In 1999, my dad had open heart surgery. He had recovered to the point that he was in a hospital room but would still be there several more days. I was becoming frustrated with the care he was getting because of the length of time it would take for the nurses to respond to his needs. Any time he asked for help, which he tried not to do, it would take about an hour for someone to arrive. Even just getting something for his cough - and coughing is NOT what someone needs to do if they have just had their chest wired back together - took at least an hour. To their credit, the nurses were always very kind to my dad and treated him well, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was that there wasn't enough staff... on any day.
As the days continued, I grew increasingly frustrated and protective of my dad. After one particularly bad situation I was angry enough that I wanted to call whoever was in charge and let them know what I thought of the staffing shortage and resulting problems with patient care. I didn't want the nurses to get into trouble as they certainly were doing everything they could, but I wanted to protect my dad! I also wanted to complain in a way that would be taken seriously and be effective, not as some petty lunatic, so I made myself wait until I was more... calm.
With any extended hospital stay the food gets pretty bland after a while, so dad eagerly accepted my offer to bring him something from home. The nurses encouraged it because they were concerned about his loss of appetite and were happy to give me guidelines on what he could have. By eight that evening everything was cooked and packed in a basket so that I could bring him supper. It just so happened that I was riding the elevator alone until it stopped on the third floor and a well dressed, kind-looking man stepped in. We acknowledged each other politely and the elevator continued going up. I was staring at the floor, thinking about Dad and the frustrating situation, when the gentleman asked if I had someone in the hospital.
"Yes, my dad had heart surgery", assuming he was the hospital chaplain.
"Is he getting good care?" he asked. I thought for a moment and said, "The nurses are great, but they are seriously understaffed here."
"Who is your dad and what room is he in? I'm the hospital administrator."
I quickly told him as I got off the elevator, too surprised to think beyond answering the question! My dad received better attention afterward and the nurses didn't seem to be stressed (well, not any more than they had been). I was able to complain while calm and be effective in doing so. The administrator seemed genuinely concerned, as well, so hopefully the staffing was improved. As for me, I felt like it was a Divine Appointment.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Friday, June 28, 2013
Joining A Police Chase
One night in March 2012, we were on our way home from a wedding. Driving back across town, we kept noticing police cars patrolling heavier than usual and decided they must be looking for someone. We shrugged and took the usual shortcut home.
At one particular point in the shortcut, we had to cross a highway, travel it for a block, and turn onto a curvy back road. Just as we entered the highway, we noticed several police cars, lights flashing, speeding toward us - my husband stopped counting at nine cars - obviously chasing someone. Glad we were going a different way, I turned onto the street we needed... just as I heard brakes squeal and a car skidding. The car the police were chasing was taking the same turn!
Quickly, I pulled our minivan onto the shoulder to let the chase pass us by. However, they were all going too fast to easily make the turn. Vehicles were going all around us left and right, headlights bouncing, lights flashing, and sirens blaring. When they were gone, I took my foot off the brake and took a different way home.
The miraculous part is this: there wasn't room for them to pass us on the right! As they came flying around us, it was too dark to realize the precarious situation of us all. On the right there was a ditch and steep embankment. In front of us there were power poles, a cement post for gas lines, a small tree, and a street sign - but somehow they had missed all of that and us! Oh, and one last thing... the guy they were chasing had been shooting at people earlier and that is why they were chasing him. Fortunately, he didn't choose to shoot at that time though I'm sure he was too busy driving like a maniac.
Angels were watching over us!
At one particular point in the shortcut, we had to cross a highway, travel it for a block, and turn onto a curvy back road. Just as we entered the highway, we noticed several police cars, lights flashing, speeding toward us - my husband stopped counting at nine cars - obviously chasing someone. Glad we were going a different way, I turned onto the street we needed... just as I heard brakes squeal and a car skidding. The car the police were chasing was taking the same turn!
Quickly, I pulled our minivan onto the shoulder to let the chase pass us by. However, they were all going too fast to easily make the turn. Vehicles were going all around us left and right, headlights bouncing, lights flashing, and sirens blaring. When they were gone, I took my foot off the brake and took a different way home.
The miraculous part is this: there wasn't room for them to pass us on the right! As they came flying around us, it was too dark to realize the precarious situation of us all. On the right there was a ditch and steep embankment. In front of us there were power poles, a cement post for gas lines, a small tree, and a street sign - but somehow they had missed all of that and us! Oh, and one last thing... the guy they were chasing had been shooting at people earlier and that is why they were chasing him. Fortunately, he didn't choose to shoot at that time though I'm sure he was too busy driving like a maniac.
Angels were watching over us!
Monday, June 4, 2012
School Books
Paying for school is a concern for most students and I am no different. The first year of classes I was able to pay for tuition with a Pell Grant but paying for books was a different matter. The Lord, however, was creative.
One book that I needed was the APA style Publication Manual. It "just so happened" that the library where I work weeded out a slightly out of date copy. The cataloger knows I'm a writer, so she gave it to me just in case I needed it for reference some time. I thought it was odd since most of the publications I had dealt with required MLA, but I accepted it for the "just in case" factor.
Another book was only $10 instead of $120 because I bought a slightly out of date, used copy. The first 80 pages of the newest edition were available on Google Books, so I was able to check for differences in content. No substantial changes had been made, so I was able to use the older version without any problem.
The rest of my books for the year were covered by finding used copies online, renting from Chegg, and a surprise gift of money from a family member. The family member had no idea how badly I needed money for school, they just wanted to give me something to show me they loved me. Because of my innate frugality, I was able to buy school books, put gas in the car, buy a few groceries, and get a bill paid that was due.
"Give us this day our daily bread" hasn't exactly been my prayer, but it has often been my life. Along with continuing my secular education, I am continuing to learn the lesson that the Lord provides - in His own time.
One book that I needed was the APA style Publication Manual. It "just so happened" that the library where I work weeded out a slightly out of date copy. The cataloger knows I'm a writer, so she gave it to me just in case I needed it for reference some time. I thought it was odd since most of the publications I had dealt with required MLA, but I accepted it for the "just in case" factor.
Another book was only $10 instead of $120 because I bought a slightly out of date, used copy. The first 80 pages of the newest edition were available on Google Books, so I was able to check for differences in content. No substantial changes had been made, so I was able to use the older version without any problem.
The rest of my books for the year were covered by finding used copies online, renting from Chegg, and a surprise gift of money from a family member. The family member had no idea how badly I needed money for school, they just wanted to give me something to show me they loved me. Because of my innate frugality, I was able to buy school books, put gas in the car, buy a few groceries, and get a bill paid that was due.
"Give us this day our daily bread" hasn't exactly been my prayer, but it has often been my life. Along with continuing my secular education, I am continuing to learn the lesson that the Lord provides - in His own time.
The Laptop
In August, 2010, I started back to school to get a bachelor's degree in business. I had decided to take online classes from Athens State University and, for the first semester, my old desktop computer was fine. Unfortunately, toward the end of the semester, they did a system upgrade which severely handicapped my access to the program. Although a nontraditional student, I am just as broke as any traditional student can be so going out and buying something new, or even used, is out of the question.
My nephew is a computer geek and a magnet for computers, so I talked to him about what I needed and showed him the system requirements on the school's site. "No problem," he said. "I have an old laptop that I was going to put on eBay, but you can just have it." Wonderful! However, he said he needed to work on it a bit before he gave it to me because he had cannibalized some of the parts, or memory, or something computerish. At least I had one on the way, so I patiently waited and limped through the rest of the semester.
Just before the next semester started, I still didn't have a laptop. My nephew meant well, but he had decided that the computer he was going to give me wouldn't work and he was going to build something for me. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.
That's when I started praying. I really needed a laptop so I could take the courses - or I was sunk. It needed to be a laptop because that way I could take it to work with me and still get my assignments done or turned in on time. We have only one vehicle, so sometimes I would have to wait an hour or so before being picked up from work. Having a laptop meant I could continue with assignments instead of wasting time just hanging around. I was tempted to panic, but chose to trust instead. The Lord had a week to provide.
The day before classes, I was on my old desktop checking emails. I was trying to close gmail, but my computer was getting hung up and it wasn't going anywhere. Suddenly, a little window popped up in the email chat feature. It was my nephew and he wanted to know if I still needed a laptop. He had just been given a box of computer parts and, offhandedly, they asked if he could use a laptop. He started to say 'no', but then he remembered me. I wasn't expecting much, but if it would work then bring it on.
I am now typing this on a practically new Toshiba Satellite! Classes were so much easier to access that I felt like it has truly been a life saver. I am thankful to the Lord for making my nephew, Josh, a computer magnet and providing just what I needed when I needed it.
My nephew is a computer geek and a magnet for computers, so I talked to him about what I needed and showed him the system requirements on the school's site. "No problem," he said. "I have an old laptop that I was going to put on eBay, but you can just have it." Wonderful! However, he said he needed to work on it a bit before he gave it to me because he had cannibalized some of the parts, or memory, or something computerish. At least I had one on the way, so I patiently waited and limped through the rest of the semester.
Just before the next semester started, I still didn't have a laptop. My nephew meant well, but he had decided that the computer he was going to give me wouldn't work and he was going to build something for me. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.
That's when I started praying. I really needed a laptop so I could take the courses - or I was sunk. It needed to be a laptop because that way I could take it to work with me and still get my assignments done or turned in on time. We have only one vehicle, so sometimes I would have to wait an hour or so before being picked up from work. Having a laptop meant I could continue with assignments instead of wasting time just hanging around. I was tempted to panic, but chose to trust instead. The Lord had a week to provide.
The day before classes, I was on my old desktop checking emails. I was trying to close gmail, but my computer was getting hung up and it wasn't going anywhere. Suddenly, a little window popped up in the email chat feature. It was my nephew and he wanted to know if I still needed a laptop. He had just been given a box of computer parts and, offhandedly, they asked if he could use a laptop. He started to say 'no', but then he remembered me. I wasn't expecting much, but if it would work then bring it on.
I am now typing this on a practically new Toshiba Satellite! Classes were so much easier to access that I felt like it has truly been a life saver. I am thankful to the Lord for making my nephew, Josh, a computer magnet and providing just what I needed when I needed it.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Day My Husband Nearly Died
It was about 1995 and CB kept getting respiratory infections. One particular time he was so bad that he kept getting weaker. I called the doctor and was told it would have to run its course and that he might get worse before he got better. I thought, "If he gets any worse he'll be dead."
That afternoon he was lying on the sofa too weak to hold a glass or sip water through a straw. He was cold and asked if it was getting dark. When I told him that it was warm in the house and the sun was shining brightly through the windows, he told me that I sounded like I was far away in a tunnel. He spoke with effort to be just above a whisper. Our three year old son quietly stood beside me as we both looked at his daddy lying there, barely moving as he breathed. "Is Daddy going to die?" he asked. I assured him that Daddy was going to be okay but he needed to rest. After settling him down to a Thomas the Tank Engine video, I stepped into the next room and nearly fell apart. "Please, Lord," I cried as quietly as I could, "I'm not ready to be a widow!"
"Julie?" came my husband's weak, but stronger voice from the next room. I rushed in and he was wide awake. I helped him sit up and, although he was shaky, he took the glass I had tried to offer him a few minutes before and began to drink. He still had a recovery period of growing stronger over a few weeks, but he was alive!
I know that prayer works. I don't pretend to understand everything about it, but I know that God heard the desperate prayer of a young woman who didn't want to lose her husband. That was sixteen years ago, and my husband is still with me - just older. ;)
That afternoon he was lying on the sofa too weak to hold a glass or sip water through a straw. He was cold and asked if it was getting dark. When I told him that it was warm in the house and the sun was shining brightly through the windows, he told me that I sounded like I was far away in a tunnel. He spoke with effort to be just above a whisper. Our three year old son quietly stood beside me as we both looked at his daddy lying there, barely moving as he breathed. "Is Daddy going to die?" he asked. I assured him that Daddy was going to be okay but he needed to rest. After settling him down to a Thomas the Tank Engine video, I stepped into the next room and nearly fell apart. "Please, Lord," I cried as quietly as I could, "I'm not ready to be a widow!"
"Julie?" came my husband's weak, but stronger voice from the next room. I rushed in and he was wide awake. I helped him sit up and, although he was shaky, he took the glass I had tried to offer him a few minutes before and began to drink. He still had a recovery period of growing stronger over a few weeks, but he was alive!
I know that prayer works. I don't pretend to understand everything about it, but I know that God heard the desperate prayer of a young woman who didn't want to lose her husband. That was sixteen years ago, and my husband is still with me - just older. ;)
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Sometimes, A Dream Means Something
Sometimes I have dreams worth writing down because they are what I call "significant." One night, in 2008, I had a dream that I knew was important - significant - so I wrote it down. I won't repeat it here, but I'll give the condensed version:
I went to work one day and there was construction on the second floor. No one was expecting it. My office and my supervisor's offices were being combined. There was a man who was newly hired. My supervisor gave me her list of contacts and decided to retire, partially because of the confusion. Another man (I have no idea who he was) cautioned me to be careful about what I said to the rest of the staff because it would influence their attitudes and whether it was a smooth or rough transition.
There was more, but that's enough for now.
Fast forward one year to the spring of 2009. I got to work and there was remodeling being done on the floor just above my office. The director had no idea that they were going to be starting anytime soon because she had been requesting it for months and getting no response. A few days later, my supervisor turned in her paperwork for retirement. In the weeks that followed, it was decided to combine my duties with those of my supervisor. With the remodeling progressing, the newly hired male librarian stopped by my office to comment on the noise from the "construction on the second floor." That 's when I remembered my dream. Everything had been moving so gradually that I had not thought about it until he used that phrase. That evening when I got home I pulled out the notebook in which I had written down the dream. There were seven things in the dream that were happening at that time - including my supervisor giving me her Rolodex with who to contact for orders, repairs, etc.
As I pondered these things I wondered why I had been given advance notice of these events. It was interesting, but there wasn't anything that happened that I needed to know. Nothing that happened could be prevented or would I benefit by knowing about it in advance. As I prayed about it, I asked the Lord why He had given me that dream. Here's what He said:
"Because I want you to know that no matter how unexpected or how surprising something may be, I already know about it and I have it under control."
I felt a wonderful sense of God's goodness at that moment. I must admit that later I wondered why I needed to know that, but I'm sure I'll find that out later. In the meanwhile I will live with the confidence that God IS good.
I went to work one day and there was construction on the second floor. No one was expecting it. My office and my supervisor's offices were being combined. There was a man who was newly hired. My supervisor gave me her list of contacts and decided to retire, partially because of the confusion. Another man (I have no idea who he was) cautioned me to be careful about what I said to the rest of the staff because it would influence their attitudes and whether it was a smooth or rough transition.
There was more, but that's enough for now.
Fast forward one year to the spring of 2009. I got to work and there was remodeling being done on the floor just above my office. The director had no idea that they were going to be starting anytime soon because she had been requesting it for months and getting no response. A few days later, my supervisor turned in her paperwork for retirement. In the weeks that followed, it was decided to combine my duties with those of my supervisor. With the remodeling progressing, the newly hired male librarian stopped by my office to comment on the noise from the "construction on the second floor." That 's when I remembered my dream. Everything had been moving so gradually that I had not thought about it until he used that phrase. That evening when I got home I pulled out the notebook in which I had written down the dream. There were seven things in the dream that were happening at that time - including my supervisor giving me her Rolodex with who to contact for orders, repairs, etc.
As I pondered these things I wondered why I had been given advance notice of these events. It was interesting, but there wasn't anything that happened that I needed to know. Nothing that happened could be prevented or would I benefit by knowing about it in advance. As I prayed about it, I asked the Lord why He had given me that dream. Here's what He said:
"Because I want you to know that no matter how unexpected or how surprising something may be, I already know about it and I have it under control."
I felt a wonderful sense of God's goodness at that moment. I must admit that later I wondered why I needed to know that, but I'm sure I'll find that out later. In the meanwhile I will live with the confidence that God IS good.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Like Abram
2002 The small house we had been renting for several years was about to be sold. Our landlady had been put in a nursing home and her son had called to see if we wanted to buy it before they put it on the market. We declined, so a few weeks later he sent a real estate agent over to evaluate the house. At the end of her visit, she said, "Okay, I have everything I need. Do you mind if I start showing the house while you're still living here?"
"Um," my husband quickly replied, "Can you wait two weeks? We will be out by then." She had no problem agreeing with that and then she left. We then started trying to figure out where we going to move. I started packing up the things that didn't have to be used on a daily basis and my husband began looking in the newspaper for places to rent. We needed somewhere to go - and we needed it fast!
The two of us had very different responses to this sudden deadline: my husband was concerned about finding a place while I felt excited. I felt like God had something in mind and He would show us just like he told Abram, "Go to a land I will show you." Three or four days had gone by, and we still didn't have a place to move to even though we now had just over a week to be out. We had looked at a few places, but the prospects weren't very promising. I remember laying in bed one night praying about it. "Lord, if only there was someone we knew who had a house sitting vacant that would let us live there until we found something permanent. Maybe it's just an extra house they have that they inherited or something." I still felt like Abram, but at the same time the days were clicking away.
During all of the search for somewhere else to live, we still had to continue our regular obligations. I was homeschooling our nine year old son, looking for a part time job (because of the added expenses for moving), plus packing up our belongings. My husband is a self employed musician who had project deadlines, teaching guitar lessons, plus trying to find a place to live.
On Friday, one week before we had told the real estate agent we would be out, CB was teaching a student how to make an E chord. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by, "Call Robbie about his mother's house." His response was, "What?" "Call Robbie about his mother's house." Then he understood. Robbie's mother had died a few years ago and her house was sitting empty. CB could hardly concentrate on the rest of the lesson. In fact, he left the teaching studio before the student had time to put his guitar in its case! He went inside the main part of the house and immediately called Robbie, a long time family friend and former guitar student. Before CB could actually ask, Robbie said yes. He was needing someone to stay in the house and take care of it while he decided what he wanted to do with it. He wouldn't accept any rent, all we had to do was pay the utilities and take care of the yard work plus we could stay as long as we needed. Since Robbie lived out of town, they made arrangements to meet at the house that Sunday afternoon.
It gets better. The house was not huge, but it was large enough that we could store our stuff that was boxed up, CB could continue with his projects and teaching students, and it was only two minutes from where we owned a piece of property where we eventually built a house and moved to! By the following Sunday we were completely moved out of the old rental house, had a yard sale for the stuff we didn't want to move, and were settled in at the temporary house. We were relieved to have the breathing time for deciding on a permanent place to live and Robbie was relieved to have his extra house occupied by people he could trust.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
"Um," my husband quickly replied, "Can you wait two weeks? We will be out by then." She had no problem agreeing with that and then she left. We then started trying to figure out where we going to move. I started packing up the things that didn't have to be used on a daily basis and my husband began looking in the newspaper for places to rent. We needed somewhere to go - and we needed it fast!
The two of us had very different responses to this sudden deadline: my husband was concerned about finding a place while I felt excited. I felt like God had something in mind and He would show us just like he told Abram, "Go to a land I will show you." Three or four days had gone by, and we still didn't have a place to move to even though we now had just over a week to be out. We had looked at a few places, but the prospects weren't very promising. I remember laying in bed one night praying about it. "Lord, if only there was someone we knew who had a house sitting vacant that would let us live there until we found something permanent. Maybe it's just an extra house they have that they inherited or something." I still felt like Abram, but at the same time the days were clicking away.
During all of the search for somewhere else to live, we still had to continue our regular obligations. I was homeschooling our nine year old son, looking for a part time job (because of the added expenses for moving), plus packing up our belongings. My husband is a self employed musician who had project deadlines, teaching guitar lessons, plus trying to find a place to live.
On Friday, one week before we had told the real estate agent we would be out, CB was teaching a student how to make an E chord. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by, "Call Robbie about his mother's house." His response was, "What?" "Call Robbie about his mother's house." Then he understood. Robbie's mother had died a few years ago and her house was sitting empty. CB could hardly concentrate on the rest of the lesson. In fact, he left the teaching studio before the student had time to put his guitar in its case! He went inside the main part of the house and immediately called Robbie, a long time family friend and former guitar student. Before CB could actually ask, Robbie said yes. He was needing someone to stay in the house and take care of it while he decided what he wanted to do with it. He wouldn't accept any rent, all we had to do was pay the utilities and take care of the yard work plus we could stay as long as we needed. Since Robbie lived out of town, they made arrangements to meet at the house that Sunday afternoon.
It gets better. The house was not huge, but it was large enough that we could store our stuff that was boxed up, CB could continue with his projects and teaching students, and it was only two minutes from where we owned a piece of property where we eventually built a house and moved to! By the following Sunday we were completely moved out of the old rental house, had a yard sale for the stuff we didn't want to move, and were settled in at the temporary house. We were relieved to have the breathing time for deciding on a permanent place to live and Robbie was relieved to have his extra house occupied by people he could trust.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
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