My Time Machine Works!

So, I had a crappy day yesterday. I found out a girl in my class was deliberately holding a grudge against me for a misunderstanding that happened a month ago. And someone to whom I had vented my frustration had told her after telling me it would be kept in confidence. I hadn't realized we had all taken a trip back 9 years to junior high. Hopefully, it will all blow over. I've apologized, and that's all I can do.

On a much lighter note, we think we have found the song we want sung at our wedding. It's called "Dancing in the Minefields" by Andrew Peterson. We would start it at verse two, so here's what would be sung:

"I Do" are the two most famous last words,
The beginning of the end.
But to lose your life for another, I've heard,
Is a good place to begin.
'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down,
And I believe that's an easy price
For the life that we have found.

And we're dancing in the minefields,
And we're sailing in the storms.
This is harder than we dreamed,
But I believe that's what the Promise is for.
That's what the Promise is for.

So, when I lose my way, find me.
When I loose love's chains, bind me.
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days,
When I forget my name, remind me.

We bear the light of the Son of Man,
So there's nothing left to fear.
So, I'll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear.
'Cause He promised not to leave us,
And His promises are true,
So, in the midst of all this chaos,
Baby, I can dance with you.

So, let's go dancing in the minefields.
Let's go sailing in the storms.
Oh, let's go dancing in the minefields,
And kicking down the door.
Let's go dancing in the minefields,
Let's go sailing in the storms.
This is harder than we dreamed,
But I believe that's what the Promise is for.
That's what the Promise is for.

So, that's what we're thinking for now. We had another Andrew Peterson song in mind, but we would have had to do some rewrites, rather than just leaving out the first verse. Andrew Peterson writes amazing songs, but some of the best are very personal. The other song was "For the Love of God," and the part I want mentioned in the sermon at our wedding is as follows:

Love is not a feeling in your chest.
It is bending down to wash another's feet.
It is faithful when the sun is in the west
And in the east.

It can hurt you as it holds you
In its overwhelming flood
Till only the unshakeable is left.
"This new command I give you," He said,
"Love as I have loved."
So, brother, love her better than yourself,
And give her your heart,

For the Love of God,
In the name of Jesus,
The Groom Who gave His life
To love His bride.

My mom and I were talking about the fact that we could probably have an Andrew Peterson themed wedding. He's just so poetic.

Anyway, wedding plans are coming along fine. I picked up my dress a few weeks ago, and we start our premarital counseling next month.

I just have to make it through finals. Which is why I'm going to go do homework now.

My Personal Philosophy of Nursing

We had to do this for my senior integrative seminar, and I thought I'd go ahead and post it here (especially since part of our assignment was to find these online and bring them to class as examples).

Nursing is more than a career to me; it is a ministry. As a nurse, I will care for people when they are at some of the most vulnerable times of their lives. I will work with the interdisciplinary team to fight against whatever illness the patients have, and will treat the entire person each patient is. I will push to heal a person rather than merely cure an illness. I believe a nurse’s purpose is to serve our patients and meet as many of their needs as we can. I will respect life in general and the lives of each of my patients, honoring their rights and dignity. I am a nurse so that I can care for people, to help them cope with difficult times in their lives and the lives of their family members. I want to help people, and I feel nursing is one of the best ways a person can do that.
The concept of nursing can be broken down into three domains: person, health, and environment. I believe that, as a nurse, I should treat the whole person of my patient. This includes physical, psychological, spiritual, and emotional needs. I believe that meeting as many of these needs as possible leads to a higher quality of life for the patient. I believe that health is not merely the absence of disease, but having a healthy lifestyle, strong support system, limited stress factors, good coping skills, and many other factors. The domain of environment refers to everything surrounding the patients. Hospitals ought to be warm and welcoming, not only through décor, but also through the people within them. I believe that nurses help to create the environment around each patient. This helps meet some of the different kinds of needs of the patients and thereby helps improve their overall health.
While working in the professional setting, I intend to mature and learn by following the examples of the nurses around me who I respect, both in the workplace and in my family. I also plan to continue my education. I believe that nurses always ought to be learning, because nursing is an ever-changing world. I will do my best to know about changes in medical advancement and in organizations and regulations.
I believe nurses need to have a strong sense of community. I feel this applies to a few different areas. As a nurse, I will be aware of how community affects health and educate my family and patients accordingly. I will also strive never to take for granted my nursing community. I believe that we need to surround each other with support and encouragement. I also believe that nurses need to be connected to their non-nursing community, their neighbors and friends. Nursing is a huge part of who I am, but I do not believe it should ever be the only aspect.
As a professional nurse, I hope to be considered responsible, comforting, and dependable. I hope to establish a method for using the computer to chart that saves time so I can care properly for my patient. My overall goal is always to incorporate compassion, conscience, competence, confidence, and commitment into my daily life.

It's not perfect, and some of it sounds cheesy, but it's how I feel. I hope some nursing student in the future finds this helpful.