Fresh Perspective

Ever since donning a play nurses uniform at age 5/6, I have loved the medical world.  People, personalities, care, compassion, need, pain, healing, procedures, diagnosing, prescribing, team work, problem solving, waiting, comforting, listening, mourning are just a few adjectives that I can throw at the career I embrace.   A growing passion of mine has been the desire to obtain a nurse practioner degree.  I have tabled it because of different family needs and timing, but it doesn’t go away…..it just grows larger.  Passion.  Desire.  Are these God given feelings?  Is this a calling?  Am I crazy with a busy family of four boys to even think about such a possibility? This summer I was able to take the FIRST STEP in reaching this goal.  The University I am considering attending requires a Statistics class (if the last one was over 10 years ago….oh yeah, its only been 20 years!!!!).  The thought of taking Statistics again was a bit daunting...

We all need a base.  Whether playing hide or seek, whether vacationing, in day to day living,  but especially when furloughing as a missionary.  We have been blessed our last three furloughs to know exactly where our “base” would be.  It’s been “the farm”.  It’s been Darron’s Parent’s home.  Cookeville, TN.  We have a sea crate sitting on their property, full of stuff you always need like camping gear and coolers, beach towels, etc.  There is a closet where we can store all our last minute bits and bobs, like the half used bottle of shampoo or contact solution.  We take over the basement and often fling our shoes and our stuff all over it…..as only 6 people without a home, on the move, can do. Mom has been so gracious to us, as we come and go.  Bringing our dirty laundry, our hungry tummies, our strained bodies from jet lag, our crazy schedule and much much more.  It can’t be easy going from a home that is peaceful, quiet and ord...

After spending two years of over 2 hours a day minimum of taxing kids to and from school, I was very excited when a car was offered to us at an affordable price. Unfortunately, the Indonesian police were not willing to issue Aubrey a drivers license (as they had with several of his friends, at age 16).  However, they were quick to offer him a motor cycle license.  Well, this wasn’t quite the way we had planned it all to go……but the time has arrived when these boys need to be more independent.  Now that they are in High School there are so many things pulling at them in the after school hours from: band to year book to soccer to worship practices.  Last year I was paying for them to ride on the back of “taxi” motor cycle drivers.  I trust my sons more then I trust a complete stranger.  So with all that weighed in the scale of life, they are off.  Main streaming with the crazy traffic here. Trying to trust.  Deep breath.  Relax.  Let...

A dear friend of mine here in Papua is Fiona.  We get along well for many reasons.  One of our common loves is nursing.  Fiona is an excellent midwife and she is great teacher.  So every opportunity I get, I soak up her knowledge.  This summer, before I left on furlough, we worked together on some really challenging cases and I think we both trust each other professionally and with personal things, like our kids!  So imagine us, last Saturday evening talking about an upcoming National birth.  Fiona invited me to come along and “help” her.  I was instantly captivated.  However, I had been complaining to Darron earlier of how frazzled I was.  So I knew that I needed his permission and that he often can help me with boundaries that sometimes I don’t know how to set for myself.  Of course I brought it up on the way home and Darron did not think it was a good idea. Disappointed I asked him to sleep on it.  Sunday morning we were ou...

It wouldn’t be a summer furlough without a kayak trip with Uncle Mike.  This summer we launched out on the water one time (not enough).  It is hard to beat a relaxing paddle on a Saturday afternoon with Uncle Mike and family.  Really its amazing that Uncle Mike is so passionate about kayaking.  He is no ordinary able bodied man.  Uncle Mike is an extraordinary quadriplegic of 20 years and he does not let that stop him.  I’ve heard him say before that one of the things he loves about paddling is  that it puts him on the same level as everybody else.  We are all sitting in our kayaks, floating on the water…..we are all in the same boat (well almost, we are all in our own little boats. : )).     Uncle Mike not only kayaks but he also, skies in the winter.  Hand cycles.  Exercises two hours everyday.  Takes incredible care of his body (i.e. eating healthy, including using great control at saying “no” to thin...