Wound Care

“I haven’t really seen your wound from the start. How is it to you?” I asked the middle-aged, male inmate with a haggard-looking face.

“Actually, it looks much better,” he quickly replied with a positive tone.

If not for my strong stomach, perhaps, trained during my nursing school years, I held my breath as I slowly opened the dressing on his left, inner thigh. Nursing staff usually changed his dressing everyday during the morning hours specifically scheduled in their unit. He missed that day’s dressing change as he was included in the doctor’s sick call follow-up.

His wound was so deep. A big piece of muscle missing in the center as the surrounding tissues appeared pinkish. There was no more bleeding that was previously charted in his notes. A wound as a result of a dog bite when he tried resisting his arrest.

I cleansed it well with a wound cleanser and packed it with a special thin strip of dressing. I asked him to take a deep breath as I applied the gel that would aid in the wound’s healing. As I was applying the big dressing that would cover the wound, he started whining.

“Don’t use that! That’s not the dressing they used,” he uttered.

“I know, Sir. But as I removed your dressing, I noticed the redness around the edges of the former dressing. I wanted to make sure your skin is not getting irritated from that kind of dressing. I want to try this non-allergenic one. But you need to trust me. If you don’t like it, you can tell the nurse in the morning to change it when they do your dressing change.”

He didn’t know what to say. His mouth did not protest anymore. He finally realized that he needed to let the nurses have their way in treating his wounds. Things might not be the same. Things might change because it would depend on the needs of his wound.

How often we also resist the leading of the Spirit? He is quick to reach out and never holds His arm to save us. But we must come to His presence, broken and willing to surrender. Everything. Daily.

“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” – 1 Corinthians 2:12 (NIV)

Happy Mother's Day

12 years ago, in my son’s Kindergarten class, the teacher had them write something about their moms in sort of “fill-in-the blanks” styles. I was sure that must be challenging for their young minds or imaginations.

One question out of about 5 fill-in-the blanks struck me the most:

My mom__________. (My son’s reply: “knows everything.”)

As we both recalled that time as we happened to take a tour back to those old paths by looking at the pictures I had kept all those years, I asked him what he thought about that now.

Oh, he was quick to give me a reply with a 17-year old wisdom:

“That isn’t true, Mom!” As he gave me a hug and a kiss as if to counter any potential harm to this mother’s heart.

I hugged him tight and I said, “That’s right! Only God knows everything!”

“I know,” he replied with a big smile, perhaps with a sense of relief that his “mama” didn’t get emotional!

As time goes by fast, year after year, I often reflect on those memories I share with my child. As a mother, I want to be better, help him in any possible ways with the hope and prayers that he will always walk in that right path. The narrow path that isn’t easy but leads to the eternal.

As mothers, we are a part of our children’s journeys. We have a part in their history even when that time comes that they have to create their own.

So, as my last words at that time when I was talking with my son, I added:

"Your mom may not know everything but by God's grace, He tells me a lot so I end up knowing a lot!"

He nodded his head in quick agreement.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you, friends and sisters in Christ! (And I’m not only talking about those who have children. I know many also who never have children but have a loving heart like that of a mother’s)…May God’s wisdom and discernment continue to guide us as mothers to our children, and not only to them but to others as well. For this journey is not easy. But with God’s help, we can always make it! We can endure.

What will your child say about you as a mother?

Frozen Drinks (My Treat!!!)

Nurses started complaining after a very busy shift. Charts with doctors’ orders still piled high from the previous day became a burden for that day. We labored and hardly breathe until we leveled those bins. My hands were achy and my neck from endlessly using the computer, as it was for the others who had no choice but work harder that day. That was not including the inmates requesting to be seen for their ailments.

Photo Credit

I asked for the Charge Nurse’s permission if I could go to a nearby Starbucks as the thought of a frozen coffee sounded good. A little reward so to speak for a hard day’s work. I knew she might not allow me but I chose to use my 15 minute break that way. She was surprised to hear that I would like to treat everyone for the drinks that they liked. The list grew. Some of them were embarrassed to order what they wanted. But I insisted. They knew I worked lesser hours and knew it would be expensive for me to do such an act of kindness. I told them I would rather give, not that I always expected for something in return, but because God was the One Who gave bigger blessings. I would always be grateful for what I had knowing He always provided. And I was very sure at that time that I wanted to buy my co-workers a drink!

Most of them didn’t work hard. Some of them stabbed me in the back. But my decision to buy them a drink anyway would originally not be my choice. Hypocrite you would say! I wasn’t being one… God reminded me at that moment that He was always fair about everything. About giving blessings to both good and bad people. Deserving or not. (“In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” – Matthew 5:45 NLT).

One I hardly knew because I worked lesser came often to thank me and truly was touched by me buying her a cold drink for free. She said she needed that to quench her thirst. She was grateful that anywhere she met me: in the hallway, inside the Clinic or whenever I would go to the Pharmacy where they were just kept thanking me. Others didn’t. I expected that.  

I took a sip from my frozen drink and how it seemed to wipe away the soreness from my achy body. I glanced and saw the others enjoying their drink and smiling at me.  While others I couldn’t see and didn’t hear from them.

“Thank You, Lord,” I softly uttered. Thank You for giving me lessons every time from everything in my life. Thank You for reminding me how fair and just You are. Never leaving anyone out. Inviting everyone to come to know Your love and grace.

And I know…like that nurse who kept thanking me, only those who come to accept and truly believe that His offer of drink is “free” will be the only ones to enjoy it!  

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” – Isaiah 55:1 NIV

The Lord inspired me to write this song on 12/31/03 after my oldest brother had shared the Good News to our two other brothers when they were in Japan and both had accepted Jesus into their hearts. The second part of the song, the Lord didn't give me until 2/22/04:

The Good News
(-rcubes 12/31/03)


How will people know about You?
How will people know Your love is true?
How will they learn that the word is on their mouths?
And hearts if only will believe....

Chorus:
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring
The Good News to all the ends of earth
You have done wonderful things for us, Lord
And victory is ours, when You opened Your arms and gave Your life...on the cross...

Lots of souls don't know You
Some don't care You're the Son of God
But when they surrender and place their faith in You
The Good News, their hearts will surely know...

(Glory be to God!!!)

(Romans 10:9 - If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved)

I Failed

He was one among the others I had dealt with before…In need of help from the medical staff as they battled the symptoms that plagued them for years. Being locked up made it even harder for them to deal with ever growing loneliness behind those thick prison walls. The moment the heavy, metal doors slammed behind them, males or females, they had to face a lot of other battles immediately: isolation, rejection, harassment, intimidation, bullying, shame, hopelessness, onset of sickening withdrawal symptoms from abused illegal substances, mental torture and hearts slowly being drowned with waves of current troubles they carried with them from home.

The female deputy wheeled in a young, male inmate from her unit. About to fall off from the wheelchair she was pushing, his body was obviously rigid, his mouth constantly opening yet it failed in producing complaints that he wanted to say. He was shaking uncontrollably. His heavy, very rapid breathing like that of a car racer’s engine was going on, unstoppable with the verge of collapsing on the floor.

All of a sudden, he grabbed my right hand. The deputy and the other nurses stood nearer to make sure he was not going to hurt me with his "not welcomed" behavior displayed. I sensed the tight grip of my fingers from his rigid hand as I met his eyes, which started to turn red and filled up with tears.

“It’s okay,” I told him and the staff on alert.

“Are you scared?”

“I…just…needed…to talk….to someone…” he uttered in broken words as the tears flowed from the corner of his eyelids, struggling to produce each words.

“You can tell me anything you wanted to share…if you feel that it will help you…” I reassured, his grip loosening a little bit.

No words came out. He never turned his head and just stared at me. Eye to eye.

I had seen that look before. My spirit sensing his need. Not for our help from our physical hands. But a need for a Savior. I felt like a failure every time. With others surrounding us, I couldn’t bring up about “Jesus”.

There were 3 of us, nurses, who surrounded him and tried to calm him down. We knew he was having a severe panic attack. I called the ER doctor to get an order for a calming medicine. I told him we needed a “shot form” to make it work like “Stat!”. He understood the desperation as I barely knew his medical background. I could only relate the symptoms I was witnessing. I looked at the syringe again, filled with the clear medication that would oppose his symptoms. I aimed for his right thigh. We watched the improvised “vomit bag” to cover his mouth and saved some of the carbon dioxide he was exhaling at a rapid pace. His rigid body made him grimaced time to time, complaining “pain” as he or we tried to move him to get his comfort. A few minutes passed…he began to relax his breathing, his muscled, tired from being rigid and perhaps from spasms became relaxed.

As we kept and monitored him for a few hours, he was able to sleep and kept thanking us. In between those moments of rest, he was able to tell me that he caught his best friend with his wife having a relationship but they were not the reason why he was jailed. He was there because he was a “parolee” and during one of the officers’ routine checks, they found the 3 guns he was keeping. Then, he got worried about his 2 little sons so he wasn’t able to sleep since he was incarcerated. That was when the anxiety attack hit him hard. I reassured him that I would have the Mental Health Doctor see him as we transferred him to another unit capable of caring for those individuals who had mental health issues.

“Good job, Rcubes!” the Charge Nurse hollered as she saw me let go of the inmate from the Clinic.

“You handled the situation very well,” she added.

“Thank you, but you were also there,” was all I could say.

She would never know. It was the opposite for me. I felt like a failure and unable to help that man. Spiritually… Every time I waited for that perfect place…For that perfect time to share about the Good News...It was always wrong…Because there was no such thing! Oh, I pray that God may give me more courage to plant that seed from Him even with the expectation that the ground about to receive it is never ready. For Jesus alone is the One Who will till that soil. I am only to plant. And I fail…every time I don’t even try to throw that seed. Same seed He planted in my heart. Forgive me Oh Lord!

 "And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."
Mark 16:15 ESV

 "And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
Luke 10:2 ESV

A 911 Emergency Call you will never forget from teamjesusconnect on GodTube.