Glimmers
November 20, 2009
"I thank my God every time I remember you..." (Phil. 1:3, NASV)
Last night my wife asked me to get the little pilgrim salt and pepper shakers, napkin holder and spoon rest from the top shelf of the cabinet above the oven. They are from the collection Publix supermarket used to sell, now discontinued, I'm sad to say. Thanksgiving preparations have begun in earnest at the Smith house.
That got me thinking about being thankful. As I began thinking this through on my morning walk, I thought about the farmer who got up at 4 a.m. to milk the cows that produced the milk I put in my morning coffee. Our society is so removed from the production of the things we use everyday, I’ll bet there are people who don’t even know milk comes from cows. Some people are so confused about it they think the chicken in those Chick-fil-A commercials comes from those Holsteins carrying the sign, “Eat mor chikn.” But chicken doesn’t come from cows, beef does. And besides, those are DAIRY cows. Hello!
This ignorance about where things come from is boldly displayed at the fast food restaurants that proclaim their burgers are from “100% Angus beef.”Angus cows are just beef cows with black hair. I suspect the beef from red Santa Gertrudis or gray Brahman or white Charolais cows is just as good, they just need better marketing. But I digress. The point is how many things have you used today that someone else worked very hard to produce? How many others gave their time and expertise in the doing of their jobs so that you could do yours? At the risk of missing some of the hundreds of people involved, allow me to illustrate. I’ll begin with arriving at work this morning, just to keep it simple.
I parked my car and before I could lock the doors, a volunteer driving the shuttle arrived and asked if I needed a ride. I noticed the grounds were neatly trimmed, thanks guys! The South entrance door opened automatically, thank you Business Office for paying FPL. Thank you to HIS for coding the procedures so the Business Office could bill for them to receive payment so we could pay FPL. I saw clean floors because environmental services had worked hard overnight to scrub, polish and vacuum them. I unlocked the door to my office and turned on my computer. Thank you Information Systems! I took the daily census and referrals off the printer to start planning my day. Admitting, nursing, and clinical informatics all had a hand in that. So many people to thank already and I had barely begun the day!
Now think about your job. Who ordered the gloves, prepared the meds, cooked the food, restocked linens, mopped the floors, drew the labs, took the Xrays, did the surgery, filed the reports, input the data, delivered the meals, transported the patient from the OR, and…well I think you get the picture. We all have hundreds of others to thank for their contributions to our being able to do our jobs.
Between now and Thanksgiving Day, how about telling some of them thanks for doing what they do so you have the opportunity to do what you do. And remember, as my minister likes to say, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jerald
Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Seeing the invisible
Glimmers
October 22, 2009
“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:27 (NLT)
It is funny how one thought leads to another, then another and another. Sometimes I try to stop where I am in the thinking process and retrace the mental steps that led me to the current thought. The caboose on today’s thought train was the George Strait song “I Saw God Today.”
Just walked down the street to the coffee shop
Had to take a break
I’d been by her side for eighteen hours straight
Saw a flower growin’ in the middle of the sidewalk
Pushin’ up through the concrete
Like it was planted right there for me to see
The flashin’ lights, the honkin’ horns
All seemed to fade away
In the shadow of that hospital at 5:08
I saw God today (Rodney Clawson; Monty Criswell; Wade Kirby)
I got to George Strait’s song from a prior thought I read in Philip Yancey's book, Prayer. Yancey said as he looks for God in the everydayness of life, “aha” moments “catch me by surprise: a surge of gratitude, a pang of compassion. But they catch me, I have learned, only when I am looking for them,” (Prayer, p. 183).
I have come to believe we can indeed see the One “who is invisible.” I know it is subjective and not objective and that my “seeing” is an act of faith, an interpretation of what I see. In this hospital, I get glimpses of God from time to time.Yesterday I saw God in the face mother’s grief, a young woman’s heart for soldiers far from home, a co-worker’s courage in the face of illness, a volunteer’s determination to be God’s loving presence for a difficult patient and a housekeeper who is as gracious as her name.
What do you see?
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
October 22, 2009
“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:27 (NLT)
It is funny how one thought leads to another, then another and another. Sometimes I try to stop where I am in the thinking process and retrace the mental steps that led me to the current thought. The caboose on today’s thought train was the George Strait song “I Saw God Today.”
Just walked down the street to the coffee shop
Had to take a break
I’d been by her side for eighteen hours straight
Saw a flower growin’ in the middle of the sidewalk
Pushin’ up through the concrete
Like it was planted right there for me to see
The flashin’ lights, the honkin’ horns
All seemed to fade away
In the shadow of that hospital at 5:08
I saw God today (Rodney Clawson; Monty Criswell; Wade Kirby)
I got to George Strait’s song from a prior thought I read in Philip Yancey's book, Prayer. Yancey said as he looks for God in the everydayness of life, “aha” moments “catch me by surprise: a surge of gratitude, a pang of compassion. But they catch me, I have learned, only when I am looking for them,” (Prayer, p. 183).
I have come to believe we can indeed see the One “who is invisible.” I know it is subjective and not objective and that my “seeing” is an act of faith, an interpretation of what I see. In this hospital, I get glimpses of God from time to time.Yesterday I saw God in the face mother’s grief, a young woman’s heart for soldiers far from home, a co-worker’s courage in the face of illness, a volunteer’s determination to be God’s loving presence for a difficult patient and a housekeeper who is as gracious as her name.
What do you see?
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Night People
Reply |Smith, Jerald
show details 12:35 PM (6 hours ago)
Glimmers
September 24, 2009
11:01 p.m.
Night people are different. I don’t know if they are different inherently, or psychologically, or if it is the night schedule that makes them seem one-off. They live in an out of synch world. Most people, including those in their own families, are Day People. Normal People. Some Night People work days too and only have to work nights every once in a while. Some of them work nights all the time because they have to for reasons of job availability, or because of sharing child rearing duties with their spouse. Some do it because they want to. For the life of me, I can’t understand the latter group. It’s only 11:00 p.m. and I feel like a zombie.
I grab the bag full of candy bars, gum, M&Ms and lifesavers and become a one-man rounding team. Rounding is a fun way to interact with hospital staff, give them a treat and leave them with a smile. The night people are surprised to see me. “What are you doing here this late?” or some variation thereof. “I came to hang out with my night peeps,” I say. They laugh because it sounds so un-cool when I say it. But they laugh. Laughter seems to come easily to the Night People. There is a sort of camaraderie among them. Kind of like that of frat boys who survived the hazing or soldiers who went through boot camp together. “We’re strong, we’re invincible. We’re the Night People.” “I’m here for the third shift dinner at 2,” I say. “Don’t forget.” The thought of hot food, freshly prepared, brings a smile.
The hospital is a different place at night. Some strange sort of alchemy transforms the daytime hustle and bustle, generalized and sometimes frenetic, to islands of busyness surrounded by an ocean of calm. Our four-story atrium, Grand Central during the day, is an empty cavern. Someone is in radiology. They have to be. But they are out of public view at the moment. There are no patients being transported from hospital rooms to procedures in nuke med, CAT scan or MRI. Most patients are sleeping or watching TV as I glance in the rooms . The pace of testing and procedures has slowed for now. Except for the Emergency Department. It keeps on humming and it keeps the machines humming too.
In a few hours the early morning labs will begin, heralding the coming dawn. Shifts will change and the Day People, in synch with their natural circadian rhythms, will take the helm once more.
So here’s to the Night People. Black out the windows. Pull up the covers. Get some sleep. We’re going to need you again in a few hours. And thanks.
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
show details 12:35 PM (6 hours ago)
Glimmers
September 24, 2009
11:01 p.m.
Night people are different. I don’t know if they are different inherently, or psychologically, or if it is the night schedule that makes them seem one-off. They live in an out of synch world. Most people, including those in their own families, are Day People. Normal People. Some Night People work days too and only have to work nights every once in a while. Some of them work nights all the time because they have to for reasons of job availability, or because of sharing child rearing duties with their spouse. Some do it because they want to. For the life of me, I can’t understand the latter group. It’s only 11:00 p.m. and I feel like a zombie.
I grab the bag full of candy bars, gum, M&Ms and lifesavers and become a one-man rounding team. Rounding is a fun way to interact with hospital staff, give them a treat and leave them with a smile. The night people are surprised to see me. “What are you doing here this late?” or some variation thereof. “I came to hang out with my night peeps,” I say. They laugh because it sounds so un-cool when I say it. But they laugh. Laughter seems to come easily to the Night People. There is a sort of camaraderie among them. Kind of like that of frat boys who survived the hazing or soldiers who went through boot camp together. “We’re strong, we’re invincible. We’re the Night People.” “I’m here for the third shift dinner at 2,” I say. “Don’t forget.” The thought of hot food, freshly prepared, brings a smile.
The hospital is a different place at night. Some strange sort of alchemy transforms the daytime hustle and bustle, generalized and sometimes frenetic, to islands of busyness surrounded by an ocean of calm. Our four-story atrium, Grand Central during the day, is an empty cavern. Someone is in radiology. They have to be. But they are out of public view at the moment. There are no patients being transported from hospital rooms to procedures in nuke med, CAT scan or MRI. Most patients are sleeping or watching TV as I glance in the rooms . The pace of testing and procedures has slowed for now. Except for the Emergency Department. It keeps on humming and it keeps the machines humming too.
In a few hours the early morning labs will begin, heralding the coming dawn. Shifts will change and the Day People, in synch with their natural circadian rhythms, will take the helm once more.
So here’s to the Night People. Black out the windows. Pull up the covers. Get some sleep. We’re going to need you again in a few hours. And thanks.
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
Friday, April 10, 2009
Icebergs
Larry Kelly is an Air Force veteran. For twenty years he taught small arms tactics to Air Force recruits. In retirement, he continues to serve the Air Force as a civilian counselor. I heard him speak last Tuesday about the kinds of issues facing those he works with at Patrick Air Force Base. He talked about the stresses of deployment, divorce, risk-taking and thrill-seeking behaviors, and the high rate of suicide. He is evidence that the military takes these things very seriously and is seriously trying to address them.
Larry gave us a handout with a picture of an iceberg on it. He said, “Before we started surveying the base population, we thought we knew what kinds of problems we were dealing with, but after the survey, we realized we didn’t know the half of it.” He said it is like the iceberg in the picture. You only see the one-third that is above the surface. It is the weight and mass below the surface, out of sight, that is so dangerous.
The people that I work with, the people in our hospital, the people in my own family…and yes, even I, have so much stuff below the surface that remains invisible to most who see us. We’re all icebergs. But we better let somebody see it. We’d better process it somewhere with someone we trust. If not, even the Titanic is not safe.
Easter Blessings,
Jerald
Larry gave us a handout with a picture of an iceberg on it. He said, “Before we started surveying the base population, we thought we knew what kinds of problems we were dealing with, but after the survey, we realized we didn’t know the half of it.” He said it is like the iceberg in the picture. You only see the one-third that is above the surface. It is the weight and mass below the surface, out of sight, that is so dangerous.
The people that I work with, the people in our hospital, the people in my own family…and yes, even I, have so much stuff below the surface that remains invisible to most who see us. We’re all icebergs. But we better let somebody see it. We’d better process it somewhere with someone we trust. If not, even the Titanic is not safe.
Easter Blessings,
Jerald
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The Power of Encouragement
Glimmers
January 15, 2009
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…”(1Thessalonians 5:11 NIV)
It struck me this morning as I tried a new exercise on my Wii Fit that there is powerful psychology at work in that little machine. The exercise was jogging in place. The screen showed a beautiful park with mountains, waterfalls and lush foliage. My task was to “run” at a pace sufficient to keep up with the Mii in front of me (Miis are computer-generated characters in the program) but not to pass him. Every couple of minutes or so, he looked behind to see how I was doing and gave me a wave as if to say, “keep it up, you’re doing great.” Along the course, other Miis appeared. Some were running in the same direction, some coming toward me. Sometimes they jumped up and down with delight, hands raised like a football official signaling a touchdown. All of it helped me want to keep going to reach the finish line.
People need encouragement. We need it, our spouses need it, our children need it, and so do the people who come to our hospital for care. How can we offer encouragement? I think an insight from Larry Crabb is helpful here.
In his book, Connecting, he talks of God’s delighting in us even in the messes we have sometimes made of our lives. “Rather than entering the dark places of our souls with a flashlight and a scalpel, intent on repairing what is wrong, he enters with a flashlight and a smile, eager to let us see how he feels about us even when we stand exposed in his presence. He looks at us with eyes of delight that see a goodness beneath the mess, with a heart that beats wildly with excitement over who we are and who we will become” (p. 10).
How can we do that? It is not exactly what Crabb says word for word, but a strategy I have adopted, even when the person has done terrible and self-destructive things, is try to find somewhere in the conversation to say, “I like it that you_________.” And fill in the blank. It never ceases to amaze me how that little phrase draws people out and helps me connect with them. People respond to encouragement, they really do.
Blessings to you all,
Glimmer Man
January 15, 2009
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…”(1Thessalonians 5:11 NIV)
It struck me this morning as I tried a new exercise on my Wii Fit that there is powerful psychology at work in that little machine. The exercise was jogging in place. The screen showed a beautiful park with mountains, waterfalls and lush foliage. My task was to “run” at a pace sufficient to keep up with the Mii in front of me (Miis are computer-generated characters in the program) but not to pass him. Every couple of minutes or so, he looked behind to see how I was doing and gave me a wave as if to say, “keep it up, you’re doing great.” Along the course, other Miis appeared. Some were running in the same direction, some coming toward me. Sometimes they jumped up and down with delight, hands raised like a football official signaling a touchdown. All of it helped me want to keep going to reach the finish line.
People need encouragement. We need it, our spouses need it, our children need it, and so do the people who come to our hospital for care. How can we offer encouragement? I think an insight from Larry Crabb is helpful here.
In his book, Connecting, he talks of God’s delighting in us even in the messes we have sometimes made of our lives. “Rather than entering the dark places of our souls with a flashlight and a scalpel, intent on repairing what is wrong, he enters with a flashlight and a smile, eager to let us see how he feels about us even when we stand exposed in his presence. He looks at us with eyes of delight that see a goodness beneath the mess, with a heart that beats wildly with excitement over who we are and who we will become” (p. 10).
How can we do that? It is not exactly what Crabb says word for word, but a strategy I have adopted, even when the person has done terrible and self-destructive things, is try to find somewhere in the conversation to say, “I like it that you_________.” And fill in the blank. It never ceases to amaze me how that little phrase draws people out and helps me connect with them. People respond to encouragement, they really do.
Blessings to you all,
Glimmer Man
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