Nashville tragedy…

It breaks my heart to see the photos and videos of the flooding that’s just occurred in one of my favorite cities–Nashville, Tennessee.  I lived in the area for almost 15 years, and it is embedded in my heart.  May she rise from the waters and shine again!

Amish clothesline

The long and winding road…

I read the I-Monk (aka Michael Spencer) regularly.  He  has written a column that, in many ways, illustrates how I’m coming to understand my life’s journey with God.  I’m learning more and more that this Christian walk is about all of my life, not just those parts connected to church.  It’s not just about theological knowledge; it’s about my mind and heart being transformed by Christ.   I am more aware than ever how desperately I need an ever-present awareness that as Jesus has forgiven me, so must I forgive.

Here are some excerpts (but go read the whole column for yourself.  It’s worth the time.)

Jesus has shown me that he isn’t a franchised product of some denomination or the spokesman for some program or cause. Jesus is the source, the head, of his body. He’s present in all the places Christians seek him, but he’s present in so many more places and in so many more ways that we ever suspect.

In the midst of knowing God through his Son, I’m discovering that I am a member of the human race, deeply connected to all other persons in my humanity and my sinfulness.

Onward and upward, to Jesus. Into his Kingdom, and to greater glory and treasure. Always, no matter how much we know, discovering that we are only children, invited to trust more than understand.. . . I know less and less what is before me, but I am ever more certain he is the way, the truth and the life.

Links to some of my published articles…

This is a partial list of some of my published articles available online.  All of these were published in either the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine; Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health; Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer; or Gale Encyclopedia of  Children’s Health.

Stomatitis   Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer

Hypercalcemia    Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer

Carcinoma of Unknown Primary   Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer

Testicular Cancer  Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer

Colostomy Care  Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Diabetes Mellitus   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Fecal Incontinence   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Malignant Lymphomas   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Neuropathy   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Foot Care   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Parenteral Nutrition   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Stomatitis   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Total Body Hydraulic Life Usage  Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Mesothelioma   Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer

Central Catheter Maintenance   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Chest Tube Maintenance   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Vital Signs in the Aging   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Emphysema    Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Beds and Bed Preparation Techniques   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Blood Specimen Collection   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Pressure Ulcer   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Dementia   Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health

Galactosemia   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Otitis Media  Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Insect Sting Allergy  Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Menstruation    Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Decongestants   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Bedwetting   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Oral Hygiene   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Discipline   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Attachment Between Infant and Caregiver    Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Antidepressants    Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Multicultural Education/Curriculum    Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Eye and Vision Development    Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Childproofing   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Day Care   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Chest Physical Therapy   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Electronic Fetal Monitoring    Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Amblyopia   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Early Childhood Education   Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Failure to Thrive    Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health

Homeschooling   Gale Encylopedia of Children’s Health

Oral Contraceptives  Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine

Calcium Channel Blockers   Gale Encylopedia of Medicine

Emphysema   Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine

Testicular Cancer    Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine

I’m a Mystic! What are you?

I took the Spiritual Types test, and it says I’m a “mystic.”   I do see much that is familiar about myself in the description:

You are a Mystic, known for your imaginative, intuitive spirituality.  You value peace, harmony, and inner silence. Mystics are nurtured by walking alone in the woods or sitting quietly with a trusted friend.  You may also enjoy poetry, meditation, wordless prayer, candles, art, books, and anything else that helps you connect with God.   Mystics experience God best through rich images and symbols.  You are contemplative, introspective, intuitive, and focused on an inner world as real to you as the exterior one.  Hearing from God is more important to you than speaking to God. Others may attribute human characteristics to God, but you see God as ineffable, unnamable, and more vast than any known category.  You are intrigued by God’s mystery.   Mystics want to inspire and persuade others, and need to live lives of significance.   At times you push the envelope of spirituality,  helping the rest of us imagine who we might become if we followed your lead.   Sometimes you may feel a bit guilty about your need for solitude and silence.   If so, you probably have bought into the American myth that says being alone and doing nothing is lazy, antisocial, and unproductive.   Stop it — now.   Give yourself permission to retreat and be alone.   It’s essential for your well-being.   On the other hand, don’t get so carried away retreating that you become a recluse.   That only deprives the world of your gifts and deprives you of the lessons that come from being with others.   Some Mystics may have a true vocation for solitary prayer, but the rest of you need to alternate retreat time with involvement and interaction.

One famous mystic the site lists is Albert Schweitzer.  Interestingly, he is remembered on September 4th, which is my birthday. 

Albert Schweitzer Feast Day — September 4 Albert Schweitzer, (1875-1985), biblical scholar, organist, biographer of J. S. Bach, and medical missionary in Africa, perhaps the single best-known Protestant figure of the twentieth century. He was born in Alsace, a part of France claimed by Germany, and was himself a German citizen. He became a leader in the nineteenth-century movement that sought to discover the historical Jesus behind the Gospel accounts. But he gave up the life of scholarship to follow his sense of call to serve the people of Africa.Although he had studied medicine, he gave organ concerts to pay for his missionary endeavors at Lambarené in French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon). Caught up in the events of World War I, he was interned by the French government but returned to Africa in 1924. As a nature mystic, Schweitzer developed the philosophy he called “reverence for life.” As a doctor he fought against germs, but he was reluctant to destroy any life form.

Why don’t you try the test?  Let me know what Spiritual Type you are.

Keep Your Vampire Out of My Romance!

I have a secret (well…maybe not so very secret) addiction. Though I enjoy great literature, I love to escape with a good romance novel. A lot of people look down their very pointy noses at this genre, but trust me, there’s a lot of good writing to be found here, and it’s nice to read books in these uncertain times that mostly have HEA endings. (HEA—that’s happily-ever-after to you uninformed non-romance-reader-types.) However, in the past few years, a subgenre of the romance category has emerged and become so popular that it’s replacing “traditional” romance on the bookshelves. These books are called “paranormal”….and I don’t like ‘em. I’m normally a very open-minded soul, but these books are seriously bugging me. I went to the book aisle the other day while at Meijer’s looking for a new novel. I typically like romantic suspense or contemporary romance. But there were only THREE books like these on the shelves. THREE!!!! And I had read them all. The rest were all “paranormal” romances. Writers whom I used to look forward to reading are hopping on the paranormal bandwagon. What gives?

What are paranormal romances? According to one source I found, “To be “paranormal” a romance needs involve the supernatural—

magic, the occult, ghosts, shape-changers like werewolves, psychic powers, superhuman abilities, travel through time, fantastic or legendary creatures (vampires, fairies, gods and goddesses, angels, demons, and the like), a fantasy world or alternative-Earth or -reality setting, relationships that continue to exist over eras and eons, etc.—or have futuristic or science-fictional element.” These novels tend to be darker in tone than traditional romances, and often don’t have the HAE ending (which, in my not-so-humble-very-often-correct-opinion, should remove them from the romance category altogether.) My personal opinion is that these books more properly belong in the fantasy/science-fiction category.

My personal issue with these books is not the level of writing (which I’m sure can be quite good). No, for me it’s the whole “ick” factor. (I’m sure somewhere this “factor” is defined thoroughly, if you care to look.) My personal preference is for human-on-human romance. That’s HUMAN, not vampire-on-human, fairy-on-vampire; werewolf-on-hum….well, you get the picture. I’d also prefer no psychic, “woo-woo” stuff. An occasional well-placed love bite is okay, but when the hero starts looking at the heroine’s neck as a source of nourishment, well…. And if we could keep everyone in the same decade at least, I would be happy. I DO want interesting/flawed/exciting characters, as long as they’re human beings!

But alas, these books seem to be selling like hotcakes (just how well do hotcakes sell, anyway?), and I’m sure the paranormal publishers are more concerned with their profits than my personal angst. But romance publishers, please, please, try to make a girl happy. Keep publishing books with human characters for little ol’ me. Otherwise, I’ll have to get out my wooden stakes and holy water!

I lost my post…..

I just wrote a long post that was well-written, funny, and quite possibly one of the best written blog posts in blogging history (okay, I exaggerate a wee bit…). So what did I do? I lost it. I mean, it’s gone. I accidentally erased the content and retitled the document. How on earth did I do that? I’m totally bummed.