What a week!

I told you last week that I was going to have a busy week and might not be around much.  Quite a few nurses at our place were going to be gone on Spring Break, and those of us that were left were planning on working a lot.  However, it was worse than we planned on.  We had hired a new 3-11 nurse who was supposed to be done with her orientation on Monday and then starting her week.  She quit saying it was too hard, which was quite surprising because all through orientation she had been saying she felt good about it.  Then, another nurse's dad had health issues and she had to stay with him and then our 11-7 nurse had to go to the ER and had 2 nights off.  That left a very skeleton crew and more hours to work than I've ever done in a week.
I had some bright spots during that time though.

My sister Cheri stopped by one day with my favorite chocolates, to be shared with anyone who was working a lot.  :)   We did enjoy them!



Another day Laura stopped with Ruby and Alaina.

Alaina had drawn me a picture and made this pretty butterfly.

Laura brought this pretty succulent garden which looks so pretty on my end table.


One morning this week, I was so tired.  I had worked 17 hours the day before, then had to get up and was planning on another double shift.  I got up and thought, "I don't know how I am going to get through this day".  I got to work and one of our residents was already sitting up in his wheelchair.  He has serious Alzheimers, but his life long faith shows so frequently!  He often prays out loud and also sings old hymns.  On this morning, as I was preparing my med cart, he was praying out loud and was thanking God for potatoes.  He was saying that he was so glad God had given us potatoes and listing some of the ways they can be prepared.  He then started to sing an old hymn I haven't heard for some time:
"Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

God will take care of you,
Through every day, o’er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you."

Wow!  This was just what I needed to be reminded of.  God did take care of me.  Someone came in early so I only had to work for 12 hours, and later in the week, someone else agreed to work on Sunday so that I could go to church and we even got to have the girls overnight on Saturday night, which is always good medicine!  Also, in spite of the fact that so many people around me have been sick, I've remained healthy.

This week should be better - the vacationers will be back and our sick people are doing better.  Thanks for the notes I gotten from some of you, and also the prayers.  Please keep praying that God sends some nurses our way.