Science tutor<br /><br />Three of my habits:<br />1. Checking email frequently, but responding infrequently.<br />2. Drinking coffee every morning <br />3. Taking my shoes off the minute I come home or enter someone's house.<br /><br />Five places I have lived<br />1. Overland Park, Kansas<br />2. Azle, TX<br />3. Waco, TX <br />4. Dallas, TX (and surrounding cities) <br />5. Galveston, TX<br /><br />Five people I want to get to know better (most people have already been named)<br />1. <a href="http://iambethany.blogspot.com">Bethany</a><br />2. <a href="http://biblicalwomanhood.blogspot.com/">Keziah</a><br />3. <a href="http://thehopperfam.blogspot.com">The Hoppers</a><br />4. <br />5.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-5183323294918703992008-05-01T20:42:00.002-05:002008-05-01T20:49:41.543-05:00In that silenceMy heart has been heavy today. Actually, it's been heavy the past several days. I've been crying out to God not knowing what to do, but then this evening, I just sat there. After I finished reading His Word and was reminded that He created the world and it can never be moved by anyone but Him, I just sat in silence. It was in that silence that I felt His peace flooding my soul. It was in that silence that I was reminded of His love and began to sing,<br /><blockquote><em>Your love, oh Lord, reaches to the heavens<br />Your faithfulness, stretches to the skies<br />Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains<br />Your justice flows like the ocean's tide<br />And I will lift my voice to worship You, my King<br />And I will my strength in the shadow of Your wings<br />Your love, oh Lord, reaches to the heavens...</em></blockquote>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-3717663206244267642008-05-01T07:25:00.002-05:002008-05-01T07:29:00.961-05:00Breaking the rules...Last night I broke my own rule. I still can't believe I did it. It was something that I held to so tightly. It was something that I actually prided myself on. Maybe it's a good thing...I shouldn't have prided myself in it in the first place. <br /><br />I'm still quite shocked and don't know if I can type it...I asked people to be my friend on facebook.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-74603652366440959522008-04-22T20:13:00.001-05:002008-04-22T20:15:10.837-05:00Happiness is......finding your missing pager in the middle of the ER.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-26862854209582718402008-04-21T20:37:00.003-05:002008-04-21T20:55:34.067-05:00Becoming...Somewhere between walking into Gross Anatomy for the first time and eventually walking across the stage as you're granted a Doctorate in Medicine, it hits you...and you realize that you are, in fact, becoming a doctor. You find yourself talking with interns, residents, and attendings as though they are colleagues. You begin to start conversations with "the literature says" or "according to a recent study." You realize you are so very far from knowing it all, and yet, you also know that you will continue to push yourself to determine what is best for your patients. You turn from seeing your patients as a diagnosis to seeing them as individuals...people with families...people with jobs...people who do so much more than just lie in the hospital bed in front of you. Becoming a doctor is a process, and I thank God for the opportunity to go through this process.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-8333334895873372922008-04-21T02:45:00.002-05:002008-04-21T02:47:23.098-05:00I wish I was asleep...About an hour and a half ago, Miss Kitty jumped on my desk and proceeded to knock down several items while she was up there. I woke in panic mode and have been unable to get back to sleep. Tomorrow...or rather today could be a very long day.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-11970230499590985652008-04-18T05:37:00.001-05:002008-04-18T05:39:30.520-05:00Just a reminder<em>Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting...Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower and thank God for it. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson</em>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-23728735808381142602008-04-14T19:29:00.002-05:002008-04-14T19:35:48.524-05:00My Words<em>Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. - Ephesians 4:29</em><br /><br />Holding my tongue can be difficult. So often I find myself saying things that later I wish I hadn't said. There are times when I am sarcastic or facetious or I let the zingers fly when what I should have done is said nothing.<br /><br />How long will it take us to tame our tongues, to realize that words hurt, and truly know that God's plan is for us to edify one another and spur one another on towards a closer relationship with Him?Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-47767319043441924302008-04-09T20:41:00.003-05:002008-04-09T20:57:09.280-05:00A Time for EverythingYou would think I would be some what used to it by now, but I'm not. I don't know that you can ever actually get used to death. I know it's inevitable. One hundred percent of people will die...it's just the timing and the circumstances that bother me.<br /><br />The end of last week when I arrived at work, I was greeted with the news that Mr. Johnson* had passed away. This wasn't really a surprise. He had been suffering from a terminal illness and had signed do not resuscitate orders, but still, it hurt. Today, it happened again...Mr. Smith* passed away. Somehow, I never quite get used to it. I still feel pain with the passing of a patient, and I pray that they know the Father.<br /><br /><em>To everything there is a season,</em><br /><em>A time for every purpose under heaven:</em><br /><em>A time to be born,</em><br /><em>A time to die.</em><br /><em>- Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a</em><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">* Names have been changed.</span>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-29925898413924181352008-04-08T19:46:00.002-05:002008-04-08T20:08:43.662-05:00Perfect BodyOver the weekend, one of my friends told me that I had a perfect body. Honestly, I don't remember if I even said, "Thank you." The comment caught me off guard. <br /><br />I've never thought of my body as perfect. For years, I saw my body as much bigger than it actually was. I prayed night after night to wake up 10 or 20 or 30 pounds lighter. But I'm coming to realize that I do have the perfect body. Yes, I still have bumps and wrinkles and sagginess in places I don't particularly care to...I wish I was more toned...but God made my body. He gave me two legs that work perfectly whether I'm walking into a patient's room, running in a marathon, or strolling down the beach. He gave me two arms to wrap around people to show them His love. He gave me two able hands to carry out His work. He gave me a brain so that I could learn and ultimately glorify Him. <br /><br />My friend is right. I do have a perfect body, but it's not because of what it looks like. I have the perfect body because it was made by God, and He is perfect.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-12195028973224696902008-04-03T18:00:00.002-06:002008-04-03T18:07:07.635-06:00I wish I had unlimited income...If I had unlimited income, I would never again have to tell a patient, "I'm sorry but your insurance doesn't cover that treatment," or "I'm sorry but you don't qualify for a transplant (or chemo or a certain clinic) because there's no funding."<br /><br />If I had unlimited income, I would build a hospital where treatments are free...where regardless of your income or insurance you would be treated to the best of our abilities. <br /><br />If you're wondering, yes, I'm an idealist...it's not going to happen, but my heart goes out to patients when we have to tell them that they don't qualify for treatments or therapy because of a lack of money.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231110.post-63072781232136316792008-03-31T20:37:00.004-06:002008-03-31T20:47:01.034-06:00BeautifulA man came up to me today and said, "I just wanted to let you know that you are stunningly beautiful." <br /><br />I looked at him and then looked at the floor as I mumbled, "Thank you."<br /><br />And then he put his hand on my arm (which freaked me out at first), and I looked him directly in the eye, and he said, "Believe me. You are stunningly beautiful."<br /><br />And that was about it. The man left.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01841546959955232989noreply@blogger.com3