It's 3 am and I'm awake...

Working the night shift has never been something I have enjoyed. However, there really are people out there who prefer and admit to ENJOYING nights. I cannot understand it. Don't they feel the painful tiredness, the dry, sore eyes, the being so tired you feel almost drunk? Help me understand the late-nighter! I feel like crying for my bed by 4:30am...
In case you haven't guessed already, it is 3am-ish and I am staying up all night minding the hospital. It is a real challenge to stay awake when our census is low like it is now. We have almost as many nurses as patients here tonight which leaves me with very little to do. It seems like it has been feast or famine here for the past month breaking records one way or another!
One thing I did accomplish tonight that has nothing to do with work, was I finished a book I've been reading. I read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. My mother has been telling me about it all my life and I finally gave in and read it. She's right, it was good. I was glad for a quiet evening so I could get done what I needed to and finish it. Corrie wrote about her time in Nazi prisons and a concentration camp during WWII. She also saved the lives of many Jews during the occupation of Holland through her simple faith in God. Amazing story, very encouraging! For those of you who have read it, I would love to start a discussion. For those of you who haven't, get it!

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer and I want to remind y'all to find your local prayer gathering, get down 'n dirty, and PRAY! Pray for our schools, families, local leadership, state government, and national government. It's the most effective method I've found in my life to truly make a difference. What is standing out in my mind this year is a need to approach God and ask for forgiveness and mercy. He IS a forgiving, merciful, and loving God. He loves this nation, he loves the world, but more importantly, he loves individuals and wants them to know him intimately. When we as a nation reject Him and drive him out, we cannot expect the same level of protection we have experienced as a nation in our past. In our past, our nation was founded on, depended on, and abided in Him. That has changed. Lord, forgive us for rejecting you. I pray that we as a nation will draw near to you once again and you will draw near to us. Thank you that you ARE slow to anger, merciful, and abounding in love. Raise up those who will not be afraid to speak your truth. Equip your people to do your will and that we will humble ourselves before you and pray with great faith in who you are. In Jesus name, Amen.