See Something More

As I look back over this semester, I am overwhelmed when I think about how far I have come. Not only did I survive my first semester of nursing school, but I feel as though I have grown immensely in almost every aspect of my life. My experiences this semester have deepened my relationships, broadened my knowledge, and expanded my experiences. These past few months have tested my emotions, changed my thinking and attitudes, and influenced my behavior and worldview. Most of all, these elements combined have and strengthened my faith, fueled my passion, and grown my relationship with the Lord. When I think about all the difficult and yet wonderful things I have experienced this semester, I claim no merit or tribute whatsoever. I accept no praise or reward because   I know that there is only one person that made it possible, and it is to Him I give all the credit. Should one person be recognized and acclaimed, it is He. Only one deserves the honor, and He deserves every last drop of it.

I playfully snatched all the pillows off my bed then bounded into my sister's room to do the same. We robbed the couch of its cushions. We grabbed the blankets out of every closet's top shelf. And then we piled it all onto the dining room floor at the foot of the Christmas tree to create one giant pillow pallet. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is sleeping "under" the Christmas tree with my little sister. This tradition was cute when we were five and ten years old, but now that we are fifteen and twenty, it's just hilarious. But tradition none the less, we love to keep it year after year. Every morning we always argue about who was the bed hog and who stole the covers all night long and how neither of us got a good night sleep, but then we laugh really hard and do it again the next night. It is those sweet little moments that make coming home for Christmas extra special. I always look forward to sleeping under the Christmas tree with my 'lil sis, ba

"I finally have your papers graded and ready to give back to you," our teacher announced at the beginning of class, "the ones that you wrote about the stress and pain case study." "Oh..." one student sighed and moaned as she recieved her paper, "Stress and pain!" Our whole class laughed at the irony because she was not only referring to the topic of the paper, but to our reactions when we recieved our grades as well as the general emotion of nursing students around this time of year. It was the beginning of the week before finals, also known as "dead week." I think this is because nursing students are dead by the end of the week...just in time for finals. Yes, "stress" and "pain" are two words that every nursing student understands well from personal experience, especially these last two weeks of testing, clinical simulation, and finals. With four finals down and one to go, I sit down to write this blog in amazem

"I don't know for sure, but   I heard there might be a spot opening up on the spring break Nicaragua trip," my friend casually told me one afternoon. "What? You're kidding!" I replied. My mind flashed back to when I had been told that the trip and the waiting list were full. It took quite a while for me to become okay with the fact that I would not be able to go. And now, here a door opened once again. I got in touch with the campaign leader to place my name was on the waiting list. She said, "There is a spot open on the trip, but there is still one person on the waiting list ahead of you. If she decides not to go, I will give you a call." Sure enough, later that afternoon, I receieved a call confirming that I could go to Jinotega, Nicaragua, for spring break. In case you didn't already know, Jinotega, Nicaragua has a very special place in my heart. Therefore, I am overly excited that I get one more chance to see and serve my brothers,

It was just like any regular Monday morning. I was sleepily walking down the sidewalk at 7:58, late as usual for my 8:00 pharmacology class. Only it was also raining this morning, so I was carrying my little blue umbrella and listening to the sqeaking sound of my rainboots and the thump-thump-thump of the books in my backpack as I walked. Suddenly, I heard one loud thump as all my books spilled out of my backpack onto the wet sidewalk, which was becoming more and more like a river with the amount of pouring rain. Man, I forgot to zip my backpack! Dumb! I said to myself as I tried to pick up the binders while holding onto my umbrella. That wasn't working, so I set the umbrella down (in the pouring rain, mind you) and hurried to pick up my collection of binders. In the process, my scholarship application blew out and landed in a puddle. After scrambling to pick it up, I eventually collected myself, re-grouped, and continued walking down the sidewalk. Just in time, a car drove b

Thursday night, a several girls sat in a circle in a lamp-lit room. We gathered to encourage one another through song and sharing. A few girls had prepared their testimonies in advance and opened up before the group to talk about how God has been working in their lives. In between testimonies, we sang and worshipped together. No lesson was given and no sermon preached, but I left that devotional knowing God more. The Bible is full of stories, from Adam to Noah and Gideon and Nehemiah and Mary and Paul. Although each story is about a person, the main character is always the Lord. The stories are really about Him because He is the one writing the stories in the first place. He is the center of the stories. Just like we learn about God from the stories in the Bible, so we learn about God from the stories that God is still writing - the stories of our lives. The stories that were shared Thursday night beautifully reflected the greatness of God. Yes, the stories were about humans, but G