I have TONS of stories to share about things that happen at work. I have a lot of stories written down in a little notebook, but I don't have that with me right now. I am still loving my job, although workplace drama has started! To put it VERY briefly, the person in charge is not doing a good job....at all. It has caused some serious issues and a lot of gossip and hard feelings amongst the staff. Luckily, as of right now, I haven't been directly affected by it all. I just have to listen to the ones who HAVE been complain. Hopefully things are being taken care of though! Regardless of all of that, I still love going to work every day to hang out with and love on the residents! We are supposed to be seeing some really positive changes happening in our memory care. I might even have my own desk pretty soon! ;-)
I had my first really hard time at work when one of the residents passed away. It was my friend David who was always the first to jump in and participate. He had a brain disease and when it hit him, it hit him fast and hard. He passed away on October 7th. He was my Aggie friend. :) He was a very respected and intelligent man and I miss him dearly. I knew that this was part of the job, but I wasn't prepared for David to be the first to go. You can read his obituary HERE. I thought it was neat to read about his life and his accomplishments. If you do some research online you'll also find a few books that he assisted with, one of which includes instructions on how to carve a turkey. :)
I have really grown to love each of the residents and I think and hope they have done the same with me. Although part of my job is to "take care" of them, they take care of me too. On Friday I left work early to go to the doctor for congestion/allergy stuff. I told one of the residents, Ginny, that I was leaving. She responded with a concerned "why?" I told her that I needed to go to the doctor so I could start feeling better. She started brushing my hair with her hand and said, "Now listen here little girl... you be SO careful!" :) Then today, we had a big Halloween luncheon with all of the residents. I got up and danced with Dorothy for a while and we had a good time! After she sat down she called over some of the staff and said, "That girl there is so good. She's my daughter." Haha!
I can't wait to get my notebook and share more stories! I'll share one more for now. Fran fell a few weeks back and hurt her hip/thigh. She has been in a wheelchair since then, but it is starting to heal and she has been able to use it more lately. Yesterday I needed her to walk with me a short distance. I held her hands to help her and said, "Fran, we can just take our time. We can go real slow." She quickly responded, "Well you're gonna have to! I'm an old woman!" :)
More to come!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
So Sorry
I'm sorry I haven't posted in over a month... things have been pretty crazy around here. It has been a real adjustment to get used to not having access to the internet practically ALL the time. I have tons of things to share, and I DO promise I will try my best to get to it soon. The wedding is in less than a month now, so there should be a lot of things worthy of posts coming up. :) Hang in there with me!
P.S. Matt is working on getting a blog started! I am so excited about it. He has really grown and matured since coming to Austin Grad and he has a lot of really neat thoughts to share so I know you will all greatly benefit from reading his blog. I'm excited about it. :)
P.S. Matt is working on getting a blog started! I am so excited about it. He has really grown and matured since coming to Austin Grad and he has a lot of really neat thoughts to share so I know you will all greatly benefit from reading his blog. I'm excited about it. :)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A Quick History Lesson
George Shaw, an Irish playwright, once said, “We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.” Perhaps this could be better stated, “We learn from history that we have learned nothing from history,” for I believe history does indeed have much to teach us. The real question is, “Have we been listening?”
As we look throughout the history of the church, there are countless lessons that have been taught, and I believe these are lessons from which we must learn today. Numerous times, the Christian movement became something it was never meant to be. In the year 313 in Rome, Emperor Constantine declared all of the Roman Empire as Christian. While this may have appeared to be a victory for the kingdom, the overall results were devastating as the church essentially became the government and began functioning as governments do. Money began making decisions, leading to lies and scandals. The church became a business, leading to competition. Around the mid-16th century, we also see King Henry in England separating the Church of England from Catholicism. What may have appeared to be a necessary split began with selfish intentions and caused so much turmoil between believers that is still very much present today, believers fighting believers. The church never recovered. Time after time, we hear of the church making the same mistake, attempting to become something it wasn’t meant to be. Time after time, this led to a change in the very nature of the church, a change in the nature of the kingdom on Earth.
In 2 Corinthians 5:16-19, we are told that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and that we too have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We have been given a great task to draw others into an intimate relationship with God and each other. In reality, as we read the Gospels, this was the ultimate goal of Jesus’ ministry, and it ought to be our goal as well, carrying the message of reconciliation to sinners. In the many times that the church became this national power placing itself in the spotlight, attempting to become more than simply “yeast in dough,” “sheep among wolves,” “wheat among weeds,” it seems that this ministry was lost, and the church subtly changed.
I am greatly troubled today as I look at the Christian movement in our own country. It has been said that America is a Christian nation. We also frequently hear that particular political beliefs are the Christian way; they are the way, the truth, and the life, at least more so than the other. Christianity has begun holding hands and forming relationships with particular movements, and Christians across the nation are focusing more on popular issues of the day and less on the mission that has been laid out before us, the ministry of reconciliation. Just as has happened numerous times in the past, it appears that the kingdom has subtly changed in nature.
You see, the kingdom of God is not an earthly nation with borders, political ideology and issues. We, as the new Israel, have no boundaries, and we are not meant to stand for just one side of society’s ideals. We live borderless, among our enemy. Our role is like that of paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines to infiltrate enemy positions, not the common foot soldier that storms the beaches. We live as a kingdom not of the world but one that opposes the world. If the only thing people can say about modern Christians is that they stand for family values and oppose certain issues, then we have failed in our mission. We live not to make the kingdom of God in our image, but realizing that we are made in his. While the idea of an earthly Christian nation may sound appealing now, let us not forget our history.
With this, we must ask ourselves: what choice are we going to make? Are we going to forget our purpose; are we going to lose focus on our mission and simply focus on a few one-sided issues of the day as has happened countless times before? It has been said, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Will we learn today?
-Matt
As we look throughout the history of the church, there are countless lessons that have been taught, and I believe these are lessons from which we must learn today. Numerous times, the Christian movement became something it was never meant to be. In the year 313 in Rome, Emperor Constantine declared all of the Roman Empire as Christian. While this may have appeared to be a victory for the kingdom, the overall results were devastating as the church essentially became the government and began functioning as governments do. Money began making decisions, leading to lies and scandals. The church became a business, leading to competition. Around the mid-16th century, we also see King Henry in England separating the Church of England from Catholicism. What may have appeared to be a necessary split began with selfish intentions and caused so much turmoil between believers that is still very much present today, believers fighting believers. The church never recovered. Time after time, we hear of the church making the same mistake, attempting to become something it wasn’t meant to be. Time after time, this led to a change in the very nature of the church, a change in the nature of the kingdom on Earth.
In 2 Corinthians 5:16-19, we are told that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and that we too have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We have been given a great task to draw others into an intimate relationship with God and each other. In reality, as we read the Gospels, this was the ultimate goal of Jesus’ ministry, and it ought to be our goal as well, carrying the message of reconciliation to sinners. In the many times that the church became this national power placing itself in the spotlight, attempting to become more than simply “yeast in dough,” “sheep among wolves,” “wheat among weeds,” it seems that this ministry was lost, and the church subtly changed.
I am greatly troubled today as I look at the Christian movement in our own country. It has been said that America is a Christian nation. We also frequently hear that particular political beliefs are the Christian way; they are the way, the truth, and the life, at least more so than the other. Christianity has begun holding hands and forming relationships with particular movements, and Christians across the nation are focusing more on popular issues of the day and less on the mission that has been laid out before us, the ministry of reconciliation. Just as has happened numerous times in the past, it appears that the kingdom has subtly changed in nature.
You see, the kingdom of God is not an earthly nation with borders, political ideology and issues. We, as the new Israel, have no boundaries, and we are not meant to stand for just one side of society’s ideals. We live borderless, among our enemy. Our role is like that of paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines to infiltrate enemy positions, not the common foot soldier that storms the beaches. We live as a kingdom not of the world but one that opposes the world. If the only thing people can say about modern Christians is that they stand for family values and oppose certain issues, then we have failed in our mission. We live not to make the kingdom of God in our image, but realizing that we are made in his. While the idea of an earthly Christian nation may sound appealing now, let us not forget our history.
With this, we must ask ourselves: what choice are we going to make? Are we going to forget our purpose; are we going to lose focus on our mission and simply focus on a few one-sided issues of the day as has happened countless times before? It has been said, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Will we learn today?
-Matt
Monday, September 14, 2009
Apartment and Work
I'm all moved in to my apartment now! I'm so sorry I haven't gotten pictures up yet. Things have been SO crazy lately! It took us three days to completely finish moving in because it rained ALL weekend. We hadn't had rain here in a long time, then all the sudden it rained all weekend. Of course, we needed the rain, but it made things a little more difficult. I took before pictures, so I'll take "after" pictures soon and post them! So far I absolutely LOVE it! It has been really nice to have my own place. The only BAD thing is that we don't have cable and I am missing football season.... :( I might be having withdraws. I love football. So anyway, pictures soon - I promise!
My job is going WONDERFULLY! Pretty much, I have been put in charge of creating a program for memory care. I will plan and carry out the activities that will create the program. They have never had a program back there before so it is kind of a big deal! Today was my first day to start some activities and it went really well. They were completely worn out after lunch, but that was expected. They usually don't do anything but watch TV, so it will take them a little while to get used to doing activities! Although my title is still "officially" caregiver, I have been given UNofficial titles such as "Memory Care Activities Director" and "Memory Care Director". There is a LOT of potential for me to do really well here and move up quickly if things continue to go well! I am so excited about this opportunity! I will keep you updated on how things go! I think someone is coming in the end of this week to "evalutate" the Memory Care, so maybe we'll get some good news! Remember, I am their "plan of correction". They were scored very poorly for their memory care program (which.... there wasn't one), so I am supposed to be the "fix" for that. Hopefully they will be very impressed when they come back! :)
My job is going WONDERFULLY! Pretty much, I have been put in charge of creating a program for memory care. I will plan and carry out the activities that will create the program. They have never had a program back there before so it is kind of a big deal! Today was my first day to start some activities and it went really well. They were completely worn out after lunch, but that was expected. They usually don't do anything but watch TV, so it will take them a little while to get used to doing activities! Although my title is still "officially" caregiver, I have been given UNofficial titles such as "Memory Care Activities Director" and "Memory Care Director". There is a LOT of potential for me to do really well here and move up quickly if things continue to go well! I am so excited about this opportunity! I will keep you updated on how things go! I think someone is coming in the end of this week to "evalutate" the Memory Care, so maybe we'll get some good news! Remember, I am their "plan of correction". They were scored very poorly for their memory care program (which.... there wasn't one), so I am supposed to be the "fix" for that. Hopefully they will be very impressed when they come back! :)
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Work Stories
I decided to share a few fun stories from work this week. A lot of them involve a woman named Fran. She always has something funny to say! Most of the time, they are completely irrelevant and made up, but she always gives us a laugh!
A woman who gives the residents medicine comes in. She is very large and very overweight.
Fran: (out loud, but not actually intended for the large woman) It is a sin in the sight of the Lord to let your body get that big...
I was playing dominoes with two of the residents, Fran and David. When it got around to Fran's turn, I would have to remind her. I was very patient with her, but sometimes even after she would acknowledge that it was her turn, she still wouldn't play for several minutes, so I would have to remind her again. One time, I let her know it was her turn, then waited and waited but she didn't play.
Me: Fran, your turn.
Fran: Honey, when you get old, it takes a little longer to concentrate.
There is a man named Sidney who is a caregiver in the Assisted Living section. He comes through Memory occasionally.
Fran: Did you see that black man? He is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen!
Caregiver: Fran! Why would you say that?
Fran: (in disgust) He tried to get me to wear his engagement ring...
Someone told Sidney about that conversation and he thought it was hilarious, so now he kind of stirs up trouble when he comes through. He will go over and talk to her and smile at her real big. She will smile back, but then she will talk about him once he's gone.
Fran: Did you see that black man?
Me: Yes
Fran: He thinks he is one sharp boy... floating through here like he is big stuff.... ugh!
David is really good at understanding other residents and figuring out what it is they say or want. There is a woman named Pat who is kind of hard to understand sometimes, but David can usually figure out what she is saying. One time Pat was rambling on and we couldn't understand her.
Fran: (to David) What is she saying?
David: I'm not sure...
Fran: (upset/angry) Well you oughta know! She's YOUR mother!
There is a woman named Ethel who never talks. I was told that she got to the point where she had a lot of trouble getting out what she wanted to say, so she just stopped talking completely. She will look up at you when you talk to her and nod yes or no. She will smile at you and even let out a little laugh every now and then, but she RARELY talks. One of the caregivers was telling me on Wednesday that she hoped that I would one day get to hear Ethel say SOMETHING. She told me she has the sweetest voice. On Thursday I was helping her eat her ice cream and we were laughing about how I was making a mess with it because I accidentally let some run down her chin. I got a napkin and wiped it off and she was laughing and she looked up at me and said, "Thank you" in the sweetest voice! It nearly made me cry because it caught me so off guard and it was so cute! I may never hear her say another word, but I'm glad I got to hear it just once. :)
David is the only male resident in Memory. He is in pretty good shape, but has to use a wheelchair because his legs are giving out on him. His mind is pretty sharp though. He is an Aggie and loves football so we have had a lot to talk about so far. I brought some dominoes up there and we had a blast playing. We also played table football (with the folded paper triangle) for over an hour one day. He is very sweet and has quickly become one of my favorites.
I sat by Mary Ada the other day to play dominoes.
Me: Mary Ada, I LOVE that shirt!
Mary Ada: Oh, well thank you!
Me: Do you think I could borrow it sometime? :)
Mary Ada: Sure... just come on in my room and and get it whenever you want.
Mary Ada is probably one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She isn't quite as social as some of the others, but she is ALWAYS smiling... One day she fell asleep at the table before lunch. We put her plate in front of her and said, "Mary Ada...." and she immediately opened her eyes and lifted her head with the biggest, sweetest smile on her face. Seriously, she is ALWAYS smiling! :)
Pat is the oldest resident. She can't do much on her own. We do almost everything for her. She is hard to understand sometimes, but she is very sweet. I was feeding her ice cream one day and she was so excited about it. She kept saying, "Oh boy!" I couldn't get that spoon to her mouth fast enough! As soon as I would get one bite in, she would swallow it then stick her tongue out and wait for the next bite! I got tickled at her, and she knew it!! She started sticking her tongue out then laughing herself. She is very sweet.
There are just a few stories from my week! I know there will be more to come! I absolutely love working there so far. I have already gotten very attached to all of the residents. I don't know what I'm going to do the first time one of them passes... ball like a baby, that's for sure! I just already love them all! More stories to come next week, I'm sure. :)
A woman who gives the residents medicine comes in. She is very large and very overweight.
Fran: (out loud, but not actually intended for the large woman) It is a sin in the sight of the Lord to let your body get that big...
I was playing dominoes with two of the residents, Fran and David. When it got around to Fran's turn, I would have to remind her. I was very patient with her, but sometimes even after she would acknowledge that it was her turn, she still wouldn't play for several minutes, so I would have to remind her again. One time, I let her know it was her turn, then waited and waited but she didn't play.
Me: Fran, your turn.
Fran: Honey, when you get old, it takes a little longer to concentrate.
There is a man named Sidney who is a caregiver in the Assisted Living section. He comes through Memory occasionally.
Fran: Did you see that black man? He is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen!
Caregiver: Fran! Why would you say that?
Fran: (in disgust) He tried to get me to wear his engagement ring...
Someone told Sidney about that conversation and he thought it was hilarious, so now he kind of stirs up trouble when he comes through. He will go over and talk to her and smile at her real big. She will smile back, but then she will talk about him once he's gone.
Fran: Did you see that black man?
Me: Yes
Fran: He thinks he is one sharp boy... floating through here like he is big stuff.... ugh!
David is really good at understanding other residents and figuring out what it is they say or want. There is a woman named Pat who is kind of hard to understand sometimes, but David can usually figure out what she is saying. One time Pat was rambling on and we couldn't understand her.
Fran: (to David) What is she saying?
David: I'm not sure...
Fran: (upset/angry) Well you oughta know! She's YOUR mother!
There is a woman named Ethel who never talks. I was told that she got to the point where she had a lot of trouble getting out what she wanted to say, so she just stopped talking completely. She will look up at you when you talk to her and nod yes or no. She will smile at you and even let out a little laugh every now and then, but she RARELY talks. One of the caregivers was telling me on Wednesday that she hoped that I would one day get to hear Ethel say SOMETHING. She told me she has the sweetest voice. On Thursday I was helping her eat her ice cream and we were laughing about how I was making a mess with it because I accidentally let some run down her chin. I got a napkin and wiped it off and she was laughing and she looked up at me and said, "Thank you" in the sweetest voice! It nearly made me cry because it caught me so off guard and it was so cute! I may never hear her say another word, but I'm glad I got to hear it just once. :)
David is the only male resident in Memory. He is in pretty good shape, but has to use a wheelchair because his legs are giving out on him. His mind is pretty sharp though. He is an Aggie and loves football so we have had a lot to talk about so far. I brought some dominoes up there and we had a blast playing. We also played table football (with the folded paper triangle) for over an hour one day. He is very sweet and has quickly become one of my favorites.
I sat by Mary Ada the other day to play dominoes.
Me: Mary Ada, I LOVE that shirt!
Mary Ada: Oh, well thank you!
Me: Do you think I could borrow it sometime? :)
Mary Ada: Sure... just come on in my room and and get it whenever you want.
Mary Ada is probably one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She isn't quite as social as some of the others, but she is ALWAYS smiling... One day she fell asleep at the table before lunch. We put her plate in front of her and said, "Mary Ada...." and she immediately opened her eyes and lifted her head with the biggest, sweetest smile on her face. Seriously, she is ALWAYS smiling! :)
Pat is the oldest resident. She can't do much on her own. We do almost everything for her. She is hard to understand sometimes, but she is very sweet. I was feeding her ice cream one day and she was so excited about it. She kept saying, "Oh boy!" I couldn't get that spoon to her mouth fast enough! As soon as I would get one bite in, she would swallow it then stick her tongue out and wait for the next bite! I got tickled at her, and she knew it!! She started sticking her tongue out then laughing herself. She is very sweet.
There are just a few stories from my week! I know there will be more to come! I absolutely love working there so far. I have already gotten very attached to all of the residents. I don't know what I'm going to do the first time one of them passes... ball like a baby, that's for sure! I just already love them all! More stories to come next week, I'm sure. :)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Apartment and Work
I move into my apartment next week! :) September 10th is the move in date so we will spend that whole weekend getting everything set up! I am SO excited! The living area is pretty huge, so if anyone ever wants to come visit, we can set up an air mattress for you. :) Once we start moving, I'll be sure to post pictures and all sorts of other information.
I started work today! I didn't do a WHOLE lot today because it was a lot of orientation and shadowing stuff, but I think I'm going to like it a lot! I am only going to be working in the Memory Care/Alzheimers section. There will only be 6 residents there. That is GOOD because I can be more personal with activities and just in my relationships with them. That is BAD because that means I'll be all the more attached to them. :( Once I get going with my own stuff, I'll post more about what I do there.
So things are pretty crazy but a lot of good things are happening and I am VERY excited about it all! :)
I started work today! I didn't do a WHOLE lot today because it was a lot of orientation and shadowing stuff, but I think I'm going to like it a lot! I am only going to be working in the Memory Care/Alzheimers section. There will only be 6 residents there. That is GOOD because I can be more personal with activities and just in my relationships with them. That is BAD because that means I'll be all the more attached to them. :( Once I get going with my own stuff, I'll post more about what I do there.
So things are pretty crazy but a lot of good things are happening and I am VERY excited about it all! :)
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