Let me introduce you. His name is Samuel Stenger Whitcomb. He is so cute. And I got to see him in person last night. You know its amazing watching life begin. Makes you wonder...What does God have in mind to do with this new life.

A prayer for VA Tech and the witnesses of the event

My thoughts and prayers go out to those involved in the VA Tech Events. I pray that God will touch and protect the hearts of those who survived. I pray that He minister to the hearts of the families of all affected directly and indirectly. And that He lift them up with His strength to get through the process of continuing to live. I pray those that are not close to Him be drawn to Him. And Lord we ask for You to minister to them through Your Holy Spirit to touch and fulfill their deepest intimate needs in ways that only you can. We cry out for Your protection and Your understanding to comprehend the tragedy of so many lives cut short so early. We ask that You turn this tradgedy for good. We thank you for Your protection in our lives and that we have another day to thank you and live for you. Help us to recognize this gift for what it is. Guide us to see You and follow You in more obedient and honouring ways as witnesses to this event. And let Your love pour out on Your children.

A special prayer for Gil & Nell Marie who are recovering at home from this. Lord lift them up with Your strength daily and give them the resources they need in the upcoming months. Let Your love shine in their lives and continue to minister to them giving them rest,comfort, peace, and a strong tower to retreat to during this time.

Learning to sail

Sailing.... Ah to experience her heeling in the wind,learning how to cooperate with the wind and her sails; with the sun setting behind us; the ocean in front; and time controlled by the wind (not by any time table I can manipulate or be manipulated or ordered by). This is truly the life. There is no freedom to standing on the bow with the wind on your face and color dancing across the sky as the sun slips beneath the horizon. Chosing where you go and when. I am in love with sailing -- IT was AWESOME !! Not to say that I am a natural -- I have so much to learn, but I can't wait to get out there and be challenged again. I love rising to a challenge. And the sea is full of them. Now I understand the draw others describe. So I am praying to meet safe friends with sail boats to get more experience. I get to go back in a few more weeks to practice a 3 day live on board excursion. I can't wait. I am counting the days of work in between. After that I don't know, but I am praying for more opportunities this summer...

Spring has arrived...

I love the little things that change as spring comes... I have been indoors most of the week caring for those with sprained ankles, lacerations from falls while playing or working outdoors, and coughs and flus and was excited to get outdoors today. After church -- mind you RWOC was awesome today -- he reminded us of promises God made to Israel to restore to them what the locust had eaten and to never let it happen to them again. What a great promise.... And then after church I escaped for about two hours to wonder a trail in a state park. The sun was bright and warmed the clay and rocks I walked on. There were not many flowers in bloom in the park but the trees were budding. I love to watch the transformation from the brown drab winter shrouds to the crisp green budding shawls of spring. And I can't tell you the thrill I have had seeing my hyacinth bushes bloom their yellow display and my pear tree blossoms lighting up my front yard this week as I went to and from work.

Ah.. warmth is coming... time to get back outdoors and enjoy that sun. And today did not disappoint. The temperature rocked around 88 and the sun just wrapped you in its rays. I believe my high school term for today would have been "Sweeeet!!!!" I can't wait to see more flowers break through the ground. But things have begun and life surfaces again... And I got to spend a little time watching. I felt honoured. God makes this happen every year and every year it excites me. I had a great time wandering around and playing with my new camera. I even got to watch several turtles dive off the logs into the cool water to hide until I passed. This one group of three turtles stuck it out, not bothered by my presence, as they enjoyed the sun.

My nephew

No problem mon -- a description of a lifestyle to aspire to...

Okay so I have a day off. But I don't know how to put into words the extreme experience I had in Belize. First of all-- its a great place to really learn to scuba dive. The temperature of the water was about 72 at the coldest days and mostly stayed in the upper 70s despite the Northeastern storm we experienced for a few days. And the clarity of the water, the colors of the coral and sponges was unbelievable to me.

How can I express the satisfaction of sitting at the bow of the boat feeling the sunshine on my face and the wind whispering in my ears while occasionally looking down to watch the waves just appear to dance in sync with my excitement along the bow of the boat. Priceless yes, but beyond that it struck such a chord of contentment deep in my soul. Its that feeling of soaring as you look at the horizon. I've only experienced that feeling while standing on the back of a horse that was trotting and with my hands & face turned skyward, or the time I was bouncing back upward while bungee jumping. Such a release from this world. It was something I fell in love with. And that was just a small part of life on the boat.

The staff on the Sundancer II (a Peter Hughes diving company ) where fabulous at making us feel welcomed and so pampered I didn't know what to do with myself. The 5 course dinners were all varied and so tastefully spiced and prepared that we all enjoyed them. The snacks and drinks were always available. The time between dives seemed to disappear quickly leaving brief moments in the sun to brighten our spirits above board. And the times when it was rainy were filled with chatting with fellow passengers or staff about our lives and previous experiences. Dinner was always a fun time to share about each other. I greatly enjoyed getting to know Theresa, Reese & Christina Donner further. They are all great story tellers and have had such a refreshing view on life.

The land under the sea was completely amazing. My curious nature just found a whole new world to explore, learn about and observe. From watching lurking baracudas, rambling turtles, floating rays, resting nurse sharks, lobsters on the prowl, to christmas tree worms in rapid fire retreat to having my finger cleaned by a small shrimp. I will always treasure my firsts... My first time seeing them with the help of others and my first time finding some on my own. What a fascinating beautiful world of color so untouched by many. I am so priveledged to have the pleasure of observing their home.

I think one of the best things I took away from the trip was -- contentment. It was something I heard alot from the staff & captain and it challenged me. I fail so often in what God calls me to. I know I am a sinner and am further aware of more weaknesses than I knew before the trip, but God tells us to be content. I haven't been living a practiced life of that in my career. This week I realized that I love medicine and thats why I went to school to be a part of it. I know many abuse the medical system and there are many faults in the system, but this week I took time. I took time to meet peoples eyes, to observe them as individuals, to meet the medical needs I could meet and recognize when they were trying to manipulate me. To not harbor bitterness towards those attempting to manipulate me, but to instead better serve those in need with acts and words of kindness. I want to be content with the life God has me leading. And I am learning to not let others actions and emotions to steal my God given joy. "No problem mon" is a common statement in life in Belize. And its lived out in their daily walks. As a Yankee, I often get swept up into the busyness of life. I realized I can't manipulate life into becoming any faster with my stress levels increasing, so why waste so much emotion and energy. I'm going to remember "No problem mon" more often.... (mind you old habits are hard to break-- so if you catch me in a few months stressing out -- feel free to remind me. "No problem mon"

O yeah.. by the way

I PASSED MY BOARDS-- EARLIER FRUEDIAN SLIP ON THE SPELLING -- CAUSE NOW THEY ARE IN THE PAST. thank you God!! .. THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO PRAYED FOR ME.

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Home, but missing that open sea already...

Home late and will right more -- for now the words --- AMAZING NEW WORLD!!! and "I'm a new addict" Anyone wanna go scuba diving?? Here are a few pics will upload more later....

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!! THIS WILL BE ME AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS -- ONLY IN 70 DEGREE WATER NOT 58. I CAN'T WAIT.......

Its all over...

Its all over (clap clap clap,clap,clap) Its all over (clap clap clap,clap,clap) (repeat ad naseaum) I'm done with the boards!!!

And the weather is nice outside for a few days.

And best of all -- my vacation is almost here. LIFE IS GOOD!

Road trip to Lindsay's baby shower

Here is a link to some pictures from Lindsay's baby shower I'll write more later, but I hitched a ride with the Foskey family back to Harrisonburg VA to go to Lindsay's baby shower for baby boy Whitcomb. We had an uneventful ride and I had a great time hanging out with friends & family. Stephanie & Rachel Langhans' did a great job hostessing the shower. Thanks you two for all your hard work!

brief update & prayer request

A hello, to friends and family. I may have not been keeping up to date with everyone much and will probably get worse in the next three weeks. So this is an acknowledgement and request for thoughts and prayers and more time to get back with you all. I am cramming for my boards -- it has already been 6 years I have been practicing and unfortunatly forgetting things I was taught in school. These things will be retested on, when I have to go and re-take the boards on Febuary 22. This unfortunate reoccurrance is difficult enough but will also tax my short attention span by requiring me to test for about 6 hours so I can use all the prayers I can get. Then I have a week to pull myself together and then off to vacation on my first scuba trip to Belize. My first time on a boat, so pray for calm waters and a strong stomach. And a fun and safe trip. I am excited and looking forward to this as a well earned break after studying indefinately during free time for the last month and a half.
love you all

I am blessed

Ever need one of those rejuvenating weekends? I had the best one. It's amazing how just having some good quality time with God and with friends or family can bring you such joy. I had the most fabulous weekend.

I studied on Friday then took Dassah to the kennel and went to Greenville for the weekend. I got to go to the singles bible study again. A better experience this time. Heindrick challenged us regarding our purpose in life during the bible study and something that struck me was his challenging statement. "When we don't recognize God's purpose in someone, is when we tend to abuse or neglect them". That can be in respect to ourself or in regards to someone else. It was a challenging statement to live by. And I had fun chatting with Tyra and Jazmine.(Good luck at school girls!)

Saturday was a fun filled girl's day out with my sister. I went with her to the hair salon and while she got her hair done, I got my nails done. (The first time I have had a parifin wax treatment on my hands-- fabulous :)- I recomend it to everyone as long as they have clean procedures. It helped soften my chapped, cracking cuticles and hands) Then we made some freezer meals at Supper Thyme. A place that pre slices/dices and cuts meat to appropriate proportions and you just measure things out for preselected meals. These are then frozen in packages so that you can pull them out to crockpot or bake at your convience. (A healthier alternative to fast food for those of us who work long hours). Yeah!!! I need all the help I can get there. I enjoyed it and in two hours the two of us each had 9 meals to take home with us. I can't wait to try them out.

Then we were off to shop since my wardrobe needed some help as did Janelle's. We found we are the same size right now which made it fun to grab similiar things and just switch them back and forth in the dressing room. It helped so much to have someone else's opinion too. Then we headed back to the house to allow Janelle & Josie to get ready for a date on the town while I got the evening with Jayden. He is so interactive with his laughing and cooing and such a happy baby. He is such a joy. And I find it such a blessing to be a part of his life and get his smiles of recognition when he sees me.

Sunday we went to church, grabbed lunch, took Jayden to JCPennies for pictures, then back to church for his baby dedication. The service was great and Apostle Ron did an excellent object lesson. He pulled out an umbrella and said that when we are under God's vision and protection "It doesn't mean it stops the raining" "It just keeps the rain off of us". What an exciting and vivid picture of God's protection. Thank's God for revelations and teachers to share them with us. I am so thankful for His ever loving protection in my life.

Then I came back to Hendersonville. Since my evening plans changed secondary to the rain and dropping temperatures I grabbed some wine (found my favorite year and winery!!) I had time to chat with family. Started a warm fire and enjoyed listening to the popping logs while watching a movie and drinking my wine. Ahh so relaxing.

I am so blessed. So if you get nothing else out of my rambling. I pray that God' bless you with His protection and love in your week.

A break in the woods

Yesterday, I took a break from trying to study. (Notice I said trying, I am struggling to buckle down and study for my PA boards I have to take next month) But after putting in a good 3 hours of reading I decided an outdoor excursion was needed.
I put Dassah, my trusty hiking partner in the Xterra and off we headed in search of some water falls. I had learned last summer that there were several hiking trails to waterfalls up in the Dupont Forest - about 45 mins away, so off I went. We enjoyed ambling along the stone roads and short forest trails to the falls. And I enjoyed wandering alongside the one fall. You could walk up the rock and observe striation and mineral deposits from where water had flowed over it in the past but was dry now. Moments like that make you realize how short my own lifespan truly is. To see how water had carved the rock into a smooth surface reminded me of the scripture of how we as believers sharpen each other. And I am more in awe of My Creator. I also enjoy watching water falls and the sheer power and force that water has. Not because of its own abilities, but because of its movement and location. If God can do that with water, -- What can He do with me if I am in the right location and moving in the proper direction?
I also have been enjoying watching the sun rise on my way to the gym the last few mornings. The other day I took a few pics. There are a few of the sunrise s well as several from the falls.

Have you laughed today

So the New Year... 2007.
Eleven days into my fast from chocolate. Attempting a 37 day fast from chocolate. Pray for the will power. So far I've been blessed with enough :) (Go God! Cause if you know me, you know I love chocolate.) Josie challenged me to 37 instead of a month because its one tenth of a year. A good tithe to God as well as a good way to be learn self control as I try to get back into shape. It's nice to have people who can challenge you physically as well as spiritually. If you can remember pray for continued perserverence and for me to get my butt into the gym more often during this time.
God has already blessed this with more awareness of His presence and challenging me to spend some time in the word. Something I have been struggling to do over the last few months. I hope He will start revealing more of His plans for my future because I need His guidance more than ever right now...
After recovering from the flu over the last day and a half I made my way to Asheville. I bought a hood and some gloves for my scuba trip and priced out some further equipment. Ahh why do some of the fun things cost so much?
I got to explore Asheville after checking out the scuba shop. It really is eclectic. A art exhibit with pictures costing about 2 grand is within a block of Mass General. It is within a few blocks of a store that sells odds and ends including the belt with bells used for belly dancing, followed by a store that sells paper star lights.... Truly an interesting bizzare place. At least I found some interesting resturants and after wandering aimlessly exploring was able to relocate my car twice. And arrived home to study for an hour and watch Grays Anatomy. I know its a hopeless medical soap opera but when you make a heroine snore so loud her boyfriend can't stand it--- it makes me laugh. Have a good laugh today with me.

And check out my nephew laughing with me. He's such a charmer.

Suddenly its 2007

Happy New Year to all.
As I started the New Year sleeping in, I enjoyed the fact that I have a warm bed to sleep in despite the barking of Dassah (my dog)who insisted in going out this morning on her regular schedule. I spent the day doing some small things around the house including taking down my outdoor Christmas lights (tonight I glanced around the still lit up neighborhood to realize I must not be trying hard to fit in) I will update you regarding when their lights disappear (hopefully before Valentine's day) I also lit my first fire in the fireplace tonight. (I will need to practice further cause mine wasn't nearly as nice as Janelle & Josie's but it did warm up the living room and it was fun to hear the wood popping and crackling.

Lindsay and Tim came down for a day this weekend. It was fun to see them and hang out with Kendra and Trevor and get my butt wipped yet again in Trivial pursuit. (this years personal flub duh... Intel Inside is the logo for Pentium -- at least I can still remember Hyper tech markup language is what HTML stands for from last year)

But on another note I thought about what I had heard on Sunday. They challenged us to praise God for what He has already done for us in 2007. Since God has this impossible to understand talent, of existing outside of time, He already knows what will happen this next year and has already prepared things for us to do and blessings for us to have. I considered the fact that as I praise for these now, I have to have Faith that he knows the difficult things as well as the blessings He has for us. I have to trust that He will do what is best for me in the best timing as long as I am obedient to him. ( On that note of obediance and faith, God help me to be more like Daniel than Jonah or the Isrealites in the desert.)
Starting off the year with a great big worship party and a teaching on Elisha and the well to do lady who served him. She was blessed with a son, his miraculous resurection, the Godly warning to leave the land prior to the famine, and the return of her land plus the income from the land while she had been gone was a great lesson full of challenges to act out in faith/service and to pursue God for those things we desperately need.

May you all have time to recognize what God has done for you and praise Him for what He is going to do.

A special prayer goes out to Ryan and Jen. May God surround you with His peace, his wisdom, His presence, and His balm of Gilead... Here's a link to their blog for updates. Please keep them in your prayers.

the last blog of 2006

So this has been my first year of blogging. As the year closes I must finish it out blogging. So Happy New Year to you all.
Today at church I chose to become a member. The pastor prophecised that this next year would be a of suddenlys. God was going to answer requests suddenly. And not just one but a series of suddenlys. So I am speaking and praying for several suddenlys. I will also be going to the New Years Eve service tonight and since its the first hours of the New Year I am interested to see what He will do.
See you all in the next year

Lessons from the ER -- reason #98 why not to use drugs

Logic somehow reverses when you use cocaine, alcohol and a few other drugs.....

For example, Where is the best place for firewood to be found?
- logically the answer would be --wood is found on the ground or if a tree is cut down.

I have learned that with drugs & alcohol, the mind can be brought to believe that firewood is found in a tree 10-15 feet up. And lead to falls.

Do you trust your mind and body to something that can twist anything to feel logical?

Christmas in the Emergency Dept.

Today I spent the day celebrating Jesus birth serving the sick that poured into the ER. I guess God might have chosen that as a place or maybe in a bar ministering to the lonely or maybe on the rainy street serving the homeless.

I was humbled serving people today. I treated 47 people over the 11.5 hours I worked today. Many sick with flu, strept or pneumonia or a combo of the above. We seem to have hit a peak in the flu season here. Although most are doing a good job staying hydrated, they were feeling miserable. A few I was able to pray over while examining them, but mostly had to stay busy seeing people.

Thank God for a healthy body. I really felt His presence around me today and knew I was in the place He wanted me to be. I wonder what destiny I fulfilled today.

This week I watched the movie Lady of the Lake -although a weird movie, what struck me most, was questioning my destiny. And has brought me into a reflective contemplation of what it is I do for God daily. Do I miss out on the opportunities or am I just unaware of the destinies I have fulfilled. I pray I am following through and that God will forgive my weakness that has failed Him. This week at church Apostle Ron prayed over the congregation that God has marked us with his mark so that any labels that are curses have been broken off. We are not bound by the worlds labels -- God doesn't see us through those and we should not operate in them, being bound by our own fears and insecurities. I pray that I can walk forward with His mark and not bring disappointment, but instead bring favor to Him by my life.

Today I gave a single mother a gift for her son, as they have not had money to buy new clothes. She was touched and I was warmed to know that I had served someone in need. I pray that God use that opportunity to touch and bring healing to their lives and draw them into an further awareness of Him. Is there somone in your life who needs a gentle word, a pat on the back, a hug or a wink that You can touch for God's glory?

I pray that God be with you and warm your heart during this holiday with a new awareness of his love.