Now is the time...

First off, having nothing to do with anything else I'm going to write, who in their right mind pounds on walls at midnight?? We're talking hammer to the wall pounding. And I can't tell if it's my roommate next door or if it's the people above me, but still. Really? Come on people! So instead of sleeping, I'll vent thoughts that have been going on in my head for some time.

Thought one: now is the time for change. I suppose life is always changing, every day is different than the day before, but there have been so many changes recently. Friends I've had in my life for many years are moving on past the Provo life(who does that anyway? they do I guess). There are a few people I've known and loved for eight years that have left in the past couple months. While you don't always see each other, I think half the comfort is in knowing that if you need to see them, you can.

Steve and Janae are moving tomorrow. The only times I didn't have Steve with me here in Provo were my freshman year and right before my mission(and then he was in the MTC for most of that semester and I saw him five times a week). I don't think he could ever know what he's been to me in strength and support. Much of my sanity has been kept because of ways he has helped me. Steve is just a good brother and Janae has only added to his awesomeness. (for all other wonderful brothers of mine who might view that...you know I love you dearly and you have all been good to me too...but you aren't leaving me in Provo right now so you don't get an ode to you).

There also have been TONS of changes at work in the last couple of weeks and things are going to continue to change. I won't go into that now...

And I'm moving in less than two weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm very excited for that. Not going far, just across the street, but it will be wonderful.

Thought number two: now is the time to prepare.

It's coming up on two years now that I first talked about what the Lord had taught about preparing. If you want to revisit that post it was in November of 2009. (I know there is a way to connect a link or something but I'm not that computer savvy)

Since I've been working at Alpine, I have often recognized the lessons and powerful experiences I've had and how they will help me in the future. Recently I have been thinking about preparing once again. I found notes from a time when I was counseled to do a lot of preparing through the experiences that were to come. I feel like that was more of a counsel for now, that I need to take what I've experienced and prepare from them. I've had some amazing experiences as I've had the opportunity to love and serve the elderly. They are amazing, powerful, children of God. I've learned some amazing lessons from them. I need to take this opportunity to reflect on what they have taught me and place the changes needed into my life. While I still will be learning so my much from them as I continue to work there, I want to write some of those lessons learned down now:

1- the power of gentle patience

I definitely could work on my constant use of this lesson. It is quite the experience to have to explain basic simple concepts to five plus people who not only don't comprehend but ask all the same question as the person next to them. Answering the same question seven times in less than a minute is mighty frustrating. (ex: Bingo me: "I have called out all the numbers in column B" resident 1: "did you call B15?" me: "yes, I have called all b numbers" resident 2: "did you call B7?" me: "yes" resident 3: "what about B4?" me: "yes all numbers with B have been called, cover them up" resident 82: "have you called B13?"...you get the picture...I hate bingo)What is amazing is to see the love they receive in their eyes when I have successfully been patient and gentle with them. They smile, they have a twinkle in their eye, they tell me they love me, that I'm wonderful, and well how could I not love my job getting treated like that?

2- the power of silly fun.

As a rec therapist, of course I have always believed in having fun, but loving these wonderful old people, I've learned a new level of fun. They accept me for whatever I am and think I'm all the more great for it.And when we can laugh at any situation and run with whatever any of the residents with dementia says or does, there is no stress involved. We just have fun and laugh all day long.

3- the power of gentle sincere compliments

I've seen this throughout my life for sure, but definitely more in the last couple of years. When residents hate you, are distressed and frustrated and won't give you the time of day, nothing will stop'em like a good ol' compliment. Warning be told that fake compliments don't work. I've learned from experiences that won't be shared here. But there is never a time that I can't find some good compliment for someone.

4- the power of hymns

They are calmed so easily by hymns

5- the power of gentle touch

People who don't even respond to their own name respond in amazing ways to you holding their hand or gently rubbing their arm or cheek

6- the power of unselfish love

On the days that I am filled with the Lord's love for them, there is no limit to the number of times they can say the same thing or the messes they can make or the number of times I have to say the same thing...His love had no limits for all those things.

There are probably so many more I can write but I'll stop there. These aren't even considering all the things I've learned from other aspects of my job...and those are usually the harder things.(I mean the things I'm not as good at learning from and that I don't love)

Ok that's all for this novel...life is good, very, very good!!