After the hustle and bustle....

Well, I passed the CNA exam and am now official to work in Colorado as a nurse aide. I will be starting a new job on the 9th floor in the same hospital and am very excited! It is the step-down unit from the CICU that I work in now. After the CICU the kiddos go to the Cardiac Progressive Care Unit (CPCU) where we teach parents how to care for them at home and then they are discharged from there. I look forward to being with my patients in this capacity, as it allows me more hands-on time with them, than the CICU does.

Christmas has wrapped up and it was a very joyful time for my family and I. There was much laughter and love spread about, but most importantly, there was a focus on the savior of my life and praises of Him being spoken about more often than usual from some of my family members.

As I begin looking forward to 2010 I find myself eager to finish my online bible school and receive my certificate in Biblical Studies. I look forward to the growth that the course will continue providing me so that I can know, and help others know, Jesus better.

My father gave me a book called Classic Christianity for Christmas and was reading it today. Something that resonated with me was this passage:

The thoughts we consistently feed into our minds will determine our emotions and desires, which will in turn determine our actions. Paul wrote about this in Philippians 4:8 "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. "

I think this sits so deeply with me because I suffer from depression at times, and I wish I'd read this before some of the battles I've been through. I tend, like many people who suffer from depression and obsessive disorders, to hang onto negative, nagging, untrue thoughts. I choose now to begin soaking my mind in the Lords' truths and ignoring my emotions during times of crisis. I choose to consistently feed my mind with His promises and words of hope each day from here on out. I want to have His joy and hope resonate in me and radiate out of me and I know I can accomplish that by feeding myself consistently with the words of the scriptures! I pray that you all would find hope in Jesus too and consistently feed your mind with his words.

I mentioned that I was becoming a Certified Nurses Aide (CNA) and my state certification exam is on December 17th. After becoming certified I have been offered a position with a Pediatric Home Health Care Agency. I would be covering shifts, as needed, for their full-time CNA's who go on vacation or need days off for other reasons. I will also be continuing to work at Children's Hospital full-time.

The work of a CNA is to assist patients in doing the normal activities that people do in everyday life, usually on their own. However, due to and injury or something, they are no longer able to perhaps brush their teeth, take a bath, go to the bathroom, stand up, etc. on their own. That is what much of my job will consist of.

Being a woman who wants to serve Christ and his people, I am so excited to take these next steps in my journey of life. What better way to show Jesus to others than by assisting them to do the simple things they were once able to do on their own and no longer can? I am thankful for the people that Jesus will bring into my life through this experience!

After much prayer

...and long talks my relationship has been restored. The growth that the two of us are experiencing in our walk with the Lord has been so refreshing! We continue to seek Him for our lives, individually and as a couple. Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to love him and be loved by him.

Speaking of miles, I have committed to doing the Colorado Half marathon. I am so excited because its my first half marathon and I'm going to do it with two others who have never run a half marathon either. They are both dear friends of mine and I am thankful to be doing this with them.

In other areas of my life, I have complete my Certified Nurses Aide training and will take my state exam on Dec 16th or 17th. I feel really blessed to have a heart for this line of work. After doing my clinicals in a long term care facility for the class, I was shown what a ministry this line of work can be. I am so excited to serve in this area and feel grateful that the Lord crafted my heart in such a way that I am drawn to be a CNA and can enjoy it.

I moved in with my Uncle Reno (widow to my late Aunt Dana) and it has been wonderful. I enjoy spending time with him and his girl, Angie (she is so sweet and I think my Aunt Dana picked her out for my uncle). We eat dinner together sometimes, but we still have enough space to do our own thing too. He has his christmas tree up, which is so nice to enjoy, and I am living in the basement. The carpet is so soft and plush, the heater blows right over my bed, and all of my furniture fits into my room nicely. The move was a long one (spanning over the course of three weeks) but I am comfy in the house now.

I am super excited for this advent season and for Christmas. I don't have to work school around my schedule anymore so I finally have the chance to enjoy the holidays. I am lucky enough to get to work at the hospital on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so I can serve our families who can't be home for Christmas morning. I pray that I can be love and hope and a light for Jesus to them all.

I pray for each of you reading this, that you have joy, health, and cherished moments this holiday season. I am thankful for each of you in my life.