Beauty beyond measure

Oh summer, how I love you! I love the spontaneity of running after geese in my Sunday clothes before church so they don’t poop all over the yard and on my car; I was going to shoot them, but found out it’s illegal & the guns were hidden from me- the birds got lucky! Heehee. I love driving with the wind in my hair, sun on my face and belting out songs of praise while others just stare (probably in horror!); there was once a time when singing required too much energy for my fading self and could never be heard from my lips. God’s beauty is apparent everywhere I look and it amazes me.

This morning my mom and I went shopping for flowers and hit the jackpot! I had to guard our two ferns and three bright pink perennial hanging baskets with my life because at least three people tried to steal them from my grip; it actually quite amused me! As we were heading home, I received an email asking me to come ASAP to ACH to run the surgery desk if there was any possible way due to the daily volunteer taking off last minute; I got ready in less than ten minutes, ate a quick lunch & ran out the door. I got to the hospital in record time and immediately went up to the surgery floor to relieve the hostess. It was beyond awesome to see all of my friends who sit with me at the desk and to talk just like old times; I miss them beyond words and love every minute spent with these amazing people. I found out today that the process has once again been completely revamped, so I had to relearn everything and I love nothing more than a challenge! I actually love the way we do it, although sometimes it gets a little crazy with only one hostess and over sixty surgeries- I love crazy, however and it brings the best in me, most times. I was beyond ecstatic to see all of the doctors again and to interact with the families; I love the excitement on the surgery floor because excitement brings me alive beyond description.  Due to HIPAA rules, we now have to take the families back to a consult room; I guess the doctors must not be used to this because they kept telling me “I’m on the ball”, which encouraged me since it was my first time back in months and with the new process. I absolutely adore volunteering and today was nothing short of amazing; my heart was made to serve and loves nothing more than doing exactly that! It is such a crazy experience to go from being a patient in the hospital to helping deliver excellent care as a part of the hospital; the feeling is beyond description and so beautiful, for lack of words. I am beyond grateful God chose me out of all His children to go through so much pain, both physical and emotional because had I not, life wouldn’t be so beautiful because God had to break me and my stubborn desires; I feel such a connection to Akron Children’s Hospital and the patients in it because I know all too well what they’re going through and it makes my heart happy to be able to share in their pain, leading them to a hope not yet apparent. I didn’t want to leave the hospital today, in all honesty and felt so incredibly guilty leaving by 5:30 when families were still there; I absolutely love the surgery desk and it pains me to leave, but I can’t live there! ;) I think keys have something against me, because once again I could not get anything to lock up and was beyond flustered because I was in a hurry yet nothing was working! I finally just gave up, took the keys to the volunteer office and went on my way to my brother’s baseball practice.

I actually made it in time to pick him up and had fun watching the cute little boys playing baseball! I had such a special evening with my little brother as we got dinner and then painted pottery for Mother’s Day; don’t worry, I already told her since she literally called me five times making sure we weren’t dead! Lol. I love to paint pottery, but Miss Perfectionism seems to make her strong and bold appearance into my life as soon as my feet enter the pottery place, making it hard to fully enjoy the experience. My brother was so cute as he painted in such a carefree manner, which to be honest kind of frustrated me because I couldn’t get my own project done due to stripping his project several times so he could restart; all in all we did have a fun bonding time, but stress definitely made its appearance! It’s funny to see such a stark contrast between the two of us: I am such a perfectionist in most everything I do whereas my brother is the complete opposite! I love all of the differences in the world and it’s so neat to see how no two people are alike, even siblings.

God is insane an way beyond my comprehension; even though I stumbled and fell into the grips of control, God still blessed me with straight A’s which I in no way deserve. I gave this semester my all, sometimes more, and it all paid off! It’s hard to imagine that I could hear back from the Nursing program at any moment and it doesn’t in any way seem real. This past year of school has been brutal but more than worth the hard work; life seems to be a fairytale and everyday seems to be like walking on sunshine. Oh how I love this life, even when it hurts more than I ever thought possible.

My twin comes home so soon- in exactly eighteen days and excited doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel; we’ve been separated completely for six months yet I feel closer than ever. I cannot wait to go back to the SEND house to get her and to see all of the friends we’ve both made. People bring out the best in me and there’s no doubt in my mind that I was not made to be alone; in fact, God created woman because He knew “it was not good for man to be alone”, so I’m not the only one! I can’t wait to see what beauty tomorrow has in store!