Techy Week

Happy Sabbath

If someone would have told me all this was going to happen,  I would not have believed it.  This week has been as though I were dropped back in a classroom.  I am learning new things and finding I am able to use skills I have not used in years all for the glory of God.

This week I have been promoting ways to communicate via video conferencing apps,getting reacquainted with my computer and finding new things on my phone.  I have really moved into my home office/activity room.  My son has a work desk set up where he video chats with his teachers and classmates and I have my desk where I spend 8 or so hours of work on the computer and for phone conferences.   The other week I was afraid to come in here because for one I haven't been in here in so long that surely spiders have taken over and two, I thought the room was not going to be warm enough because it is a converted garage.  I was wrong. The room is warm enough and oh so comfortable that I don't want to leave and end up not seeing the rest of my house for the rest of the day. No spiders spotted yet. My son has the chalkboard wall, the library (we have a lot of books), the activity room side is and has been set up more like a classroom if anything so it is perfect for home learning.

I thank the Lord for keeping my son and I safe and in good health through this week. I did receive a notification from my full time work place that someone was diagnosed with COVID-19 and they were last a the office on a Monday and Tuesday (both days I was not there). When I was there, I was wearing gloves, carrying my Lysol and washing my hands and avoiding any and all common surfaces.  I pray that they are ok and it has not spread to others they care about and the community we serve.  That Monday was actually the day I told my director I was not coming to the office and asked to work from home or I would use PTO. She allowed it but then halfway through the day they required everyone to begin working from home.  Before that message went out, I already had my week's calendar full with all the activity I would be doing for my clients remotely.  I am thankful for this opportunity.  If I get sick, I don't have to take PTO. I can stay home sick and still do my work, but I hope that doesn't happen.

In the middle of all this tech stuff I discovered last Sabbath that another sister church had a Youtube live channel and I had been talking with a friend about how we could keep the children at our church connected.  My initial purpose behind creating a Youtube channel was just for the Youtube live function so my friend could lead out lessons and the children could watch and interact through the chat box.  That was if zoom, Microsoft team, Hangouts, Google Meet, Skype, Duo and all else didn't work again for us.

Overnight I became a Youtuber again but this time with a good purpose (not a cooking channel or children's book channel that can get hit with copyright violations.  So we have this channel and it is growing.  I brushed the dust off of I-movie and downloaded two free weak video editing apps for my phone to extend my editing options when I inevitably run into issues on my computer.  I had asked for videos to come no later than four pm but people sent videos close to 7pm last night.  I spent 3 hours or so editing one that needed to be ready for Sabbath morning sabbath school and I created others prior to and a lyric music video and others this morning.  During google duo meet up, I asked for parents and children to think about content they wanted to send for the channel.  They can sing hymns, record video or audio of their favorite scriptures, Bible stories, and other things.  It is for my church's children.  It is exciting to see what we can do with this technology.

During your quarantine, self isolation, social distancing or what ever you want to call it, think about ways you can share the message of God's love and share the gospel.  There is so much more out there than ever before and now is a perfect time as any to start.  You don't need fancy software to start a youtube channel and put up quality content.  Just pray and ask the Lord to lead you and He will take care of the rest.

Happy Sabbath :)

In Good Health

Happy Sabbath

I hope you are healthy and safe. I thank God that I have still been able to work both jobs, pay my bills, and that He is providing for us. Even with the food and toilet tissue shortages out here. My family is safe and I am thankful that my church is able to connect via conference lines, youtube, and other technology.

God is good and always praise Him. He is coming soon, make sure you use this time for Him and know where you stand.  Make sure you get in the right line.

God bless you all and enjoy this lovely beautiful Sabbath day with our Savior and Lord Jesus.

2PM

Happy Sabbath,

I am posting early because I don’t know if I am going to be able to.  My mind is on my client, someone I believe I wrote about in one of the earlier blog posts.  Before I departed for my home with my son, I was checking and checking email and Whatspp and text messages and the news about the Corona pandemic and was upset to read an email stating that my client’s sister declined a life sustaining treatment for her.  I had increased my visits to the hospital even in the middle of this pandemic not knowing if I would be able to see her again. 

She reminds me strongly of my aunt Sarah who passed away a couple years back.  I now believe that dream I had was for this day I am facing even now.  I dreamt I was upset over someone dying who was not related to me and at the time I couldn’t picture who it could be.  When I saw my client in the hospital for a visit, not official meeting she was much more alert and vibrant. She had the breathing tubes down her throat so she couldn’t talk but she wanted to interact with those who came in the room and seemed her usual self.  My last words to her were God bless you and I’m praying for you.  We were watching Kung Foo Panda on her TV and she seemed to have drifted back into sleep but when I said I was going and told her this, she looked troubled and reached out and wanted to hold my hand.  I told her I couldn’t because of Corona.  I had sprayed myself with Lysol in the car, donned gloves and did all these measures but didn’t want to be blamed for that virus getting into her room.  I let her grab onto my wrist and I was sad to leave the room and she was sad as well.  I left her with words of encouragement but had to leave and promised to come back the last week of the month, the week of her 62^nd birthday. 

When I was there the nurse told me twice they tried to remove the breathing tubes only for her airway to swell up.  They said that she could only have the tubes in for 2 weeks and after that they would have to do a trachea. They planned to call her sister that same afternoon to have a meeting and get an agreement to do this. What they didn’t know is that her sister never had her best interest at heart.  When my client’s teeth were hurting and had cavities or had to be extracted, the sister called to cancel appointments and told my client not to allow the doctors to do anything to her teeth.  My client adores her sister and of course she listened to her and refused treatment.  So many other things she needed her sister would catch wind of it and would interfere.  Her sister is not her guardian or power of attorney. She has on legal say so and her team had fought to protect our client from her sister’s influence but this time, it’s not enough. 

If my client had a trachea, she would be able to breathe and the airway could reduce in swelling and heal.  She has her faculties, I know she wants to live and I don’t know if she understands what could or is going to happen to her.  Her sister denied the medical team’s request to do the trachea so at 2pm today; they will remove the breathing tubes and let her body take its natural course.  If her airway swells up she will suffocate.  My prayer and hope is that it doesn’t do that this time. 

If you are reading this before 2pm, please pray for her. 

Also I need prayer for my aunt Della.  She is in the hospital too because her heart stopped when she was getting dialysis.  They tried to do dialysis again and she started getting a headache, which is what happened the first time when her heart stopped.  I spoke to her yesterday and felt like I was saying the same words to her as to my client.  She told me her daughter, my cousin went to Piggly Wiggly and shelves were bare and schools were closed in Carolina. She had left out to get what she could get so Della and them could have something to eat when she returns home.  Up in my neck of the woods, I received direction to do phone meetings with my clients.  Entire counties are shut down, but I am thankful that I am still able to work with both my jobs.  Some other people are not as fortunate. 

I might as well put it out there, my part time job is at Wal-Mart overnight and I had been assigned to the laundry and paper goods aisles since the first day I hit the floor.  Of all the places I could work in the store and places some guy employees argued against me having to work in because I am a woman and women shouldn’t be able to lift anything that weighs more than 10 lbs, I am in these aisles.  I was hulling bleach, Lysol, gain, purex and other heavy containers to shelves and week after week watched as supply dwindled and straight up disappeared by this week.  Wednesday night was the first I had seen no toilet tissue in aisle 27.  I grabbed a pack of 16-20 rolls of Scott despite having purchased rolls when I was out a few days ago made sure to purchase for my family, my immune system compromised parents who are paranoid every time I step foot into their house.  I bought Lysol’s, napkins and actually Friday mid day I headed to both Wal-Mart’s in my area to stock up on food not knowing what else was to unfold.  Right before Sabbath I learned that my son would be ordered to stay home for a full month.  I also was told church was cancelled in person and we will have to get on the conference line to worship together. 

I heard one last message and it was someone giving word that the nation would likely be put on a 2 week quarantine and supermarkets, places of sale would be shut down to contain the spread of the virus.  The person spoke of anonymity and said three people who they knew worked for the government had given her a heads up.  There is going to be a lot of hardship for many people and I am thankful for the jobs I work and what I have access to.  I have a social work job that allows me to work from home. I have plenty of pto I can use, my son and I are comfortable for now and can be for the next few weeks if we are to locked up in here.  There are a lot moving parts but this vehicle is still running and I can only thank the Lord for it. 

I pray that you are prepared and safe and healthy. I pray that God covers you in the midst of this crisis and He will encourage and strengthen your hearts.  Let us look up to the hills; all of our help comes from the Lord.  He made the heavens and the earth, the seas and the fruit bearing plants. Let us make certain we are walking right with Him. We don’t know how much time we have left.  It could be tomorrow…it could be today. 

Guitar

Happy Sabbath,

Posts are getting short but not God’s blessings and goodness. I’m posting short because I keep getting home later than I like and am only able to get an hour or two of sleep before I go to work Saturday nights. 

One curious thing I wanted to mention on here.  I was listening to music Thursday night and ended up tuning in to Lauryn Hill, her unplugged days. If you have not heard this album, you really need to give it a listen.  Back when I used to work at this college library right before I came to believe in Jesus, I was checking in laptops (because that was an item a lot of people rented) and at times, I would find these cds in the drive that no one would return to claim. Lauryn Hill and many others were found in the drives and I ended up taking them home not knowing how much I would be listening to them in the following weeks.  A guy befriended me who used the laptop service and I believe he was intentionally leaving the cds in the laptops he borrowed.  I know Jesus put him on my path and knowing him and other Christians really made the beginning of my journey into this amazing world and discovering there was a God who loves me and I can actually talk to. Those were some great times, back in 2006, but anyway, the Lauryn Hill album.  I tuned into some Lauryn Hill songs after doing a 90’s R&B run with Tevin Campbell and Tamia, some classic hits for my generation.  I decided I was going to make Lauryn Hill’s unplugged the last few songs I listened to before bed and right before I went to bed, I listened to Just Like Water, this amazing song only the Lord could give to her.  I listened to the guitar and wished to myself that I could play that part on guitar or even piano.  I Get Out and Just Like Water are my two most favs of hers.  It takes me back to the days I lived up in that church house and practiced playing the guitar, teaching myself the song Here I am to Worship, which too was one song that was pretty important to me when I first met Jesus. I didn’t know guitar and in a few weeks, I was strumming with full chords and lead on the guitar that very song.  I want to one day also do a cover of Just Like Water, but I need more guitar skills and more time to practice. 

I said that to myself and went to bed.  Tell me why the next day I go to pick up my son from my parent’s house after he arrived from school and my dad said he went out and bought him a guitar?  He purchased him a student guitar that is small enough just for him.  I have a nice guitar behind my piano…behind a bunch of other instruments and I wanted him to learn guitar but I didn’t want him to mess up mine.  The one I started to learn to play on is over at my parent’s home and it is broken.  The guitar caught his eye and he took interest in it on Thursday and Friday and was strumming and making his own song. It was nice to hear and see.  He shows more interest in the trumpet and guitar than anything else so hopefully the flame will stay ignited and he will also pick up other instruments.  I have 2 violns, 1 viola, 1 trumpet, four clarinets, a saxophone that needs repair, a baby grand piano, two electronic keyboards (one almost full size), a plastic recorder, a flute, harmonicas somewhere and now two out of three guitars in my house.  I have enough for a small band/orchestra and the collection keeps growing. What would the Lord have me do with all these instruments?  My collection would be the Little Mermaid "complete" if I had a bassoon, banjo, tenor saxophone, drum set, steel drum and marimbas.  A harp would be cool too but I don’t have the space. 

But yeah, I just thought the timing of that was something.  I picked up my son’s guitar last night and tried to play a little from just Like Water.  One day, one day.

 I am thankful for a chance to see my client.  The one who reminds me of my late aunt and who’s new address was the same number as my late aunt’s address.  She is hospitalized because she was having seizures.  When I saw her Thursday, she had a new breathing tube put in and was sedated.  I hope to see her again next week.  She is young and I wish she was not going through all this. Her family and how they act strongly parallel how my ficative aunt’s family and associates acted when she was in her last moments.  She is not only my client, she and my other clients are my friends.  She has so many conditions and one of which is the reason she is on hospice now.  I am praying that she will fully submit her will to Jesus and go with Him if it is not His will for her to continue much longer.  I had done her hair the last time I went to see her because no one had come to see about her and I was getting back reports from a team member that she needed visits.  Someone was supposed to do her hair and they did not and since I was just coming for a check, not an official meeting, I figured I would do it for her. Some would say it was out of place for me to do so, but again, there is nothing about being a social worker that says you cannot be kind and a friend to someone in need.  Because of this, I went out and purchased the same green Blue Magic hair grease for myself and I must say, my hair feels amazing, just like how hers did.  Another nurse who happened to be in the area but not assigned to her came over when I called her because my client’s machine started beeping.  Turned out she had the same first name as my client, only she had an E at the end of her name.  There are no coincidences.  Her name is not that common. 

I don’t believe in coincidences.  There is a reason for everything and God is working behind the scenes.  I don’t know how much time she has left.  I had a dream two weeks or so ago that someone passed away and I felt the sadness of it. I didn’t know who died but I knew it was something I had to deal with.  I think now it applies to her.  Two weeks ago, she was at the nursing home and doing well. Now it doesn’t look so good but one thing I know is God loves her and is still working on her even in these last moments.  I pray, I hope to see her in the kingdom.  I don’t want her to be afraid.  I don’t want her to be in pain and I want those around her to look up and look to Jesus.  It’s always hard when I lose a client, a friend, anyone.  A young woman not much older than myself passed away when I first started this job. An older man who cracked me up and wouldn’t believe the state of our country today, he died suddenly after going to a nursing home. Ed and El.  It was hard and it will get harder but I am glad to know there is a God in heaven and He promises to wipe away every tear from each eye.  He will on that great day.