Memorial Day

I am a Marine Corps Brat. For those of you not in the know, this means I was brought up on Marine bases AND indoctrinated into Marine Corps lore. This also means, ours was a very patriotic family. Every morning we heard Reveille and every evening, if we were on the Base, we stopped for Retreat. I am so very proud that my father was a Marine. Giving due to my brothers, husband and two of my nephews, my Dad was always the best looking man ever in his uniform. Love and respect for Country was ever present in our home. People say a lot of bad things about service life, but, for me, it helped me quickly make a variety of friends, meet many different types of people, see places and do things I never would have otherwise. It taught me independence and the knowledge that no matter where you live, home is where your family is. I am grateful to have grown up in the Marine Corps with all its ups and downs.  On this special day of remembrance, I wish to thank all those men and women who have ever served our country, past, present, and future. Their devotion and sacrifice are responsible for keeping our nation free. I am one grateful woman." Semper Fi"

SUE, this one's for you

I went to Nursing school two different times.The first during the late 50s',early 60s', the second , the early 90s'. During the big gap, I took time off to raise 5 children. My choice was to do the whole thing over again, including all the prerequisites. I figured too much time had elapsed and too many changes had come to pass. I WAS SO RIGHT!! The knowledge base had grown tremendously. First, I'll tell what we did not have, no IV pumps, no disposables, needles were cleaned, sharpened and autoclaved, put onto glass syringes. We learned to use sterile forceps like extensions of our hands. Oxygen and suction,etc were not at the bedside ,needing to be brought if needed. So much more, I'll stop here. There were nurses' residences adjacent to the hospitals, which we were required to live in for the first year, married or not. The hospitals depended on student nurses to help staff the hospitals. After the "probie" period, we worked 5 eight-hour shifts a week, in addition to classes. These shifts included week-end and holidays ,winter, spring, summer and fall. Our curriculum was divided into "specialties", such as pediatrics,psychiatry.OB and surgery (OR), public health. The floors in the hospitals were divided into medical, surgical, etc. We were instructed in each of these, taking classes,etc and were able to put into practice what we were learning while working with patients in each of these specialties. So, that was a good thing. We had mega clinical practice. As advances in medicine and technology occurred, the way nurses were taught had to change. The role of nurses changed with much added knowledge and autonomy. No longer were we "handmaidens" to the doctors, but, professionals in our own right. One thing that has not changed is the spirit of nursing, we are now, always have been and always will be there for the patient and his family., caring for them with expertise, compassion, and empathy. Most of us came into nursing, hoping to make a positive difference in the lives of those we would serve. This is why I came into nursing. I love and so miss it. It is something that gets into your heart, never to leave.

Wondering?

Any of you that read my blog must wonder about the last entry. Well, my grandson, Jared is trying to show me how to post pictures, etc, so that was my first attempt. Hopefully I will get better and use more current photos and videos. Bear with this computer challenged grandma, who never the less wants to learn. I'll post more later on my 2 months in Utah with Sue and her family. I leave Sat. to return to Washington.

Oh, how time flies........

Here I am again, only much later. I really don't know where the time goes. It's not like my life is crammed full , with every moment occupied by something that has to be done or else. With the holidays now ongoing, family comes foremost to my mind. I have to inform everyone that reads this post, that contrary to their belief, I have the most remarkable children and granchildren on Earth. Each one has such unique talents and abilities. I marvel at them and wonder where this came from, definitely not from their father or me. To have my children and grandchildren surpass me brings great joy and happiness How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father in bringing these very special spirits into my life. No one could be more blessed than me. I want them to know of the eternal love I have for them, how extremely proud I am of each and everyone of them.

ongoing saga

Thought I would continue the saga of Bill & Joy. We continued our courtship on a long distance basis, Bill was stationed At Beaufort S.C. and I was in Nurse's training in D.C. Whenever he could get liberty and I was off, he would either drive up to D.C. or fly into Andrews Air Force base on a military flight and Dad and I would pick him up.. Mom and Dad were now living in Springfield, Va., as, Dad was stationed at the Pentagon, so he had a place to stay. We had a lot of fun, seeing all there was to see in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Sibley had regular dances and sometimes Bill would be able to make those. Yes, children, your Dad actually danced back in those days. On one of our sightseeing trips in D.C., we actually walked up to the top of the Washington Monument and down again. I don't believe they let you do that anymore. Maybe, that is why I have such bum knees now.!! Oh. well it was worth it. In all , we, probably ,were only together, at the most, 6 months out of the 2 years until we got married. I'll write about that later.

procrastinaton

Hi everyone, yes I am posting again , just ,to let you know I am still able to write. I won't go into the reasons, it has been so long,but they are legitimate. Actually , this won't be long. I'm looking forward to visiting many more family members this year, or what is left of it, and Katie I'll probably be back in N.C. for a reunion next spring. I, like Jared felt guilty when I saw how long it had been since words were put to paper, so to speak. I'll be back soon with,hopefully, more interesting stuff.