Friday's Reflections

This week has been a good week, getting a full week of "work" and opportunities to learn. A few things come to mind as I reflect back, but the most effective event is the conversations I have had in the elevators with 2 different nurses. Most times, I enter the elevator and keep to myself. But for some strange reason, I turned to the nurse, and asked her how her day was going today. She responded, and we exchanged some pleasantries. Another nurse and I had a brief levity at the stresses of life, and her response to my question of "how is it going today" was "I'm hanging on". I said good, don't let go. Keep hanging on. And it hit me, how exhausted they nursing staff must get in responding to every call as its the most important call of the day. Treating each patient as if it were their own mother or father. Giving all they can to work their best and treat everyone with the utmost respect. It's hard on the staff to provide care, to be caregivers.
Also this week, I was able to see the strength a family can have with support during these rough times of surgery on a child. And days later, seeing the "unexpected" or unwarranted problems arise in health, and the pain of a child suffering, when there is nothing a grandmother can do. As I finished the prayer, she grabbed onto me and hugged me, and said "her body is in such pain". I returned the grandmothers hug, and let her know that I see the physical pain being felt in the emotions of her as well.
Some other things I have learned this week and during the last few weeks, relate to my reactions and words of reactions. I have been blessed to now have the ability to "think twice" before I speak, making jokes and being interested in how my comments will be accepted. I was impressed this week with the effort to "prevent" kids from being criminals with the new wing of the Harris Country Psychiatric center being developed for adolescents. I was even interested in becoming more involved in those aspects of family dynamics. The mental disorders and affects of trauma and violence in the minds and lives of children, and how it interacts with the family. During my education at ACU, I feel my time with Lifeline is going to give me a great deal of "life" to reflect on, and the realness of how situations affect the family, the marriages, and relationships of children and parents. It is very obvious to me, how the crisis of illness and being "uprooted" from normality can cause a great deal of stress and conflict.