the good old days

Sometimes on Sundays I like to wake up early

and watch Joel Olsteen.

He is a preacher who makes so much sense in today's world.

Today his sermon is about "It's all how you look at it"

As always, his sermon is simple but something that

changes the way you look at the complaints of the days world.

Perspective....

He goes through a list of things that could have you feeling negative

but then explains how it's all how you look at it.

For instance:

If you have only 15 dollars in your pocket then you are in the top

8% of the wealthiest people in the world.

If you have sore muscles are so tired at the end of the day,

be thankful because that means you had a job to go to.

Be thankful for the taxes you pay because that means you are employed.

Be thankful for the grass that needs to be cut, gutters that needs to be

cleaned because that mean you have a home to live in.

Be thankful for the woman who sits behind you in church who

sings loudly off key because it means you can hear.

He goes on to a list many things that are not hard to understand,

but some days hard to remember when we get caught up in

the "Poor me" attitude that kills.

He says one that struck me.

"Be thankful that you can scratch your own nose."

I think of Gina B. who has a hard time lately with this

simple task. I have pain every day.

I am thankful that I have such a great life that the

people who love me understand this and that there

are medications that can ease my pain.

Olsteen told a story of his brother who is a a physician.

At one time his brother was working 80 hours a week

to come home to 3 children under the age of 6.

He was tired but there were diapers to change, baths to be done,

bedtime stories to be told...

One day he went to work and one of his elderly patients took

a minute to ask him how he was doing, that he looked so

tired and stressed.

He shared with this patient a part of his life.

He spoke of how with the job and all the challenges of having to

do for his children had him wishing for the day that he

would not have so many fatherly duties to do.

His brother then remembered that this elderly woman had

recently lost her husband. He asked,

"I am sorry for going on, how are you doing since becoming a widow"

She with tears rolling down her wrinkled face shares:

"How I long for the days you now live.

For the pitter-patter of little feet, reading of bedtime stories,

going to bed so tired that you are asleep before your

head hits the pillow and then up in an hour to help a little

one who has had a nightmare. I would love to go back to the

season your are now living. You right now are living

your "good ol' days"

None of this was anything that any of us don't know in

our hearts to be true but we forget in the drudgery's

of living the daily grind.

Live your GOOD OL' DAYS to the fullest.

Do it for you, do it for the ones you love

and if you can't do it for those reasons,

then do it for all of those who can no longer do it for themselves.

This my friends, is our good old days

Where were you?

The bombing of the New York towers is one of those moments

like when President Kennedy was assassinated.

No one will ever forget where and what they were doing

when the tragedy took place.

That morning I was on my usual routine for my work day,

I was at Lady Of the Sea Hospital picking up supplies

to bring to Dr. Hutchinson's office where I was going to

work all day as a clinic nurse.

As I walked into the lobby I found many employees watching

the TV. Some were crying and I asked what was going on.

The news became clear that we were being attacked.

Attacked on our own soil....

I drove to Golden Meadow trying to grasp exactly what

this meant. Why? Why? Why?

At our clinic it was more of the same.

We, the employees discussed how to handle this today

on what was supposed to be just an average work day.

The decision was made that we were going to try and keep our

day as normal as we could for the patients coming in

who needed our services. We kept the TV on in Hutch's

office and kept up the best we could on the happenings.

I was in the process of checking in patients when I

checked in one of our favorite elderly patients

from Grand Isle. He was teary-eyed and I could tell

he had been crying for some time.

He was battling cancer on that day and being the kind

of touchy-feely nurse that I am, I hugged him like I did

every time he came for a visit.

This morning he hugged me especially long and cried.

We walked into an exam room and I knew I had to address

this bombing with him.

As I began to talk he looked me straight in the eye with

tears streaming down his face.

He said to me that day words I will never, ever forget

and words that are the first thing I think of each 9/11.

"LITTLE GIRL, I FOUGHT TWO WARS, TWO WARS

SO THAT YOU, OUR CHILDREN WOULD NEVER, NEVER

HAVE TO SEE THIS"

These words are what brought this whole tragedy into perspective

for me, told me that our world will never be the same again.

USA, home of the free because of the brave

What were you doing on this day nine years ago?

Is it really Friday already and did the Saints really win last night?

I am such an old fuddy-duddy.

I wanted to watch the game, I was filled with anticipation.

I cooked supper for the familia

had my bath and pj's on way early even

before Pat and Leah came over to discuss wedding programs.

I hunkered down on my sofa with baby girl at my feet

and HOBL putting dumb stuff on facebook,

to watch the game.

I was so filled with excitement as I love a good football game

especially if the Saints are in it.

Oh my goodness... Drew Breeze was awesome in that

first quarter. Long passes straight to the chest of

the player he wanted to hit.

Me and baby girl, we were so excited.

we saw Shockey's new hairdo and both agreed that look

fits him better.

First half was okay, but then, then

I made the mistake of laying my head down on the pillow

that smells like Downy on the sofa that is more comfortable

than a bed....

and baby girl went to her room to watch the second half

and I, I , I slept. Oh yes I am embarrassed to say that

I, Lilliana from Galliana ( golden meadow)

fell asleep and awakened to find out we had won

and played a pretty decent game...

Now it is Friday and everyone will be so excited and celebrating

and I can say I slept through the second half.

Oh well, at least I will be refreshed for work today.

WWGD

No, these days for me, this does not stand

for "What would God do"

and I was never one to go with the flow of

"What would Jesus do"

The question I ask myself on bad mornings,

on mornings that I sleep little and dream of pain

or wake up so stiff that it takes me an hour to move

I simply ask myself:

"WHAT WOULD GINA B. DO"

If given the chance for one more day to get up,

get dressed face a day of work antics

what would my friend do?

I know my Gina B. She would get dressed,

put that beautiful smile on her face and go to work

or tackle her day for whatever it brings.

Shoot she does that now when she dresses to spend

the day at her Mom's most days.

So today, after "one of those nights"

I am up and going to dress into a cute little nursing uniform

and try to make a whole day of work.

Today I am not going to do it for me I am going

to do it for the honor of calling Gina B. my friend.

I am going to do it for her.

I am not going to let the daily hassles of working in the

school system get to me because if given the day,

Gina B. would be so happy to be there that she would

make the best of it and bring joy to all she touches.

I will work today not for me but in the name of Gina B.

and hope that I make her and our God proud.

The ways of the Lord

When Gina B. was going through testing to find out

exactly what was going on with her body

I was going to Tennessee to find out about this thing

called "late effects of radiation"

She would ask me often how things were going and listened

intently as I shared my story.

Gina B., at that time never once shared with me what she

was going through.

At first I was upset about this and also upset that I should

have seen signs that things were not right with her.

I felt like I had been so self-centered that I could not

see that my friend was having her own issues.

After Christmas holidays I am given the news by another work friend.

She thought I knew that Gina B. had been diagnosed with ALS

and felt so badly that she was the one who had told me.

I got weak to my knees, bent down at her desk and wanted to cry.

I, being a nurse, knew what this diagnosis meant,

Praying for miracles has always been on our agenda but

my nursing mind could not forget the things I knew and have seen

with the "devil" called Lou Gehrig's disease.

The friend who gave me the information asked me not to say

anything until she told me but Lil, well she just doesn't roll that way,

God does not allow me to ever do this.

After I get my composure I walk straight to where I know I am

going to find my Gina B. and I call her out of class.

She knows right away what I am there for and I have no plans

as to what I am going to say, but I am going to have to at least offer

my support to my Gina B.

She comes out and we hug, we hug big and I kind of fuss her for

not sharing her information with me.

As always, she was worried about my own diagnosis and didn't

want to add to my burden, my burden? My burden is nothing compared

to what my Gina B. was going through.

Then the AHA moment takes place.

I do not know why I said what I said next and I can't even remember my

exact words. It is one of those moments when God uses me as a vessel

and I say what needs to be said, the things that others may be

thinking but can't say.

I say to her, "Gina you have to quit working, you have to quit and

you have to do it now. A job such as this will drain you with a disease

like ALS which calls for rest, less stress, and therapy.

You are giving the best of you to these children and when you get

home you cannot give to the ones who love you the most,

your family. They are the ones who deserve the energy you are

putting forth here. You will never forgive yourself if, because

of your illness, something happens to one of these children in school.

No one in the world expects you to be working with a diagnosis of ALS.

People just don't do it and you should not be either."

In a nut shell, that is basically what the message was.

Gina B. is looking at me the whole time with the biggest eyes,

in astonishment and says, "You are an angel"

hmmm I have been called many things, but an angel? maybe a disciple...

She then shares how her prayers were for an answer for all of this.

She was unsure of how she should proceed, of what God was calling her to do

here and like the wind I am sometimes I proceed to tell her

what it is she needs to hear.

An Aha moment? Perhaps.

Gina B., that day begins the process of no longer working and we

miss her soooo much.

However on Friday, at our visit, I talk to her about that day,

we both remember it so vividly because we both believe

God used me as a vessel.

I now question Gina B. on the fact that I also said that her struggles, her

cross may not have anything to do with her but may be for a lesson

for someone else in her life.

I question if the words I spoke to her should be mirrored back

to me as I struggle with my medical issues that again, I must stress

are no comparison to what she has.

She looks at me and says,

"When it is your time, you are going to know, it will be clear to you"

I know then she is right, my time is not here

I must continue to balance my work life and personal life

because as she said, I will know, right now that answer is still

not clear. So I challenge on and share our story with

all of you readers to see, God is still very present in

our world, the problem is, not enough are listening to his Word.