Flying has not really bothered me in the past. I'm not the biggest fans of take off's or landings, but they don't bother me much. And unless it's really bumpy, I tend to not mind flights at all. Other than being cramped and dry when I land. But it's not the flying, or fear of a plane crashing or anything like that. It's annoyance with the details that has always gotten to me.
Getting to the plane has always been the most stressful thing. Making sure I'm on time, that I haven't forgotten anything, that it all will work... I tend not to relax until I'm sitting at the gate. Now, there's a whole new bunch of stress with security concerns! Will they search my stuff? Pat down? Full Body scan? Did I accidentally pack a liquid? Did I pack too many? Is there something that might resemble something that might be something sharp? Did I separate all my electronics? Did I really need to carry them? Will I fit this stupid bag under my seat?
Flying is almost not worth it, between paying to actually have clothes when I land and having the clothes I'm wearing searched carefully. And the silly thing is, I'm not afraid of flying. I just hate the hassle of everything I go through before I'm actually allowed to fly.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Free Advice
Working at a children's hospital, even for a short time, I have picked up some pieces of wisdom that I'm not sure I would have otherwise thought relevant. So, I share some of that wisdom with you.
Here is some for free:
If someone you know is capable of hurting a certain type/group of people (e.g. women, or more specifically, you), then it is NOT safe to assume that they will NOT hurt another type/group of people (e.g. children, or more specifically, your child).
To sum up: if he will beat you, play it safe and assume he will beat your child.
Here is some for free:
If someone you know is capable of hurting a certain type/group of people (e.g. women, or more specifically, you), then it is NOT safe to assume that they will NOT hurt another type/group of people (e.g. children, or more specifically, your child).
To sum up: if he will beat you, play it safe and assume he will beat your child.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Age is Relative
The other night I was paged to help a family in the NICU contact the dad of the baby, because Dad is overseas with the military. I was sitting with the baby's grandma when one of the doctors came out to talk. The doctor is a fellow here, is also a board certified pediatrician, and was talking about certain technology and how it had been used in her time here. She was talking as though she'd been here a while, and Grandma looked at her, and asked her about that. Grandma said "because you look like you're about 18!" The doctor replied "Well, thank you! Because I just turned 30, so that feels good to hear!"
As she said that, I thought, yeah, that is good to hear. I usually hate it when people comment on how young I look. But since turning 30 I've realized, I don't mind it as much. I remember that whenever I've complained about being told I look so young, people would say "Well one day you'll like that people think you look young!" Maybe 30 is that magic age.
As she said that, I thought, yeah, that is good to hear. I usually hate it when people comment on how young I look. But since turning 30 I've realized, I don't mind it as much. I remember that whenever I've complained about being told I look so young, people would say "Well one day you'll like that people think you look young!" Maybe 30 is that magic age.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Repent! Slow Down!
Chaplains at Norton Healthcare take turns writing devotions for the intranet portal website. I think Norton is thought of as a secular hospital system, but it came out of a variety of faith heritages, including Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian. When we provide pastoral care to staff, we need to be sensitive to a variety of cultures and religions. But in some instances we are able to share explicitly out of our own faith heritage. The web devotions fall under this category, because staff only read it if they choose to follow the link. I was asked to do a devotion for the second week of Advent, and I wanted to share it here as well.
Repent, Slow Down
Chaplain Jeremy Garbat-Welch, M.Div.
Norton Healthcare
Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year. My family plans Thanksgiving for weeks, figuring out whose house we will gather at, who will bring what food, when it will be, how to time all the food. Then the day arrives, we have a great time, and suddenly Christmas is upon us! Planning gifts, braving the malls and stores, traveling, cooking, decorating. And then there are church activities like singing carols and special holiday services. I don’t know about you, but sometimes by the time Christmas actually arrives I’m so stressed out and worn out that I wonder why we do all of this!
That is part of why we have the Advent season. Advent gives us time to prepare for Christmas, not by cooking or decorating or planning, but by remembering. Advent helps remind us what Christmas is about: the birth of Jesus, the arrival of God in the form of a baby. In contrast to the rest of the holiday preparations, which always seem to involve a lot of running around and stress, Advent involves being still and reflecting on the gift of Jesus.
The second week of Advent focuses on John the Baptist, who called people to repent. Repenting is a necessary part of preparing to receive Jesus. Even for those of us who have celebrated many Christmases, each year we need to get ready to receive Jesus again. I think repentance can be a way of setting aside all of the things that might get in the way at this time of year. The ways we celebrate Christmas can be wonderful, but if they end up just causing stress or getting in the way of worshiping Jesus, then at times they may be doing more harm than good. This year, together, let’s remember to slow down and repent of all that stressful busyness. I hope you will join me in taking time throughout the season to take a few, slow, deep breaths and thank God for the gift of Jesus. Take time to share that gift with others by letting them know how much you love them and are thankful for them. After all, that is what Christmas is really about.
Repent, Slow Down
Chaplain Jeremy Garbat-Welch, M.Div.
Norton Healthcare
Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year. My family plans Thanksgiving for weeks, figuring out whose house we will gather at, who will bring what food, when it will be, how to time all the food. Then the day arrives, we have a great time, and suddenly Christmas is upon us! Planning gifts, braving the malls and stores, traveling, cooking, decorating. And then there are church activities like singing carols and special holiday services. I don’t know about you, but sometimes by the time Christmas actually arrives I’m so stressed out and worn out that I wonder why we do all of this!
That is part of why we have the Advent season. Advent gives us time to prepare for Christmas, not by cooking or decorating or planning, but by remembering. Advent helps remind us what Christmas is about: the birth of Jesus, the arrival of God in the form of a baby. In contrast to the rest of the holiday preparations, which always seem to involve a lot of running around and stress, Advent involves being still and reflecting on the gift of Jesus.
The second week of Advent focuses on John the Baptist, who called people to repent. Repenting is a necessary part of preparing to receive Jesus. Even for those of us who have celebrated many Christmases, each year we need to get ready to receive Jesus again. I think repentance can be a way of setting aside all of the things that might get in the way at this time of year. The ways we celebrate Christmas can be wonderful, but if they end up just causing stress or getting in the way of worshiping Jesus, then at times they may be doing more harm than good. This year, together, let’s remember to slow down and repent of all that stressful busyness. I hope you will join me in taking time throughout the season to take a few, slow, deep breaths and thank God for the gift of Jesus. Take time to share that gift with others by letting them know how much you love them and are thankful for them. After all, that is what Christmas is really about.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
To My Children
I hope for restoration.
I dream of a perfect world.
For a place with no sadness.
A World Where
Parents do not share stories of their children's early deaths
Boards are not filled with pictures of the deceased
Candles are not lit in memory of those no longer with us
Families do not cry around hospital beds
And no one dies before they live.
When we meet there, you will say
"I'm glad you made it!"
When Death is dead
When Life is all that is left
No more tears of sadness
No moans of agony
No cries of lament
No more pain
No more loss.
When "why" is purely curious, and never means anything more:
Not a demand for justice
Not a demand for restoration
Not a cry from a broken heart.
When I make it there, I will say
"It's so good to meet you!"
I dream of a perfect world.
For a place with no sadness.
A World Where
Parents do not share stories of their children's early deaths
Boards are not filled with pictures of the deceased
Candles are not lit in memory of those no longer with us
Families do not cry around hospital beds
And no one dies before they live.
When we meet there, you will say
"I'm glad you made it!"
When Death is dead
When Life is all that is left
No more tears of sadness
No moans of agony
No cries of lament
No more pain
No more loss.
When "why" is purely curious, and never means anything more:
Not a demand for justice
Not a demand for restoration
Not a cry from a broken heart.
When I make it there, I will say
"It's so good to meet you!"
Friday, December 3, 2010
Ironic
There is great irony in the fact that we never used oral contraceptives as birth control, until we started seeing infertility doctors. "Having problems getting pregnant? Here, have some birth control. That should help." I am still trying to figure out how this happened.
I also see great irony in the USA governmental leaders not wanting to let tax breaks to the wealthy expire (because that would be the same as raising taxes, and they all get voted on platforms of not raising taxes), even though renewing the tax breaks will result in greater national debt in the long rung. Simultaneously they don't want to extend unemployment benefits in our lagging economic times because that would result in greater national debt... Personally I see an easy fix: let the tax breaks expire to those who make more than $250,000 a year, and extend the unemployment benefits!
I also see great irony in the USA governmental leaders not wanting to let tax breaks to the wealthy expire (because that would be the same as raising taxes, and they all get voted on platforms of not raising taxes), even though renewing the tax breaks will result in greater national debt in the long rung. Simultaneously they don't want to extend unemployment benefits in our lagging economic times because that would result in greater national debt... Personally I see an easy fix: let the tax breaks expire to those who make more than $250,000 a year, and extend the unemployment benefits!
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