A Little Disappointment

Okay, so today was not nearly as intense or helpful as I was thinking it might be. First of all, the woman we spent the day with was not actually on-call. This meant we weren't able to see the pagers and stuff when a call came through. Though the on-call chaplain did call us to one death, we weren't able to actually see anything. In other words, I am no more prepared for my on-call shift than I was before these five hours of shadowing.

We spent the time doing a scavenger hunt. This was actually somewhat amusing and would have been impossible to do without help. For example, one instruction read "Where does the door. Elevator E (2nd floor) immediately to the left of Bin 9 lead you?" What was really meant by this? "On the 2nd floor, go left from elevator E and look directly to the right of mailbox 9."

One other amusing incident occurred during our little scavenger hunt. We were walking behind a nurse and older man who were behind to Muslim women.

"They speak terrible Spanish" the man confided to the nurse.

"That's because they're speaking Arabic" she replied. Jess and I got pretty tickled at this and couldn't stop laughing.

So anyway, the day was not all that I hoped for it to be. I suppose not every day will be, though.

Oh yeah, I did get to enjoy second breakfast this morning. The chaplains at Anderson were having their employee appreciation breakfast. Though I had already eaten breakfast, who am I to pass up free, yummy food. Plus, I've always wanted to eat "second breakfast."

Striking Out on My Own

Well, I just finished my first solo shift at the hospital. I managed to successfully find my way around both hospitals, only asking for directions once. I had a very short day, as most of my patients today were very tired. However, if I were to divide the time I spent evenly, I actually spent the average amount of time (7-9 minutes) with each patient. Perhaps I didn't do so badly time-wise after all.

I wish that more of my time could be spent in Texas Children's. The prospect of working with children seems particularly rewarding. However, TCH does not separate out their Church of Christ patients from other Christian denominations, so the only way Lifeline visits someone there is if we receive a referral. These don't happen all that frequently, though, so most of my patients will be in St. Luke's. I saw a wide variety of people today, from the not-yet-born (I made a stop in Labor and Delivery) to the very aged, from people who had just been discharged to people who were admitted months and months ago. It is so true that you never know quite what will be behind each door.

I had a good experience with a nurse today. Just as I was about to enter a room, she asked if she could help me. I told here that I was a chaplain and she exclaimed "Oh, thank you so, so much." I could literally see the relief on her face. It's always nice to know that my presence is appreciated, by patients, their families and the hospital staff.

Tomorrow we'll do some more on-call training and Wes and I will spend the afternoon shadowing the person who will be on-call. I am hoping to learn a lot through this process. I am also anticipating the possibility of a heavy day, so pray for me in those regards.

Week One

I'm sitting down with the rest of the ladies in this house to watch the Bachelorette. We even convinced Fielding to join us! I can tell you, this is a fun show to watch with friends and laugh at with each other.

I'm one week into my internship, and it's already been both good and stressful. We've worked out a little routine and Jess and I get up to drink our coffee and watch the news every morning. We were watching the Today show the other day and in tears over a reunion over a man and the gorilla he raised. I guess that's one sign that you're tired and stressed!

It’s interesting to me how simultaneously disorienting and orienting a week can be. I feel both reassured and lost. Thankfully, the lostness is largely physical. The task of discovering my way around not only one large hospital but also two others is daunting. On the other hand, I feel much more clarity regarding my tasks and purposes this summer. While I do not feel like an expert by any mean, I do think I understand what is going on. I am reassured that I can to do this. Interestingly enough, an event only indirectly connected to the internship itself has helped with this. I don’t like to drive and avoid the highways in Abilene, because they scare me. Here I am in Houston, where the feeder roads have six lanes, and I’m driving. My success in driving, trivial as it is, has led me to realize that I often place artificial limitations on myself. To be successful in this internship, and in life in general, I must recognize the limitations that I invent for myself. My introversion and lack of confidence hold me back as I let these control me and limit my ministry to others. Becoming more confident in driving helped me to realize this.

I have made several visits last week and today, shadowing Paul. He's been showing us the ropes and providing us with an example to follow. I was going to make a visit on my own today, but when we got to the patient's room, they had been moved. Oh well, I suppose I'll strike out on my own tomorrow instead.

The Frombergs are back in town and we're glad to be able to spend some time with them. Of course, we're also glad that they brought us biscotti. And that Flossie grilled a delicious leg of lamb for dinner this evening.

I also attended a beautiful wedding this weekend. Actually, I was in it. One of my best friends, Stacie, was married to a wonderful guy on Saturday. Stacie was a beautiful bride, and the wedding was very simple and lovely. She was the first of our group of friends to get married, but I suppose we're entering that stage of our lives. Crazy! By the way, I cut the groom's cake at the reception and let me tell you, my pieces were perfect.

I'll try to update this space more often from here on out. I'm hoping to start posting more frequently, though the posts may be shorter blurbs. That will be easier to read anyway, right?

"See you in another life, brotha."

I feel like this particular quote of LOST's Desmond says a lot about the entire show itself. This show, probably my favourite show, ended earlier this evening. The series finale was very LOSTesque - confusing, intriguing and beautiful. I have always loved the wonderful character development of this show. I feel this is something that sets LOST apart from many of the other shows out there today. The finale once again highlighted the importance of relationships and self-discovery.

What am I still confused about? Lots of things. What is the light at the center of the island? Whatever happened to Walt and why had he seemed so important? What's the meaning behind those now-famous numbers? I suppose part of the point is that these things are not the important things. It was, ultimately, a show about redemption. The characters' lostness on the island reflected their inward spiritual and emotional lostness. I do think that this message is a powerful one.

Nevertheless, I was confused about some of the more important things as well. As far as I could tell, the island was some sort of purgatory. However, I was unclear on when everyone died, and what that was all about. Hopefully I'll get some of these answers eventually.

I'll get a real post up soon, for those of you who actually want to know about what I'm doing this summer. Believe it or not, I do understand that the world does not revolve around LOST.

Instrument of Peace

Today is, in one sense, my first day on the job. I'll be working through the badging process and getting acquainted with my hospitals and the people there. Nevertheless, I will be an agent of God on the halls of the hospitals beginning today. I prayed for God's peace last night and for confidence. Sometimes others have already put words to my thoughts in a way that I cannot. Therefore, my prayer is that of St. Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

As I pray this, I beseech those who read this to pray it with me, and for me. Pray that I am God's instrument of peace this summer, bringing light to those who so desperately need it.

A Short Respite

Our workshop is completed and we have the day off today. We're all very thankful for this short respite. One of the teachers at the workshop sounds like the Sheriff of Nottingham in Disney's Robin Hood. I thought that was pretty great. The most of unfortunate part is how similar the workshop is to the counseling class I've taken.

Though much of what we did was a repeat of my counseling class, I certainly still learned things. Perhaps the biggest thing I learned was just how importance presence is. In fact, we are told that just being there is the most important part of chaplaincy. We are to go into a room and listen. This is encouraging, since that is one of the reasons that I chose this internship. I feel that I am a good listener, and have always had people confiding in me. I know that this will come in handy over this summer.

Along with the workshop we've had some fun as well. The Frombergs are absolutely fantastic and pretty hilarious as well. I know we're all going to have a ton of fun together. Yesterday evening we headed out to Morgan's Point for some jazz and fellowshipping. We had a great time just relaxing and wading in the bay.

I Made It

I'm sure everyone is wondering, so I'll let you know that I made it. Yes, I made it through Houston in one piece. Once again, I feel accomplished because of this small feat. I also feel a little better because I was not the only intern who was completely terrified while driving across one million lanes of traffic.

Just as I had been told, the Frombergs are a sweet and awesome couple. The other two girl interns are staying at their house along with me. I'm looking forward to developing a relationship with them and their granddaughter, who is living here this summer.

Our workshop, Creating a Healing Community, began last night and and will stretch on from 9 to 9 today. Hmmm, that reminds me of a little shop in Oxford. At least all of our meals today are provided, which is pretty fantastic.

The rain, which started coming down not long after six yesterday, has let up. It seems this respite will be short-lived as another band of storms is closing in. On the bright side, the rain seems to cut through the humidity. Only as long as it is actually raining, though. After that it seems to be even worse.

Houston

Until today, the biggest city I'd ever driven in was Abilene. Today, however, I successfully navigated my way through Houston. Woohoo! Is it bad that I'm proud of myself for driving through Houston? Because I am. My awesome mom drove down with me, so I must admit that I did have help navigating. Tomorrow I'll drive all around Houston by myself, so we'll see how that goes. We ate dinner at T-Bone Tom's, a fun little steakhouse. It was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The "armadillo eggs" were particularly tasty!

I'll be interning here in Houston for the next three months. My internship is with Lifeline Chaplaincy and I begin tomorrow. While I am still somewhat unclear on what this summer will look like, I do know that I will be in classes in the morning and doing visitations in the afternoons.

This weekend begins a crazy 17-hour intensive workshop. I think it will be really good and very helpful. However, I also think they call it "intensive" for a reason. I'm looking forward to getting to know my host family and the other interns. To be honest, I'm completely terrified about this summer. It's no secret that I'm a homebody who doesn't really like change and prefers small towns. This will be an adventure, and I suppose I'm not exactly unfamiliar with those. I know that I will grow so much and I am excited to see how I am transformed these next few months.

Anticipating the 2010 Kentucky Derby

It's the first Saturday in May, so I'm naturally in front of my television and tuned in to coverage of the 136th Kentucky Derby. Other than the Breeder's Cup, the Triple Crown races are the only horse races that I get to see each year. Like every year before, my dream is still to witness a the winning of the Triple Crown. It's been an awfully long time. In fact, this is the longest it's been between wins since Sir Barton won the three races back in 1919.

This year, there's no horse that stands out from the rest of the field. I think my money right now is on Sidney's Candy. He has a good record, including his win in the Santa Anita Handicap. Pedigree's not too shabby either, with names like Northern Dancer and Bold Ruler and Secretariat on his sire's side. Unfortunately Sidney's Candy may struggle to overcome a poor post position, especially on today's incredibly sloppy track. And of course, any horse guided by Calvin Borel shouldn't be discounted.

My other dream is to someday attend the Kentucky Derby myself. Last summer I made it to the Lonestar Horse Park in the metroplex and attended my first race with one of my best friends. It was a fantastic experience. The grace, beauty, power and majesty of those powerful thoroughbreds is awe-inspiring. I am ready attend another race, perhaps a graded stakes race this time.