When I began to search for a career, I thought of continuing in electronics as I did that in the military. But it did not fulfill me. It did not give me passion. It was a ”job” and that was it. When I applied for a job in sales, the manager asked me what my biggest weakness was. My answer was that I was shy and not a “people person.” A week after starting the job, she came up to me and said, “I don’t know why you say you are not a ‘people person.’ You are wonderful with the customers. I just don’t see it.” I realized that what she said was true and wondered why. It was the serving the customer that drove me. It made me come alive. I have had a few other sales jobs and could not bring myself to work in the commission based jobs because it was selling to the customer and not for the customer. I want to meet the needs of people.
What seizes my imagination is the smile and twinkle in a person’s eyes. I have always been driven by the joy and happiness of others. This goal of bringing these things to those around me has shaped the very person I am. I get up and start my day wanting to make at least one person happy. I have been the most alive when I can serve someone.
This shapes the way I work. I work in healthcare as a nursing assistant. I am constantly striving to give high quality care but also to treat the patients with respect and dignity. I do all that I can to ease their sorrow and to make their difficult times a bit better. To hold a hand of a man who is dying; or comfort a loved one; or just spend time talking about their family. Those are the things that I live for.
It also shapes my family. My time off is spent with my wife and three kids spending time with them. One of the things I like to do is cook. I love cooking for the family because it makes them feel good. They enjoy it. I help teach the kids and we laugh and play. I may miss out on doing adult things but my family is special and we are happy. I love waking up to them everyday.
Every where I go, I try to bring a smile and blessing. I will tell jokes, stories or simple encouragement. Even the cashier at the store gets a pleasant smile and greeting. But what really gets me going strong is when I can use the unique knowledge and skills that I have to serve others. It is the most rewarding thing to help someone.
With this drive, I have become involved in many community activities such as Cub Scouts, children’s programs at my local church, serving dinner at church, teaching CPR, and many others. This is also why I work at the VA hospital. I want to serve those that have served.
My life passion of serving others has manifested itself in my career in healthcare. This is the reason I am pursuing nursing. It is where my skills lay and at it’s very core it serves others, especially when they need it most. To sum up my life’s passion in a purpose statement, I need to borrow from the US Air Force, “Integrity first, Service before self, and excellence in all we do.” This is the key to my life, the reason for my being.

For the Love of Family

Someone recently expressed that they were dealing with the question of following a call into vocational ministry and doing it as a single person. The same idea that Paul mentions when he says that he wished all could be as he was and not marry. But here is the deal, God has ordained marriage. He has also called some to be single. Both are very good in the eyes of God. I know that I have the love of family that wells up inside of me. I knew this since I was a teen. Yet it took me until I was 28 to have a family!

I don't know how to look at anyone else and say, "you are to remain single before God." Or, "You should marry, because God wants us all to be married." I can NOT speak to what God is doing in the hearts of someone else. What I do know is that above all else I had a desire for a family.

Once while in my early teens, we took in a young lady who's mother kicked her out. We gave her a place to stay. She had a son named Timmy. I used to play with Timmy as much as I could. I remember wanting a child of my own. Even at 13/14 I wanted to be a father. I was never good with the ladies. Too much fear immobilized me. So I pondered the possibility of having a kid without a wife (not that I could get married, I was too young). As I grew up, I learned much about myself and much about life. By the time I was 23, I had done many things that were far from love. I lied and cheated just to please myself. The year I turned 23, I came incountered with the Love of God. A Love I had never known before. He changed my life and perspective. As I grew closer to Him and learned more about His Love, I began to feel the Love well up inside of me. I desired a wife. I desired a family. Not for myself. But to share the Love I now had inside.

God did bring me a wife and family. All despite my own impatience. I married in 1998 and had my first child in 1999. Ever since then, When it was time to add to our family, my wife and I would feel the need to give the overflowing Love we had inside us. Now it is 2010 and we have three children. We have that feeling again.

But here is the main issue, when looking at the world around us, how do we choose between job, career, family, hobbies, etc. I want to be a nurse. I want it for many reasons but one is to give to people in need. To heal. Yet going to school takes away from family. I love my family. They are the ones God has called me to minister first. So if I need to wait to go to school, I will wait. If I need to put some things in my life on hold, I will. All for the Love of my family.

To be or not to be, a nurse....

OK, I have made the statement before that I WILL become a nurse. Well, I have been speaking with my wife to great lengths. We originally agreed that we would always put our family first. At this time, going to school might disrupt our family too much. However, I do believe that I will be able to get into school in a year. That also gives me time to get settled in a full time job at the VA. I have to be full time for a year to get the education benefits. So this might work out.

I must admit that I have seen several other opportunities present themselves. But I honestly feel that i am a nurse at heart. It may never get to the nurse practitioner level but a nurse none the same. But I wonder if one class will be too bad after we get into our house.....