- You really can learn something new every day....those bills I file with Medicare? Each number on them means something!
- Matchmaking really can work...if you're interested in mattress salesmen.
- At baby showers one eats too much, laughs until it hurts and oohs and aahs over way too many adorable things.
- I moved in with a friend last Saturday. Now my newest neighbors are cows.
- Walking ithe park can be frightening...I've seen two snakes in two weeks.
- Buying a new tennis racquet is like buying a car - only worse.
- Finally, a way to eat candy corn that isn't so bad...mix it with peanuts!
- My housemate discovered this morning that if you leave the windows of your car open at night, the cat will sleep inside the car.
- Elections next month and early voting starts next week. Now if Governor Rick Perry will just stop putting his foot in his mouth every time he opens it...
- October in Texas...does this state not know what the beautiful season of autumn is?
Friday, October 15, 2010
Highlights of my Week
Monday, October 11, 2010
Texas Thankfulness #3
Okay, so I can truly say I am thankful for my job, but anyone who knows me even a little knows I don't want to be doing this for the rest of my life...or even for the next two years. I've realized many times since I got here why I got burned out of office work the first time. The problem is, I'm good at it. I could do it in my sleep. Which is frustrating. Why can't I be good at something besides putting things in alphabetical order? Besides all that, the healthcare business is a racket. Sincere people try to do their jobs to help others while I wrestle with the government and insurance companies so they can. Who willingly goes into this? So, I'm not enthusiastic about what I do eight hours of the day, but I am very, very thankful for...
My co-workers. They have made this job worth while. They are supportive of me, help me understand things, laugh with me when I'm trying to read H&Ps (history and physicals) or write downs medications, and they truly appreciate what I do. They've become friends. And I'll give you a little glimpse of them.
Jay Harris is my boss and I had to learn to work with him more than any of the others. His daughter tells me he shouldn't be bothered before noon, and she's right. I've also learned if something happens to let him blow off the steam and then everything will be right as rain. And he takes me out to lunch before I leave town every time - I think to bribe me back. For he knows the day is coming when my resignation will be on his desk...and dreads it.
Dinah is the director of nurses We've become great friends since we're in the office the most. I hear all about her kids and grandkids, ask about the movies she's seen, and she helps me with my paperwork when I lag behind because of huge projects, and is there to answer all my questions. The other nurses are Jill, Debbie, Valerie, Angela, Laura, Mychelle and Gayle. Jill is a nut. She never fails to make me laugh and the stories she tells about her patient's families are like soap operas. Debbie is one of my favorites, probably because she is black and white. You don't mess with her, yet her patient's adore her. Valerie is the drama queen, which is hard to deal with at times, but you have to like her. Angela and Laura are the newest nurses and the youngest. Angela is several years older than me and has just moved to hospice from the ICU. She has lots of knowledge, but she doesn't spout it off and is willing to learn. Laura is the youngest at only 24, but she so sweet and kind the patient's adore her. Mychelle is the on-call nurse and the one I know the least, but she's very thorough which I love because I need to know things that happen when I'm in bed at night. As for Gayle, if you're going to die, you want her as your nurse. I have never met a sweeter woman in my life.
The others we work with are CNAs, which I have learned are a dime a dozen. Not a week passes when I don't get a call from a CNA looking for a job. And the ones we have seem to come and go, so I don't get to know them as well. But a few of them I know and like. Ellen and I talk almost every morning about whatever. Perla spoils me - and everyone else. Janelle you just have to like because she is so open and friendly. And Louise is worthy of admiration...for she is 71 years old and still does this job part time.
Then there are the chaplains and the social worker. It might surprise you to know that hospice companies are required by law to have a chaplain and do a spiritual assessment even if the patient refuses chaplain services. We have two: Mike and Bob. And they are as different as night and day in their personalities, although not their theology. Mike is loud and friendly. Bob is quiet and subdued. I enjoy chatting with both of them, often discussing Scripture and doctrine. Today Mike and I discussed divorce (which we agree on). And then there is Jane, who is about 27 and new at her job but very good at it. At times she seems a bit overwhelmed, but I would be too if I had her job. Still, she is very cheerful and helpful.
And, outside of the hospice business, there is a home care business in the office which is just starting up and I have helped with on occasion. Tori is the DON, RN and Administrator. A former hospice nurse, she spends most of the time spinning circles as she tries to get this business on its feet. But I have learned she wouldn't know what to do with herself if she wasn't dizzy. And she has one nurse, Julie, who I am still getting to know but is nice and a great asset to Tori.
Those are the people I work with. The people who keep me in this office. The people that make me laugh when I want to cry, teach me things I've no clue about, and help me to be a success. Praise God for great co-workers!
My co-workers. They have made this job worth while. They are supportive of me, help me understand things, laugh with me when I'm trying to read H&Ps (history and physicals) or write downs medications, and they truly appreciate what I do. They've become friends. And I'll give you a little glimpse of them.
Jay Harris is my boss and I had to learn to work with him more than any of the others. His daughter tells me he shouldn't be bothered before noon, and she's right. I've also learned if something happens to let him blow off the steam and then everything will be right as rain. And he takes me out to lunch before I leave town every time - I think to bribe me back. For he knows the day is coming when my resignation will be on his desk...and dreads it.
Dinah is the director of nurses We've become great friends since we're in the office the most. I hear all about her kids and grandkids, ask about the movies she's seen, and she helps me with my paperwork when I lag behind because of huge projects, and is there to answer all my questions. The other nurses are Jill, Debbie, Valerie, Angela, Laura, Mychelle and Gayle. Jill is a nut. She never fails to make me laugh and the stories she tells about her patient's families are like soap operas. Debbie is one of my favorites, probably because she is black and white. You don't mess with her, yet her patient's adore her. Valerie is the drama queen, which is hard to deal with at times, but you have to like her. Angela and Laura are the newest nurses and the youngest. Angela is several years older than me and has just moved to hospice from the ICU. She has lots of knowledge, but she doesn't spout it off and is willing to learn. Laura is the youngest at only 24, but she so sweet and kind the patient's adore her. Mychelle is the on-call nurse and the one I know the least, but she's very thorough which I love because I need to know things that happen when I'm in bed at night. As for Gayle, if you're going to die, you want her as your nurse. I have never met a sweeter woman in my life.
The others we work with are CNAs, which I have learned are a dime a dozen. Not a week passes when I don't get a call from a CNA looking for a job. And the ones we have seem to come and go, so I don't get to know them as well. But a few of them I know and like. Ellen and I talk almost every morning about whatever. Perla spoils me - and everyone else. Janelle you just have to like because she is so open and friendly. And Louise is worthy of admiration...for she is 71 years old and still does this job part time.
Then there are the chaplains and the social worker. It might surprise you to know that hospice companies are required by law to have a chaplain and do a spiritual assessment even if the patient refuses chaplain services. We have two: Mike and Bob. And they are as different as night and day in their personalities, although not their theology. Mike is loud and friendly. Bob is quiet and subdued. I enjoy chatting with both of them, often discussing Scripture and doctrine. Today Mike and I discussed divorce (which we agree on). And then there is Jane, who is about 27 and new at her job but very good at it. At times she seems a bit overwhelmed, but I would be too if I had her job. Still, she is very cheerful and helpful.
And, outside of the hospice business, there is a home care business in the office which is just starting up and I have helped with on occasion. Tori is the DON, RN and Administrator. A former hospice nurse, she spends most of the time spinning circles as she tries to get this business on its feet. But I have learned she wouldn't know what to do with herself if she wasn't dizzy. And she has one nurse, Julie, who I am still getting to know but is nice and a great asset to Tori.
Those are the people I work with. The people who keep me in this office. The people that make me laugh when I want to cry, teach me things I've no clue about, and help me to be a success. Praise God for great co-workers!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
How strong is faith? Strong enough to be sent away from the one you love? To be given a small child to care for? To become someone you are not? To trust the one you love to do what is best for you even if you cannot understand?
Ruth Livingston’s faith has endured much. Her father’s ministry in New York City is difficult and now he has been falsely accused of a horrendous crime. For her protection; he sends her away, gives her an identity far from her own, and places in her care a young child. He promises to send for her as soon as he is acquitted yet when that day comes, tragedy follows.
Now Ruth must stand alone, keep the secrets entrusted to her, and hope no one will discover who she really is. But that becomes harder and harder to do with newspapermen searching for her. And who is the young man that lives along the river? Can she trust him? Or is he also trying to discover her secrets?
It is hard for us to understand the trials our loving God sends us, but how would our faith grow without them?
This book was provided by Bethany House Publishers for review purposes.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Texas Thankfulness #2
They say that if you have one close friend your whole life, you are blessed indeed. Well, the Lord has doubly blessed me for I have two. First there is Allyson who I miss dreadfully. And then there is…
Jenny. Jenny and I met in 1996 just months after I moved to Texas for the second time in my life with my family. We were both sixteen years old. In fact, we are only eleven days apart in age. Jenny is older.
The other day, Jenny told me when she first met me she couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. For I would hardly say two words together. (I’ve grown since then but in a group I barely know, I still won’t say two words together.) So how we ever became such good friends, I’m not sure. It just happened. We were thrown together a lot. Jenny took me to lunch for my birthday several times. And, later, we would recite our memory verses of the week to each other over the phone. After I moved away, she was the one friend I would call up and chat with every month or so. She visited me in New Hampshire for a week, where I drove her all over the place to see the sights of New England. And I would see her if I came to visit Texas. All in all, I guess we just have a lot in common. But then we are also very different.
Jenny is actually how I got my job down here. I work for her dad. And I see her every week on Tuesday when we go walking together all over her neighborhood. I also see her most weekends. We went on a road trip this past May. I’ve spent nights at her house when her family is out of town, and she keeps me company when my grandfather is gone. We go to movies, shopping and shows. And we even talk on the phone now and then.
But most of all, Jenny is a role model for me. For you see, Jenny is legally blind. She was born three months prematurely and when they gave her oxygen, they gave her too much and damaged her eyesight for life. She will never be able to drive, but when I met her she played the piano and flute, cross-stitched, and read all the time. Today she is a paralegal and very good at what she does. In truth, I have no idea how much she can and cannot see. I usually forget she has sight problems at all.
It has been great to already have a friend in place upon my arrival in Texas. Otherwise, I think I would have run home a long time ago…
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Truly, Laughter is a Good Medicine
It's been one of those weeks. I have a project on my desk that is HUGE and TIME CONSUMING. My boss warned me last week not to be the silent sufferer - which is my nature. If I got overwhelmed, he wanted to know. Well, he found out Friday afternoon about 4 o'clock. I didn't tell him I had hit my overwhelming point, but I think he got the picture.
Honestly, I didn't start Friday that way and it wasn't heading towards ending that way...until 4 o'clock. That's when my boss stepped into the office for the first time all day and I began to hear "Melissa..." every ten minutes. And every time I heard the name my father so kindly bestowed upon me over 30 years ago, it was followed by another project that will take at least an hour to complete or is impossible. But, of course, I am the office manager. Therefore I do the impossible...or that is what my boss seems to think at times. I'd like to see him wring money out of a the government.
Or complete the project he landed on my desk by October 13...in between billing, answering the phone, jumping up every fifteen minutes to "save the world" and smile while doing it all. Because it's not going to happen. The problem is, he doesn't understand what doing this project means. He thinks you simply push a button and 900 pages sort themselves with page numbers. God creates order by His voice. Office managers do not. Which my boss will discover on Monday when we have a little talk.
So I entered my weekend frustrated and not a little upset. Sorely in need of a little rest and laughter. That night, I received some really good news I could rejoice in. And, today, my friend Jenny and I went to see the movie You Again. I laughed until my sides ached. And I forgot all the concerns that will hit me upside the head bright and early Monday morning.
Laughter does amazing things, doesn't it? What an amazing gift from our Heavenly Father.
Honestly, I didn't start Friday that way and it wasn't heading towards ending that way...until 4 o'clock. That's when my boss stepped into the office for the first time all day and I began to hear "Melissa..." every ten minutes. And every time I heard the name my father so kindly bestowed upon me over 30 years ago, it was followed by another project that will take at least an hour to complete or is impossible. But, of course, I am the office manager. Therefore I do the impossible...or that is what my boss seems to think at times. I'd like to see him wring money out of a the government.
Or complete the project he landed on my desk by October 13...in between billing, answering the phone, jumping up every fifteen minutes to "save the world" and smile while doing it all. Because it's not going to happen. The problem is, he doesn't understand what doing this project means. He thinks you simply push a button and 900 pages sort themselves with page numbers. God creates order by His voice. Office managers do not. Which my boss will discover on Monday when we have a little talk.
So I entered my weekend frustrated and not a little upset. Sorely in need of a little rest and laughter. That night, I received some really good news I could rejoice in. And, today, my friend Jenny and I went to see the movie You Again. I laughed until my sides ached. And I forgot all the concerns that will hit me upside the head bright and early Monday morning.
Laughter does amazing things, doesn't it? What an amazing gift from our Heavenly Father.
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