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Nightingale









Sunday, August 27, 2006
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My sister-in-law was diagnosed to have cancer of the breast in 2002 and she had to undergo treatments (chemotherapy and radiation therapy). Both made her experience a lot of discomforts and physical changes but she succesfully completed them with no complications at all. Then last May, she called to tell me she had mild nose bleeding and her blood pressure was up. Thought she was going to have a stroke so she went to the Emergency Room of our hospital and there the doctor ordered a CT Scan of her brain and blood tests. Scan result turned out negative and we were all very happy. The following day results of the blood test revealed highly elevated white blood cells so she was subjected to a bone marrow test. Results after a few days showed she had acute myelogenous leukemia. Her oncologist and hematologist told her that this is a very fast acting type and prognosis is very bad. After discussing the matter with her family and her priest counsellor, she decided not to go through any treatments or any medications anymore. She just prayed to God to take care of everything. During this time, the family went through a painful process of accepting her decision.

When she got out of the hospital last May 8, she developed high fever and lost her vision for almost two weeks. When she regained it, her sense of hearing followed. The laptop became our only means of communication since then. In the months that followed, God really answered her prayer because she never experienced any pain nor bleeding. The only thing that saddened us was that she was never able to get up from bed or even sit up because she was too weak. Because of her very strong relationship with God and the strong support of her family and friends, she bravely faced the dreaded disease that led to her peaceful passage to the afterlife at age 49 last August 23 at 12:25 am.



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Monday, August 21, 2006

Thank you to those who visited my blog and shared their thoughts about my posts these past days. Didn't find time to visit any of you because I have been in the hospital all this time taking care of my sis-in-law who has leukemia. That day the ambulance came to pick her up I thought she was going but with all her friends bombarding heaven with their prayers, she was able to overcome the crisis. I was able to finally get her consent that I go home to catch some sleep so before I do, allow me to request for more prayers. Thanks and I hope you...

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Saturday, August 19, 2006
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This was taken during the World Youth Day in the Philippines in 1995 with Pope John Paul II presiding over the event, marking his second trip to the country. The youth gathered from different parts of the world to be with each other, know each other's culture and talk to each other as brothers and sisters. The event was celebrated with different activities like Barrio Fiesta where every assigned group gather and have fun. Mass was also celebrated almost everyday in every Catholic Church in the Philippines. The closing mass, held at the Luneta Park was estimated to be attended by more than 5 million people and was considered to be the largest papal gathering in Roman Catholic history.
 
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Thursday, August 17, 2006

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...being able to finally find an executive secretary. My present staff is due to leave for an overseas employment by the end of the month. The HR Dept sent me several applicants but it took me months to choose one. I guess I was expecting them to be just like my present secretary forgetting that she started also just like them and if she turned out to be very good now it's because she has been working for me for more than 12 years.

...being able to keep my sanity inspite of all the difficulties I encountered at work since last week.

...the donations our hospital received (medical equipments and medical furnitures) from foreign donors. These will complete the requirements for us to put up an additional 50 bed in our Indigent Ward.


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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
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# 23

 
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Monday, August 14, 2006



Every year, the hospital staff celebrates my birthday by coming up with all sorts of activities the whole day. One of those celebrations which I will never forget was the one they organized in 1997. My birthday party was held in McDonalds. It was a children’s party. Everyone was laughing their hearts away with eyes brimming with delight as they joined the party games. The expression on the faces of the other customers outside the clear glass function room showed that they thought we were all crazy but we didn’t mind them. Even for just that moment, we all liked feeling young again.
 
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Sunday, August 13, 2006
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This week....I will focus on the magnificence of each moment


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So often we let our minds rule our destiny and, in so doing, we create a living hell for ourselves. Too easily we complicate our every-day tasks with negative thoughts. Thus, reality becomes overwhelming when our minds in this state take control of our lives.

To find the beauty that lies within each moment, we must step outside the inside of our thoughts, looking for that which is right in front of us.

It is like trying to complete a race before we have even reached the finishing line. Or it is attempting to leap over a hurdle when you can't even see it.

All our goals have a purpose and are realized when we lessen the chance of our stumbling on the path directly in front of us. Keeping our attention concentrated solely on what is at hand, while charting the course in the stillness of our mind, assists us in enjoying the beauty and grace of every step we take along life's journey.

By: Jennifer O'Dell

 
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Saturday, August 12, 2006

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Theme For The Week: FUNNY

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This is how I feel today. The whole week was a very busy one for me and I didn't have the time at all to go through some old photos or take some new ones for this week's theme. The funniest I can think of sharing is what happened during the planning session I conducted for my management team just last Tuesday. While my team and I were seriously discussing our plans for the 30th Founding Anniversary Celebration of our company this October, I noticed that one member has been missing for quite some time. I requested one of my colleagues to look around for her. After a few minutes, my colleague came back to show me these.


Conspicuously eating the pastries that were in this box.


Hungry or Bored???
 
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Wednesday, August 09, 2006


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> being awake early today, excited over all I get to do before the
clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today.
I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

> being able to complain because the weather is rainy or... I can be
thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

> being able to murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or...
I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my mind,
body and soul.

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Monday, August 07, 2006



Came across this photo while my grandson was surfing the net for different types of airplane and it reminded me of a frightful experience years ago which made me think was going to be the end of my life.

At that time, my daughter who was employed by an american company had to tour the towns and cities of Mindanao ( an island in the south of the Philippines) as part of her job. Since I haven't seen these places myself, I decided to join her. It was a respite I have been longing for and I was excited. The first stretch of our travel was really an enjoyable one. The second round was when she had to go that very day to General Santos City which was a hundred miles away and the fastest way to get there was by plane. Unfortunately there were no flights available except with an inter-island airline. She was the one making all the arrangements so I did not get to see what type of aircraft we were taking. It was only when we got inside the terminal that I saw a 10 seater Beechcraft plane. I have been used to riding jumbo jets so this made me very anxious. I tried convincing her that we take a bus instead but was told that the ride will take 4 hours. This was not a good alternative because she wouldn't be able to reach her destination in time for the meeting.

While on the plane, I busied myself praying the rosary while my daughter was talking to her seatmate. More than an hour later, my seatmate noticed that we have been circling the area where we were supposed to land. After announcing it to the rest of the 9 passengers, my daughter went to the cockpit and saw the pilots trying to manipulate the landing gear with their hands. It was then that she was told that it got stuck and they were contemplating on gliding down the runway after we have consumed all the gasoline.

Upon learning this, we looked out the window, and we could see lots of firetrucks below. That very moment, I felt like vomiting and my chest was pounding so hard that I could hardly breathe. I could hear the siren of all the fire engines and I was expecting the plane to land hard on the runway causing it to explode or to catch fire. I closed my eyes and started praying hard again and by the time I was through, the plane stopped. The pilot came out and was apologizing to all of us. My daughter had to help me up because I could not get myself to move at all. As soon as we got down the plane, I stood in the tarmac to deeply inhale the fresh air that welcomed us but my knees were still shaking until I got to the car. It was only when we got to the hotel that I was able to recover from the shock. The memory of this flight has created a deep trauma for small planes to the point that I had refused many invitations to go to beautiful resorts in the Visayas and Palawan (islands south of where I live).

How about you? Have you any frightful experience to share?
 
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Sunday, August 06, 2006
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This week: I will "flip on" the light of faith
and walk through my fears without hesitation.
Jennifer O'Dell


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One of the biggest obstacles in life is overcoming change. Fear prohibits us from growing into mature, healthy human beings. What causes us to limit our vision is "lack of faith."

Being untouchable and unanswerable, faith is a nebulous quality, difficult to grasp and to utilize for our own benefit.

However, we can often "see" the results of faith working in many areas of our daily life. Just the mere fact of our existence proves that someone or something was believed in.

And what about some of the intangible things we take for granted? Electricity, for example. Most of us haven't the foggiest notion of how the physicis of light works. Yet, daily by just flipping a swtich, a room is suffused in a warm glow revealing to us that we have faith in the miracle of light.

If we intuitively knew that any endeavor we pursued in life would materialize, like light when we "flipped a switch," wouldn't we seize the opportunity without any hesitation to act upon it? That is faith.

Without faith, we will always remain the same. We will not change.



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Saturday, August 05, 2006


For our theme this week which is MONEY, I'd like to feature the
institution in charge of the monetary requirements of our country -
THE BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS formerly known as the CENTRAL BANK.


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This is the building as shown in our 100 peso bill


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Friday, August 04, 2006


I came across this years ago and it's unfortunate that I can't recall who wrote this but I feel like sharing this beautiful reminder to all of you.


God won't ask what kind of car you drove;
He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation

God won't ask the square foortage of your house;
He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet;
He'll ask how many you helped to cloth.

God won't ask about your social status;
He will ask what kind of class you displayed.

God won't ask how many material possessions you had;
He'll ask if they dictated your life.

God won't ask what your highest salary was;
He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

God won't ask how much overtime you worked;
He'll ask if your overtime work was for your self or for your family.

God won't ask how many promotions you received;
He'll ask how you promoted others.

God won't ask what your job title was;
He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

God won't ask what you did to help yourself;
He'll ask what you did to help others.

God won't ask how many friends you had;
He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

God won't ask what you did to protect your rights;
He'll ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived;
He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

God won't ask about the color of your skin;
He'll ask the content of your character.

God won't ask how many times your deeds matched your words;
He'll ask how many times they didn't.


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Thursday, August 03, 2006


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One particular day, I needed a big sum of money to fund a project which the team in the hospital is preparing for our 3oth anniversary celebration this October. I prayed about this, not knowing where exactly I would get it. Lo, and behold, after meeting with some suppliers last Monday and without mentioning it to them, I was handed a check by one of them on that same day as a rebate for the sales they generated from us for the past 6 months. Truly, God provided. This incident did not only show that God is concerned about our financial concerns, it also exhibited that He is much larger than our needs.



Links to other Thankful Thursdays
(If you participate, leave your link in the comments and I'll post it below; or, you can post in the comments)




Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog


Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!



 
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Wednesday, August 02, 2006

21st WORDLESS WEDNESDAY



 
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