The Wonders of Coagulation

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." ~Psalm 139:14

Yes, in case you could not tell from the title, I am a nursing student. I'm not going to shy away from it. God has shown me some of the wonders of the human body through Anatomy and Physiology, and all I can say is that He truly is amazing for having created us.

So I am offering a slight warning. I'm going to talk about the amazing-ness of blood clotting. I will not post any pictures (mainly because I hate using pictures from the internet and I don't particularly feel like bleeding for a camera), so those with squeamish stomachs are safe. I will, however, talk in-depth about blood clotting and do my utmost best to point out the beauty in this single body system. And it's not even a single body system. It's a very small portion of the circulatory system, but every part of blood clotting is so intricate and amazing.

So it starts with an injury. I bashed my knee when I slipped on Saturday at work. I broke a couple small blood vessels (the bruise on my knee is evidence enough) near my patella (knee). Immediately, to prevent major blood loss into the tissue around my knee, the blood vessels constricted. Little fragments of cells called platelets noticed that there was a gap in the blood vessel when they could see the collagen that is right outside the vessel walls, and they started sticking to the collagen and to each other. They quickly formed a platelet plug. While they are sticking, they do something called degranulate - which basically means they release their contents, including factors that call white blood cells and platelets (to keep up the sticking cycle) to the site, as well as triggering coagulation and more constriction of the blood vessel.

Thus begins coagulation. There is an extrinsic mechanism and an intrinsic mechanism that MUST happen in order for a clot to form. Both include a cascade. One factor activates another factor which activates another factor, which activates two more factors, which one activates another factor, and the other goes back in the cycle and keeps activating other factors. I think I just confused myself with that sentence. But you get the picture. If ONE of these factors does not work properly, the entire cascade is thrown off. That's how intricate this system is. Isn't it cool? Scientists call it "irreducible complexity" which is fancy language for saying that this system is so complex that it cannot have steps taken out without disrupting the whole system. Bleeding disorders like hemophilia or von Willebrand disease occur when one of the factors isn't working properly or there isn't enough to trigger the rest of the reaction.

I guess you could look at it as a chain reaction where one of the chains explodes in a different direction. Or with dominoes, if you set them up in a line where one will tip down one and then another, and so on and so forth, and one of the dominoes is set a little farther than the others, either the tipping will stop sooner than you wanted, or it will stop altogether. This is where I wish I had a set of dominoes and a camera...

It's so cool! The human body is made in a beautiful way so that each system works. The heart itself has backup mechanisms that will kick in if something doesn't work right. We don't bleed to death. What's more, our body automatically fixes stuff. When I stub my toe (or bruise my thigh...) I don't have to tell my platelets and clotting factors, "Hey, guys I could use a little help here..." I don't have to tell my heart to beat at the intensity it does. I don't have to tell my body to do a lot of the things it does. It's really quite amazing. Anyone who cannot see the wonder and beauty in the body is a fool, indeed.

Our God certainly is creative. *love*

SAD Bruises

Today is that special pink and red day known as Valentine's Day. Or to those who do not have dates to share the day with, it is SAD - or Singles Awareness Day. But just because it's Valentine's Day, does not mean it has to be sad (or SAD). Today was my eighteenth Valentine's Day, and it was the eighteenth one in a row I have not spent the day with a "special someone." Lest you think my day was miserable, think again.

Just to make that clear: I am single, and I had a fantastic Valentine's Day. Why? Hehe, I'll tell you.

First of all, I think it is ridiculous to only have one day of all 365 days (366 this year) of the year to love someone. Right? It is just plain silly. I love to love people ALL THE TIME! Love is a beautiful thing, why should we only restrain love to one day?

Secondly, romantic love is not the only type of love out there. That kind of love is, unfortunately, what people think of when they think of love. But love should not be limited to romance. I love my parents. I love my sister and brothers. I love my friends.

And it is exactly for these reasons that I had a great day. Some of my friends left valentines (complete with candy) by my dorm door, and I ate dinner with a group of lovely ladies. We chatted for a good hour, while enjoying the delectable offerings of the dining hall's rare feasts. We grabbed plates of the various yummy-looking desserts and passed them around the table, everyone sampling the delicious cakes and cheesecakes. But most of all, we were together.

So I had a great Valentine's Day. And the part of the title about bruises... hehe. I have a collection accumulating. I have about four (one on my hand, thigh, lower leg, and opposite knee) due to kayaking on Sunday. We went to a pool and practiced rolling, and I think the one on my hand was due to flipping people over when they couldn't roll back, and the one on my thigh was because one of the kayaks I got into was too small and pressed too hard on my leg. Aaand I have a fifth bruise on my knee from slipping at work. Hehe. So they are my sad little bruises, although SAD and bruises don't have much to do with each other. I suppose if I went kayaking on Valentine's Day...

That's all, for now I am very sleepy and have a quiz in Anatomy and Physiology tomorrow. Praying my CCC professor does not collect our journals either.

I shall write again at a later date! Farewell!

Creation and Choreography

Here at Messiah, Spring semester of their first year, students are required to take a class called "Created and Called for Community," also known as CCC (or triple C or C-cubed... whatever floats your boat). The class is split up into three sections, of which I only remember the first - Creation. Mainly because everyone in CCC has to do a Creation Project. What is the Creation Project? You ask. I'll tell you.

Maybe someday.

Not in this paragraph either.





Nor in this one.








I think I've tortured you enough.







ENOUGH!

The creation project seeks to make students dig deep within to find the creativity that God gave them to do SOMETHING related to creation. That means one can write a poem or short story or short essay, or paint or draw a picture, design a computer graphic, put together a video, a song, a dance... yes, the options are limitless. It just has to do with creation.

But in this, I am stuck.

I knew right off the bat that I wanted to choreograph a dance. I LOVE dance, so it would make sense for me to use that art form.

The trouble came in choosing a song. Should I choose a worship song? Can I find a song on creation and dance to that? Ooh, I could find a Hebrew song about creation! Oh, most of them are about love...

See my dilemma? So right now I'm torn between using choreography I came up with to a song by Gad Elbaz, an Israeli artist, or choreography for a worship song. Or even ditching the choreography I already have been working on for both of those songs for another time, and choosing a new song altogether. Aaaarrrghhhh.

And so, my dear readers (all two or three of you), what should I do? This is the description for the project:

Students will interact with the assigned texts by producing a project that demonstrates their understanding of one of the themes within the creation unit, such as the creation of the earth, the role of arts and culture, humanity as created being, or the significance of creativity. The project’s form should reflect your interests and skills...

These are the songs I have considered or already have choreography in progress for. I'll include the other part-choreography ones just to see what you think.

• Mashmauyot by Gad Elbaz
• Here in Your Presence by New Life Worship
• Beloved by Tenth Avenue North
• We Delight by Caedmon's Call (Those who know I already completed the choreography for this years ago, I am in the process of revamping it.)
• Find your Wings by Mark Harris

And songs I've already choreographed that I could record a performance of:

• Blessed Be Your Name by Tree63
• Born Again by Newsboys
• Sing Your Praise to the Lord by Amy Grant

So, what do you guys think?

The Mezuzah on the Wall

Yes, it is true. I am now the proud owner of a mezuzah. The idea of a mezuzah was taken from Deuteronomy 6:4-9, which talks about the need for the Israelites to always keep God's law on their hearts and their minds. The passage also talks about writing the law on the doorposts to one's house. Thus the idea of a mezuzah was conceived, out of the need to put the law on the doorposts, to be always thinking about it.

Although this is primarily a Jewish tradition, I LOVE tradition, and especially traditions based towards thinking of God. So even though I'm not officially Jewish, I rather like the idea of doing things in the Jewish way. A dear friend of mine, knowing this, gave me one for my birthday.

My birthday was on the 31st of January, which means that sometimes there are packages that arrive for that special occasion. I received a letter from my friend two days ago saying that this package was the second part. So, today after lunch I checked my mailbox to find a precious yellow paper sitting amongst my mail. Excitedly I took it to the counter, where I had to show my ID and sign for a package before I could cradle it safely in my arms. When it was finally snuggled next to my coat, I wanted to squeal with delight at the label. See? The stamp is in Hebrew!

This was the content of the box... and packing peanuts... But I didn't want to take a picture of the packing peanuts. 'Cause who likes packing peanuts? (Well, actually I do, especially because it's been a looooonnng time since I last received a package, or even saw a package, with packing peanuts. I used to play with them in the sink...heh heh. Oh, come on, don't tell me you never did that! At least in the bathtub. Right?)

And the instructions for the blessing before affixing the mezuzah to the wall... complete in Hebrew, transliterated Hebrew, English, and Russian.
Yes, I know. The picture is blurry. You have my cell phone to thank for that. >_> But without the blurriness, the Hebrew side is on the left, and the Russian version is on the right. The transliterated version and the English one are on the back, but I didn't feel like taking a picture of them.

Now, these are the scrolls that are supposed to go inside. I actually could only fit the smaller one in, but I'm glad in a way because now I can look at the other one as often as I want. They both contain the passage from Deuteronomy 6:4-9, but the smaller one is the Hebrew script, and the larger one, the one I plan to hold on to, has the English version, and the transliterated version. The transliteration means that the pronunciations of the Hebrew letters have been printed out in English letters, so they can be read aloud. Very handy for those of us who can't read Hebrew yet. :P

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the door-posts of your house, and upon your gates.

Well, there you have it! Traditionally, the mezuzah is affixed to the door frame at a slight angle, but since I'm in a college dorm and don't plan to stay in this particular room past May, I'll hold on to it until I have a home of my own. These pictures, taken on my cell phone, do not really completely grasp the loveliness of my little mezuzah (or not so little... it's as long as the space between my wrist and the tip of my middle finger. But then again, I do have smaller hands). It's a beautiful mezuzah, one that I plan to treasure. Someday, I will teach my children to keep God's word and his commands always on their minds, but until then, I will set to be an example for them someday.

Finally!

Yes, my friends, it is true! I am an adult! I know this post will show up as February 1st, but I did start writing in January! :) (Okay, so I changed the settings so it would show as January, just because.)

January term is over, and Spring semester has begun. And with Spring semester, a required first-year class called Created and Called for Community. I've only had one class, but I think I'm going to like it. We had to write a "This I Believe" essay that is due tomorrow. I just finished writing it with the help of a previous blog post (yay for deep blog posts!). So, now, before I collapse on the couch in the Flounge (fake lounge), I shall post it for you all to see. It should look a little familiar, just spiced up a little bit. ;-)

This I believe

What is it about sacrifice that touches each of us to the soul? Whether it is someone taking the blame for something you did, or giving their life so you could live, it touches us. In a world that refuses to love simple, sweet beauty, why have we clung to sacrifice as such a beautiful thing? We see it if we look - a mother laboring to bring her child into the world because she cares about it far more than she cares about herself; a father crying out in intercession for his child because he would rather be in pain than see that young one go through it; a friend, a classmate, a comrade, who steps into our place to take the blame for something, or even to give up their life so we can live.

I believe that sacrifice is love.

Why else would sacrifice ring so deeply in each of us? Why else has pain not been eradicated? Oh yes, it hurts. It hurts from our fingertips and toes all the way down to our souls. But we see sacrifice throughout time.

We see Abraham crying as he lifts the knife over his beloved son, Isaac. We see Jephthah weeping when he realizes that, in order to satisfy a vow to the Lord, he must sacrifice his only daughter. We see a man – our Yeshua, our Jesus, our salvation – crying out in agony from the internal torment of the pains of the world being placed on him.

It is no wonder that we know sacrifice through our souls, for it has been planted within us. The seeds of sacrifice are there. It is love that makes those seeds grow. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13, NASB).

Once upon a time, a man loved his brother so much that when the enemy aimed his gun at him, the man stepped forward and said, "Take me instead." The brother cried out in defense of his friend, but the man gently told him, "I want you to live. Go to safety." Weeping, the brother ran into the safe zone and watched as the man bravely stood his ground before the enemy.
Some time later, the brother and his friend were in another battle when the friend was shot. The brother crawled forward, cradled his friend in his arms, and brought him back to safety. In the process, he was fatally shot. He waved off help, saying, "Help him first." In the end, the brother died, and the friend lived, but he, like the brother once upon a time, held that sacrifice close to his heart. And, if he has to choose, he will choose sacrifice.

Called to Care

The past few days have been filled with readings for my January term class, Historical and Conceptual Basis for Nursing. It's okay, the class is not as difficult as the title makes it seem. It's not at all dull, which is what I thought it would be. What we have been doing thus far is going over nurses in the history of nursing who came up with legitimate theories about nursing and what nurses should do. It is really quite interesting. But since this is Messiah's nursing program I am talking about, there is another very neat aspect of the class. The relation to our walk with Yeshua!

One of the required textbooks is called Called to Care: A Christian Perspective for Nurses by Judith Shelley and Arlene Miller. It is an excellent text. One of the chapters I read related the theories that we talked about in class to Christianity and compared the usefulness of them. But the book has been doing so much more for me. There have been some very interesting quotes I have pulled from the book. I apologize, I do not have the page number since I am reading it on Kindle for PC.

“With a few exceptions, during times when the church remained faithful to Scripture and orthodox in beliefs, nursing flourished. When the church grew weak and corrupt, nursing suffered and declined.”

“Nursing is a ministry of compassionate care for the whole person, in response to God’s grace, which aims to foster optimum health (shalom) and bring comfort in suffering and death.”

And this is my favorite. We went over the nursing metaparadigm, which basically looks at four elements: person, environment, health, and nursing. The following is a combination paraphrase/quote of one section that talked about the Christian perspective on the nursing metaparadigm:

God created the world (environment). He created humans (person) and put them in the environment to live in shalom (health). This version of health “allow the person to live at peace in a God-centered human community with a sense of physical, psychosocial and spiritual well-being.” Nursing works towards shalom among the persons.

What I also really like the relation of health as shalom. Shalom is peace in Hebrew, but it has much more meaning than that. Actually, last week, I was talking with my grandmom, who is a retired nurse, about this. I was referring to how contentment was the thing to strive for, and she said that she had a slightly different take, that she knew something was right when she felt peace. Shalom is peace, but it is more than peace. It is wholeness. It is truly a remarkable thing for which we can completely praise God.

The book also talks about how the heart, mind, body, and spirit are all in conjunction with each other. We have all of those things, but we just are all of those things at once. I don't know exactly how to describe it. It was just really cool to read about the wholeness in all of those things at the same time. As a nurse, it is important to take care of the physical needs, but it is just as important to take care of the emotional and spiritual sides too.

Nursing is such a neat field. A couple of years ago, when God first told me to go into nursing, I kinda stood there in disbelief for a few months. "Really?" I asked him over and over. "Are you sure?" Every time I asked, it seemed like he laughed and said, "Sarah. I'm your Creator and Daddy. I know you better than you know yourself.  Don't you trust me?" "Well, I guess," I replied shakily. Then, with a wink and a hug, he added, "I know what I'm doing, my dear."

Well, he sure did. I questioned him so much, asking over and over for confirmation, and he continued to push me towards nursing. Well, now that I am here, I am so glad he kept pushing me. That's not to say there are still lots of things I am nervous about when it comes to the future of being a nurse. I'm no good at receiving shots or giving blood (yes... the truth come out ;-) ) but I just have to trust God. If this is really where He wants me to go, I will go, and I will step out in faith. If this is where he wants me, I am just going to have to trust that he will provide for me along the way. And so far, He has. He has encouraged me by pointing out my nurturing nature, and the desire to help other people in their hurts by ignoring my own pains.

Well! I need to get back to reading for class tomorrow, so until next time, shalom!

Coming Back to Normal

As I have been brainstorming for a new post, I realize something. Not only have I strayed from the original purpose of this blog, I want to return to it. I wanted to use it to give my perspective on spiritual matters and deep topics. Topics that had lots of significance in the world today. I have failed miserably. I'm not going to make this a New Year's Resolution, because I don't want it to be happening just because 2012 has rounded the corner. I want this to be happening because I have changed.

I spent the afternoon of the 30th through today at White Sulphur Springs. This place is one of my favorite places to be because of the amazing community and opportunities for service. But I'm not going to talk about the things I did or that happened while I was up there (as awesome or hilariously stupid they were).

The speaker we had talked about normalness. That is, referring to the fact that we are far from normal. Look where we have strayed when it comes to Christian families. It is the norm for churches to host divorce-recovery retreats, single-parent meetings, or even encourage homosexual ministers within the congregation. But it is not right! I come from a divorced home, where my dad attended a single-parent group before he got remarried, and then he and my step-mom now run a "blended family" group. I smile sheepishly when I tell people I have six siblings - because two are step-siblings, three are half-siblings, and one is my blood sister.

But I don't like it. What happened to the families that stayed strong through hardships? What happened to the mothers and fathers who fought to save their marriages? What happened to the slow and God-scripted love stories that happened when we focused on God?

Anyone in the church will say it is because we are all sinners. But that is wrong. We were all sinners.

Some people have expressly fought against this. Some have said something to the effect of both sides. But very few hold the fort with me - that sin should be something of the past.

Christ died to save us from our sins, 'tis true. 'Tis completely true. I would be a fool to deny it. I would be a fool to say anything but that. But Him saving us from our sins does not mean we should get up and go drown ourselves in them the next day!

Sin is disobedience of what God has told us. What is the reasoning behind a certain action? Is it in line with the way a servant of God should be thinking? If it is not, it's time to put down the computer, the video games, the books, the pens and papers, and spend some time examining yourself in God's presence. I shall do the same.