Redeeming the Time

April is here! The sound of these words makes my heart glad. It has been a long, damp winter in Humboldt County and my bones are more than ready for some warmth. Grandpa Undersheriff (Gus) says this is his favorite time of the year because all the plants are sprouting new growth and bursting with color. The days are longer, the sunsets are absolutely incredibly orange and yellow and red, the swallows have migrated north again for their spring nesting and without a doubt....Summer is right around the corner! The newness of spring is definitely regenerating!
Only 6 more weeks left in the Semester, as well. I have been completing my clinical training for a certificate in Nursing Assisting at College of the Redwoods this spring. The experience has been both frightening and fun while often times strangely fulfilling. I get such a sense of satisfaction after completing a shift at the residential facility knowing that for just a brief moment in some stranger's world, I have helped to make that individual just a little more comfortable. By providing the most basic needs in their daily routines, I get a warm smile or a gentle touch on the hand which reminds me why I started this adventure in the first place. Most people are so appreciative of the smallest provision I can give them. Sometimes that requires delicate moments of transferring someone from their bed to their wheelchair while other times it could be washing and brushing their hair and putting on their makeup. Sometimes a task is indescribably difficult, testing the absolute limits of my abilities, but fortunately, those times come and go quickly and usually a blessing is right around the corner. If nothing else I gain from this experience, I have learned to appreciate the moments I have on this earth much more than I used to. I have always purposed to give gladdened pause to the smallest pleasures in life, but now I do so with even greater awareness and a more fervent intensity. I purpose to "Redeem the time" as Paul writes in Ephesians 5, "making a melody to the Lord with all my heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ."