Granted Admission

Recently, I have been welcomed into the lives of many unexpected people. In a small group with church, we have been having a monthly game night at Paquin Towers, a local residence for disabled and those living below the poverty line. During a game of Cranium, an eccentric older man walked through the main door wearing a black beret and carrying an umbrella with a duck's head for a handle. He examined the game pieces, intrigued by something we did not see. I had brought my camera and as he was about to head up to his room for the night, I asked if I could take a portrait shot of him. He was hesitant at first and I wanted to respect that, but after a bit of thought he agreed. I took a few quick pics and then asked if I could get his contact info in case any of the pictures came out well, so I could give him a copy. We were about to exchange info, but he must have linked my affinity for photography with a love for the arts and invited me up to see his artwork. I was a little hesitant, but threw caution to the wind and up the elevator went. I spent the next couple hours listening to the stories behind each piece of artwork that literally filled his studio apartment. I could not have been more pleased to listen to each story, perplexed by the quantity and quality of his work. I realized I had spent a few hours up there and thanked him for showing me his work, we exchanged info and I headed back downstairs to see if the rest of our group was still there. I had been allowed into the intimate place of a stranger's home, an artist's studio to boot. During our time I had a small opportunity to talk openly about faith and nursing and living out of the country. Even at his age he works as a personal care assistant for someone with quadriplegic paralysis, so we were able to connect on several levels.

Another surprising opportunity happened during my maternity clinical rotation. We were at the hospital and my initial patient and her new baby had been discharged to go home. This gave me the opportunity to help out in the well baby nursery and to practice with extra assessments. After our lunch break my professor told me that there was a mother on the L&D floor with history of precipitous (swift) labor and there was a possibility she would let me help out. Turns out there were two women on the floor in labor and one of the nurses had told our professor about one in particular, but not the other. My professor accidentally asked the other. The mother didn't speak English, but through the translator said she was fine with me being there. Let me just say that I was ecstatic. A woman from a very modest culture had given the green light to a nursing student being present during such a special and intimate time, and a male nursing student on top of that! I had a little time to build up a rapport with the family, and was able to exercise what little Spanish that I know. The family was so kind and very great to work with. When the time came, the nurse called me over from recording the vitals to help support the mother's leg so that she could bear down and push. The physician was amazing and talked me through everything, solidifying the concepts I had learned in class. When the baby entered the world my eyes teared up. I have heard that birth is a miracle and I believed it, but seeing it happen right before my eyes made that phrase come alive.

I still cannot believe how special these moments are and continue to wonder why I was allowed entry into these private moments. God is SO big and I will never understand why he does what he does, but he is GOOD! My life so far has taken so many crazy twists and turns and I would be beyond a fool not to attribute each of the silly and awing moments to the sovereignty of He who created all things, showed his faithfulness to his creation by becoming a man, dying as a criminal, conquering death by rising from the grave, the father in turn looking on Christ's sacrifice as worthy, thus saving me from my depravity...

And now, allows me to be a part of his intimate story of redemption, choosing to display his grace by including me as a part of what he is doing. God is active in his creation and he is crazy good at what he does. Please get to know him; he welcomes you into his marvelous story.