I did pass the test! I passed my CNA exam, both parts! Thank God. When I took the woman's pulse, I got a 51, and thought that it was definitely not right, so I just wrote down 58. apparently, the 58 was within two marks of the tester's reading, so I passed! Hurrah! God is truly good.
I am working at a home for severely disabled children for the summer as an activities assistant. I'm going to be posting a few posts on the kids later.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Decaloug for Drivers (copied from Catholic.org)
In a June 19 release of the document "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" in the Holy See Press Officer here, the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People focused on pastoral care of road users, street children and the homeless and pastoral ministry for the liberation of street women.
The document notes that driving can be a positive spiritual endeavor if drivers accept their responsibilities of living their faith behind the wheel.
“Those who know Jesus Christ are careful on the roads...They don’t only think about themselves, and are not always worried about getting to their destination in a great hurry,” it adds. “They see the people who ‘accompany’ them on the road, each of whom has their own life, their own desire to reach a destination and their own problems. They see everyone as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God. This is the attitude that characterizes a Christian driver.”
While acknowledging that “road vehicles give us many advantages” as rapid means of transport, the Vatican document they “may also be abused.”
It points to the some 35 million people who lost their lives in road accidents and to the about 1½ billion who were injured in the 20th century, adding that in 2000 alone there were more than 1.2 million deaths, with 90 percent of accidents estimated to be due to human error.
“The harm caused to the families of those involved in accidents, as well as the protracted consequences for the injured, who all too often are permanently disabled, should also be borne in mind,” it says. “In addition to harm to persons, the enormous damage to material goods should also be taken into account.”
Among unhealthy actions and “unbalanced behavior” that lead to potential accidents, injury and death and certain physical and spiritual danger include: disregard for road signs as “almost a curtailment” of supposed rights; “domination” of other drivers through reckless passing, over-acceleration and/or excessive speed; showing off; driving when physically or mentally incapacitated, under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs or in a state of exhaustion; reckless use of motorbikes and motorcycles; road rage; cursing and rudeness.
“For some drivers,” the document says, “the unbalanced behavior is expressed in insignificant ways, whilst in others it may produce serious excesses that depend on character, level of education, an incapacity for self-control and the lack of a sense of responsibility.”
Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, said that the document’s aim "is to guide and coordinate all the ecclesial bodies in the world of the pastoral care of the road, and to encourage and stimulate episcopal conferences of countries in which this form of pastoral care does not exist, to organize it."
"Church and state, each in its own field, must work to create a generalized public awareness on the question of road safety and promote, using all possible means."
Referring to the evangelization of the road, the president of the pontifical council recalled that the church also aims at "the religious formation of car drivers, professional transporters, passengers and all those people who, in one way or another, are associated with roads and railways." In this context, he recalled the fact that in many countries there are "fixed or mobile highway chapels, and pastoral workers who visit motorway service areas and periodically celebrate liturgies there."
The "Ten Commandments" for drivers, as listed in the document, are:
I. You shall not kill.
II. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
III. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
IV. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
V. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination and an occasion of sin.
VI. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
VII. Support the families of accident victims.
VIII. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
IX. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
X. Feel responsible toward others.
The document notes that driving can be a positive spiritual endeavor if drivers accept their responsibilities of living their faith behind the wheel.
“Those who know Jesus Christ are careful on the roads...They don’t only think about themselves, and are not always worried about getting to their destination in a great hurry,” it adds. “They see the people who ‘accompany’ them on the road, each of whom has their own life, their own desire to reach a destination and their own problems. They see everyone as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God. This is the attitude that characterizes a Christian driver.”
While acknowledging that “road vehicles give us many advantages” as rapid means of transport, the Vatican document they “may also be abused.”
It points to the some 35 million people who lost their lives in road accidents and to the about 1½ billion who were injured in the 20th century, adding that in 2000 alone there were more than 1.2 million deaths, with 90 percent of accidents estimated to be due to human error.
“The harm caused to the families of those involved in accidents, as well as the protracted consequences for the injured, who all too often are permanently disabled, should also be borne in mind,” it says. “In addition to harm to persons, the enormous damage to material goods should also be taken into account.”
Among unhealthy actions and “unbalanced behavior” that lead to potential accidents, injury and death and certain physical and spiritual danger include: disregard for road signs as “almost a curtailment” of supposed rights; “domination” of other drivers through reckless passing, over-acceleration and/or excessive speed; showing off; driving when physically or mentally incapacitated, under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs or in a state of exhaustion; reckless use of motorbikes and motorcycles; road rage; cursing and rudeness.
“For some drivers,” the document says, “the unbalanced behavior is expressed in insignificant ways, whilst in others it may produce serious excesses that depend on character, level of education, an incapacity for self-control and the lack of a sense of responsibility.”
Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, said that the document’s aim "is to guide and coordinate all the ecclesial bodies in the world of the pastoral care of the road, and to encourage and stimulate episcopal conferences of countries in which this form of pastoral care does not exist, to organize it."
"Church and state, each in its own field, must work to create a generalized public awareness on the question of road safety and promote, using all possible means."
Referring to the evangelization of the road, the president of the pontifical council recalled that the church also aims at "the religious formation of car drivers, professional transporters, passengers and all those people who, in one way or another, are associated with roads and railways." In this context, he recalled the fact that in many countries there are "fixed or mobile highway chapels, and pastoral workers who visit motorway service areas and periodically celebrate liturgies there."
The "Ten Commandments" for drivers, as listed in the document, are:
I. You shall not kill.
II. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
III. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
IV. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
V. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination and an occasion of sin.
VI. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
VII. Support the families of accident victims.
VIII. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
IX. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
X. Feel responsible toward others.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
I just got back from taking the Virginia State Board of Nursing Certified Nurses Aid examination. I hate pulses. I can't find radials on anybody, and when I do, the pulses goes away. Darn! I really hope that pulse actually was 58BPM. Sigh.
Other than that, life is pretty dull, with a few high points. Yesterday I got home from work and was greeted by Daniel knocking on my door before I could open it. The big eyed kid was eager to tell me "something horrible happened while you were gone." Peter broke his hand. Today, Bernadette stepped on a bee and her foot has swelled up. I have been coerced into watching Freaky Friday (the old one) so more update later.
Other than that, life is pretty dull, with a few high points. Yesterday I got home from work and was greeted by Daniel knocking on my door before I could open it. The big eyed kid was eager to tell me "something horrible happened while you were gone." Peter broke his hand. Today, Bernadette stepped on a bee and her foot has swelled up. I have been coerced into watching Freaky Friday (the old one) so more update later.
Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears
(this song is beautiful, and offers an adventure for the heart into the history of your ancestors if they, like mine, are from Ireland.>
On the first day of January Eighteen Ninety-two,
They opened Ellis Island and they let the people through.
And the first to cross the threshold of the Isle of hope and tears
Was Annie Moore from Ireland who was all of fifteen years.
Chorus
Isle of hope, Isle of tears, Isle of Freedom, Isle of fears,
But it's not the Isle I left behind;
That Isle of hunger, Isle of pain, Isle you'll never see again,
But the Isle of home is always on your mind
In her little bag she carried all her past and history
And her dreams for the future in the Land of Liberty.
And courage is the passport when your old world disappears,
'cause there's no future in the past when you're fifteen years.
When they closed down Ellis Island in nineteen forty-three
Seventeen million people had come there for sanctuary.
And in the springtime when I came here and stepped onto its piers,
I thought of how it must have felt when you're only fifteen years.
The Isle of home is always on your mind.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Loneliness
“At times (more often than I’d like to admit) I get a feeling that I’m totally cut off from the world, that there is no one out in the great big world who cares about me, and no one would miss me if I were to suddenly vanish. I want them to miss me. I want someone to talk to, with whom to share my deeper feelings, but I have no such friend. They would probably be glad not to have to send an extra Christmas card…”
Well, that sort of thinking is a little extreme toward the end, but, it expresses a certain sentiment which all social beings experience at one time or other: loneliness, the feeling that one is alone and has no one to turn to… and not by choice. Loneliness is a kennan knowledge, a knowledge which cannot be known definitions and study, but by experience. It is subjective, hence the word meaning of Lone=alone. Certain persons, by virtue of their unique temperaments, are more prone to loneliness than others, and these temperaments therefore face more difficulties in that they must be careful not to wallow in self-pity, and must make a conscious effort to prevent these thoughts from controlling them.
These persons who are particularly beset by loneliness often forget that the reason behind the loneliness is usually their own doing, is a severely self-centered feeling. Furthermore, loneliness is usually brought on by cutting the self off from one’s fellow men, either in actuality or in the mind. This is not to say that loneliness can be unavoidable, say for instance, in the case that several of his dearest friends have double crossed a certain man and then abandoned him. He is very like to feel not only sadness at the loss of friendships (or that which was perceived as such) but also loneliness, precisely because he finds himself alone. Therefore, loneliness is at times unavoidable and legitimate. At other times, though, it is one of those battles for mastery over one’s failings.
I was in one of my very lonely bouts during a difficult time in school and emotional health (they seem to affect each other overmuch for some strange reason), and my sister called me on the phone. She didn’t know what I was going through, but was excited to offer a reflection that she had recently read. “The basic cause of loneliness is the excessive desire to be loved, for this creates an atmosphere of lovelessness. The more we seek to be loved, the less we are loved. The less we are loved, the less lovable we become. And the less lovable we become, the less capable we become of loving anyone else. Like a bird caught in a net, we deepen our tragedy.” Sort of made a lot of sense, and made me feel sort of, shall me say, ashamed? =D
Cures for loneliness? I submit performing acts of charity, constant mental prayer, and focusing on doing things for other specifically because it helps others and not because you are seeking any reward or returned feelings.
Well, that sort of thinking is a little extreme toward the end, but, it expresses a certain sentiment which all social beings experience at one time or other: loneliness, the feeling that one is alone and has no one to turn to… and not by choice. Loneliness is a kennan knowledge, a knowledge which cannot be known definitions and study, but by experience. It is subjective, hence the word meaning of Lone=alone. Certain persons, by virtue of their unique temperaments, are more prone to loneliness than others, and these temperaments therefore face more difficulties in that they must be careful not to wallow in self-pity, and must make a conscious effort to prevent these thoughts from controlling them.
These persons who are particularly beset by loneliness often forget that the reason behind the loneliness is usually their own doing, is a severely self-centered feeling. Furthermore, loneliness is usually brought on by cutting the self off from one’s fellow men, either in actuality or in the mind. This is not to say that loneliness can be unavoidable, say for instance, in the case that several of his dearest friends have double crossed a certain man and then abandoned him. He is very like to feel not only sadness at the loss of friendships (or that which was perceived as such) but also loneliness, precisely because he finds himself alone. Therefore, loneliness is at times unavoidable and legitimate. At other times, though, it is one of those battles for mastery over one’s failings.
I was in one of my very lonely bouts during a difficult time in school and emotional health (they seem to affect each other overmuch for some strange reason), and my sister called me on the phone. She didn’t know what I was going through, but was excited to offer a reflection that she had recently read. “The basic cause of loneliness is the excessive desire to be loved, for this creates an atmosphere of lovelessness. The more we seek to be loved, the less we are loved. The less we are loved, the less lovable we become. And the less lovable we become, the less capable we become of loving anyone else. Like a bird caught in a net, we deepen our tragedy.” Sort of made a lot of sense, and made me feel sort of, shall me say, ashamed? =D
Cures for loneliness? I submit performing acts of charity, constant mental prayer, and focusing on doing things for other specifically because it helps others and not because you are seeking any reward or returned feelings.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Granny's Condition
Well, my grandmother's condition demands special prayers because she is on her way to the next life. She has been on a ventilator for the past 3 years, 3L of O2 24/7, and now she is no longer eating. (This is actually a normal part of the dying process because blood no longer flows to the stomach as much. The body is shutting off, so it is, at this point, cruel to force them to eat or to put in a feeding tube.) During the ordeals of the last three years, as she has suffered very much and her body has slowly deteriorated, she has returned to the practice of the Faith. She had stopped practicing the Catholic Faith (or any for that matter) 21 years back, and has now turned to God. For the past 2 years my father has brought her communion after mass, and two nights ago, she asked for Holy Viaticum. She has pneumonia (again) and this time, we are told, it can only be managed and not gotten rid of.
My mother is the only one of Granny's 10 children who is practicing any sort of faith, with the possible exception of one Aunt. My Grandfather, who is a Baptist and never converted, is taking the whole thing very hard and is very sad, worn out, and tired all around.
I am certain she is in the last stage of her life. Please keep her, my grandfather, and the rest of the family in your prayers. Offer Rosaries and Masses for her if you are able. Her name is Anne.
Lord, guard all those who will die tonight and allow them to turn to your mercy in the last moments of their life. Give to them peace and comfort, especially those who must die alone. May the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
My mother is the only one of Granny's 10 children who is practicing any sort of faith, with the possible exception of one Aunt. My Grandfather, who is a Baptist and never converted, is taking the whole thing very hard and is very sad, worn out, and tired all around.
I am certain she is in the last stage of her life. Please keep her, my grandfather, and the rest of the family in your prayers. Offer Rosaries and Masses for her if you are able. Her name is Anne.
Lord, guard all those who will die tonight and allow them to turn to your mercy in the last moments of their life. Give to them peace and comfort, especially those who must die alone. May the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
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