What’s Before You?

“He [Cornelius] and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” Acts 10:2

Wesley’s grandmother, Lillian, was what some people call “a character.” She was a mountain woman who spoke her mind, plain and simple, no flowery language, no extra niceties, just the truth, served up straight. Whenever we had a family gathering where food was involved, the spread would go out on the table and before we were allowed to help ourselves there was a prayer followed by the pronouncement: “You see what’s before you.” No frill, no extras, this is what you get—eat it or leave it.

I started thinking about her signature phrase in relationship to what God’s call is on my life. Each day, God puts people in my path—friends, neighbors, customers, patients, people of all ages, sizes, races. He gives me and each of us the opportunity to minister by using our gifts and tells us—you see what’s before you, now get to it!

Human pride leads us to look for that extra special work, the ministry that will change the world, reach the millions—even billions—for Christ. We are reluctant to expend our energies on the one needy soul in our care, the person with memory loss who can’t appreciate us, the little child who makes the same mess every day, the frustrating parent who calls too often.

Henri Nouwen, the great priest and theologian, spent the later years of his life working one-on-one with a handicapped bed-bound young man. He left teaching at a university and gave himself over to this humble work. “What a waste!” our self-serving egos might scream rebelliously but Nouwen continues to reach many today through the authentic love conveyed in his writing—authenticity acquired through self-sacrifice, truly “laying down his life for his friend.”

You see, God doesn’t differentiate between the lonely soul next door and someone who we might characterize as more worthy. God’s math, which doesn’t always add up neatly in our score-keeping human mind, finds equal value in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Sometimes we like to think that we need special preparation to minister—maybe some kind of degree or experience—but God says, “Not so much. Just do what I put before you today.” Some of us are called to go get special training but most of us are called to simply step out in faith every day and treat our neighbor with true love, right here, right now.

In this article, the author discusses ideas that might help us be that nurse that everyone wants to have.

Source: Being the Nurse Everyone Wants to Have

I slipped off my sandals
Leaving my earthly self behind.
I walked to the other side
A-cross.
Stream of vividly clear crystal water
Flowed over rocks smooth as silk
Under my bare toes,
Weary with world’s weight.
As I stepped onto the mossy bank
He took my hand,
Helping with that last step
Into the beyond.
His grip was love itself
Tenderly he opened his palms
And there I saw, beside the nail marks,
My name, tenderly scrolled, etched there
By love.
We sat on a big Rock,
My Savior and I.
Our feet dangled into water
Alive with power to both cleanse and refresh.
We talked over the questions I had
Once so many
Now, simple and stark:
Where could I have loved more, better?
Gently he led me through
A review of what I had seen and done.
He showed me how,
In his love,
He took my wrong turns,
My disobedience
And remade them into
A pattern of redemption,
Quilted with the stitches of forgiveness.
He showed me beauty beyond imagining
Where love in my life
Paved the way
For his love
To come through.
In my newly opened mind a thought came:
This is judgement day!
And yet, I felt not judged
But cleansed and loved.
We stood up,
My Friend and I.
I took his hand and we moved on,
Deeper into eternity,
Greeting joyfully those already
Settled in.

Joy Eastridge, June 2016

In this article, the author explores some strategies for working well with EMRs, so that patient care remains our #1 priority.

Source: Nursing vs. EMR: Win, Lose or Draw?

Dear Mr. McConnell, I want to ask you to please allow confirmation hearings for the supreme court justice nominee, Merrick B. Garland. I read about him and am impressed that he would make a very good supreme court justice for our country. I invite you to reconsider your position, especially after reading Henri Nouwen’s devotional yesterday, “Trees look strong compared with the wild reeds in the field. But when the storm comes the trees are uprooted, whereas the wild reeds, while moved back and forth by the wind, remain rooted and are standing up again when the storm has calmed down.

Flexibility is a great virtue. When we cling to our own positions and are not willing to let our hearts be moved back and forth a little by the ideas or actions of others, we may easily be broken. Being like wild reeds does not mean being wishy-washy. It means moving a little with the winds of the time while remaining solidly anchored in the ground. A humorless, intense, opinionated rigidity about current issues might cause these issues to break our spirits and make us bitter people. Let’s be flexible while being deeply rooted.”*

A fellow citizen, Joy Eastridge

*Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco.

In this article, a hospice nurse listens to a family member’s worst hospice nightmare: making the decision to go into hospice too soon. She helps to clarify and comfort.

Source: Hospice: A Dream or a Nightmare

A Walk on a Rainy Beach

We had the wide beach
to ourselves this morning,
my love and I.
Hand in hand we walked
Watching
Domineering sun
Unable to penetrate one ray
Through wisps of water.
Instead—
Clouds swoop down
On the wings of gulls
To brush the sand
Now pockmarked, pelted
Punctured
By drops
Falling in a steady line
Impaling themselves
Over microscopic blocks of rocks
Clustered together
Miles upon miles
To infinity.

The ocean reaches out tender fingers
Seducing the sand
Into submission.
The intercourse
Leaves sand
Silky, velvety
Beneath caresses
Gentle but insistent,
Relentless
Irresistible.

Houses litter left
Restless ocean on right.
We walk, toes curling
Into a surface yielding
But quickly recovering.
No sign of our
Passing
By.
I turn my face up
To catch drips
Escaping
Clusters of vapor.
I feel liquid
Pass through me
And leak out my toes.
Into eternity.

January 1, 2015

Playing Games with Death

Sometimes Death sits at the table
Hand resting on the cards.
We pull away,
Not ready for the last trick,
The trump card
In the game of life.

We put up a hand,
Submit to shuffling through
Machines, medicines, machinations.
Delay tactics?
Cheating death?
One more round…
We play the gambling game
With Death at the door.
But Death smiles,
Hides his cards
Hovers.

Or

Sometimes Death doesn’t show up to the game.
Instead walking switchbacks
Where no obstacles exist.
He inches forward,
Extending a card
Then pulling it back—
Seeming to mercilessly tease
The recipient who lays
Open handed.
Prepared,
To lay it all down.

Why? We ask
Does death not come
To the table
When invited.
Why does he delay—
Standing on the sidelines
Smiling peacefully
Awaiting some unknown appointment time
When he is already tardy?
Can we hurry him along?
And yet, death comes in his own time.
We think we make the rules
But Death knows
The Master playmaker.

Joy Eastridge, 2015

Taxes, Fees and Earthly Hassles

Being Christians does not free us from the day-to-day hassles of living on this earth. Our challenge is to not be buried by paperwork, chores, notices, rules and regulations. Often, we get frustrated with bureaucracies and the level of complexity that taxes, fines and fees add to our lives. Wouldn’t it be great to have a year with no taxes? But then, aren’t we blessed by interstate highways, potable water, hot showers, trash pick-up?

Jesus and his disciples lived in a complicated world too. Twice we see Jesus addressing the issue of taxes with his disciples: first the Temple Tax in Matthew 17 and later the taxes to Caesar in Matthew 22.

Jesus’ disciples have heard enough from him to know that he operates in a different realm. They begin to wonder if they even need to fuss with all this tax stuff. After all, he is going to be the great king very soon—right?

But Jesus tells them to pay up and carry on and even adds a miracle with the coin appearing in the mouth of a fish. He also answers the pharisees with a wise phrase, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (22:21).

Jesus’ treatment of living a spiritual life in a secular world makes us think. Even then, Jesus did not abolish the current order of things. He taught his followers to continue to live in a broken world and yet not to be overcome by it. “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”

Sometimes we see injustice: wrongly assessed fines, traffic stops that make us grit our teeth, taxes that are too high. We have to choose when to fight and when to pay. What Jesus seems to say is, “Carry on. Live here for now, pay what you must, and then focus on me.”

Passing on faith, hope and love to our children is one of the supreme challenges and blessings of our lives. This Christmas we shared a few thoughts with our daughter and son-in-love as they begin the adventure of parenting.

Christmas 2015

Dear Chrissy and Wesley,

You have a lot of important jobs as parents: feeding Olivia, taking her to the doctor, making sure she is safe in her carseat, and keeping her away from outlets. But as the temporary guardians of this little human being, you have an even greater responsibility—the nurture of her soul and the privilege of introducing her to the God that you both love. This divine appointment surpasses all the other chores of raising a child and elevates the little things from the mundane to the eternal. Picking up her toys can become an opportunity for gratitude; giving her a bath a chance to baptize your little one in prayer; smiling with her a chance to see once again how great is the love of the Father for all of us.

So as the parents of our first grandchild, we pass on to you the Advent Tree that we used when the kids were small. Maybe it will become a tool for your family in focusing on what is really important during the Holy Day Season. And know that we join you eagerly in helping to nurture Olivia to be all that God has planned for her.

Much love,

Nana and Pops