November Days

The weather here has gradually been changing and now the mornings are chill with an edge of frost to them. Last night, we had stinging cold rain and wind until about midnight. This morning, the only rememberances were puddles skimmed with thick ice crystals. The skies were brilliant blue and warm sunlight streaked across the pasture midst the purple shadows of barren trees on frosted green gold grass. Waking to such visions makes my heart sing!
The leaves have mostly fallen, but the oak trees are stingy and hang on to theirs in ragged clumps. Up close the leaves look like well worn tooled leather, but the sound of them in the wind is harsh and rattling. The milkweed pods have loosed their clouds of pure white down. It's ethereal in the rough brown and gray world of November.
School this week has been even more interesting than usual. We've been studying the process of grief and loss, a topic that has held interest for me for a long time. Birth is a beautiful experience and I've learned over the years that dying can be just as beautiful and that it has surprising similarities to birth. If you get a chance to see the PBS program, Moyers on Dying (2000), I highly recommend it. It is a four part series that is very well done and very thought provoking. There is a very good website associated with the program as well which has many resources.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/onourownterms/index.html
Among other interesting things we learned how to give injections this week. So far, we've just done them on manikens and practice pillows. Imagine that doing them on living breathing people will be quite different! We've also been studying heart and cholesterol medications, something that many members of the Plooster family need to take once they reach mid-life. Nice to increase my understanding of those things. Gives me incentive to work a little harder at preventative measures.
Tests this week have gone much better. Received an A on our unit test in Anatomy and a B on the latest Nursing Fundamentals test. Reassuring after last weeks disasters!
A parting thought: The more I learn about the intricacies of the human body, the more I believe in our creator God. The way our bodies are knit together is an awesome thing!
Peace and grace to you!