EXPERIENCE: New Find of Old Book

EXPERIENCE: New Find of Old Book

New Find of Old Book

While cleaning my house I found a little book titled,

"One Hundred and One Famous Poems"

compiled by Roy J. Cook, copyright 1929.

    It was given to my dad December 25, 1936. In it are great poems that are pre-progressive movement. There are poems about love of country I want to share them with you all. so from time to time I will post one here. The reference for the book is: Published by the Book Division of The Cable Company, Chicago
By this time I assume that these poems are public domain.

I start with the following poem:

     How Did You Die?
         Edmund Vance Cooke
               (1866-1932)

Did you tackle that trouble that came your way
    With a resolute heart and cheerful?
Or hide your face from the light of day
    With a craven soul and fearful?
Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's an ounce,
    Or a trouble is what you make it.
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
    But only how did you take it?

You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what's that?
    Come up with a smiling face.
It's nothing against you to fall down flat,
    But to lie there- that's a disgrace.
The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce;
    Be proud of your blackened eye!
It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts;
    It's how did you fight and why?

And though you be done to death, what then?
    If you battled the best you could;
If you played your part in the world of men,
    Why, the Critic will call good.
Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,
    And whether he's slow or spry,
It isn't the fact that you're dead that counts,
    But only, how did you die?

A Dream for Nurses

I had a dream last night and I want to share it with you medical students. It is about honor and respect.

Something that you aren't taught in a class.

To put some perspective on this subject. I was a leader in a home schooling group and the kids called me "Mr.
House".Their parents taught them that this was a way of showing respect. Years later as I watch their babies in the church nursery they still call me "Mr. House". I look and see these full grown adults and realize that they are continuing that respect for me because they have not been given permission to call me something different. I then say that they can call me "Jeff". They nervously accept and follow through. It sounds strange to both of us at first but then all is well. I had given permission to enter my familiarity.

Inner Dignity

I saw in my my dream an older man in a hospital. He was beaten down and did not want to be there. Not that he didn't want help, he was not receiving compassionate help. He was taken from test to test, transferred from bed to bed without regard for who he is as a person.
Old age masks the person and his accomplishments behind wrinkles, white hair and loss of muscle tone. This person had been on the national boards of missionary organisations and faithfully visited those in the hospital for decades. Nurses would welcome his arrival on the floor and ask him to visit with other patients that were not on his list simply because he brought healing and comfort in his very nature. He was treated with respect and he was addressed as Rev. House, not by his first name. They had not earned the right to breach the barrier of familiarity.
Now it was his turn to be the patient. The caregivers didn't know his past, his inner power, nor the joy he
brought to others. It was time for this old man to be in the hospital. He was now addressed as Floyd, not even
Mister. In this age we assume we can be familiar.
I saw a white haired man being led from room to room being tested. Nurses too busy to know him to find that
"hook" to connect with him. That "hook" came when he was being led down a corridor of beds. A volunteer came up and said that "so and so would like to see you". The nurse walked him down two beds and there was an old friend in another bed who had just wanted to say that he saw him. Well, my dad's expression totally changed. He had found that hook. I saw, in the dream, him actually levitate a foot off the ground as he was getting in the bed. His face glowed and he exclaimed that he "wanted to be there now". There was a reason for living a reason for life.
Caregivers need to find a hook to connect with the patient to be able to communicate to them. You need to give them respect and honor even if you don't think they deserve it because you don't know their past.

The Octogenarian

He was an honest man. He owned his own business. It wasn't the largest one of its kind but everyone knew that if you wanted an honest man, this was the place to go. Then....
He was 80 years and scared. His chest hurt, his blood pressure had dropped and his heart had stopped and been started. Now he was lying in a bed with several IVs flowing into his veins. EKG wires draped over his frail body to the monitor. As we all sat around a nurse came in to check on him. She smiled and addressed him as "Mister...". She did not presume to know him nor to be familiar with him. She addressed him with respect.

This is a lesson you are not taught in school. Learn this and connect with your patients.

It happened in my dream.

It can happen in real life.

Attorney General Holder Easy on Terrorism

It has now come out that Attorney General Eric Holder made the decision to charge the Christmas Day bomber terror suspect in civilian court rather than the military system. He made the decision to read Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab his rights and not interrogate him. What are they thinking? Are they crazy? Yes!!

This man almost killed 300 people and this will be a civilian court case? This man is a terrorist and he should be questioned again and again until he gave up some information. This is not the first major mistake by this administration. Eric Holder should be called before Congress and held accountable to the people of the United States for the shoddy job they have done.

Obama's neck veins at GOP Retreat

President Obama had it wrong when he was addressing the Republicans on Jan 29, 2010 at the GOP Retreat when talking about Health Care. He accused the Republicans of telling their constituents the health care bill was bad. Actually it was the people in the trenches who looked at the bill, first the House bill and then what they could of the Senate bill and complained about the contents to their Congressmen. Of course, the transparency was not there so we could not see the Senate version as much as the House version.

Obama still leaves the populace, you and me, out of the mix. He still underestimates the "astro turf". Although MSNBC thinks the President was magnificent at the GOP Retreat, in reality he was grasping for straws and gasping for air.

I have heard from a person in management position that you, "make a decision from your gut and don't second guess yourself because your gut reaction is usually the best". In this person's case their gut reaction is usually the wrong one but they will not change because they are just not as smart as the teacher who taught them. Could this be Obama's (and a great many politician's) problem? Are both the Democrats and Republicans too stuck up to say they were wrong?

When Obama said ""We gotta close the gap between rhetoric and reality", he was right but he needs to take that single finger pointing out and realize that there are three fingers pointing back at him.

Obama, not the States(man of the Union, 2010

I did watch the State of the Union address and didn't fall asleep like some in the audience. I will leave the pundits to discuss the pros and cons of what he actually said. I don't want to bore you you with my viewpoints but I do want to address one aspect of the speech, the delivery and what that showed.

The person giving the State of the Union speech is the President of the United States. There is a certain decorum that goes with the most powerful office in the world. The President did not live up to the office. There are three branches of the government to give checks and balances. Obama used to be a senator but he has now moved over to another branch and can not be "one of the boys" as he tried to be. The numerous moments of humor were not acceptable.

He showed weakness not strength.

The president is the President.

• When he addresses the House, Senate, Supreme Court, military and the world he should be a statesman not one of the boys.
  
• When he stands up as a guest in the Congressional chambers he cannot scold the Judges of the Supreme Court to their embarrassment and his wrong.
• When the President gives the State of the Union address he must be strong not scattered.
  

Obama showed his lack of class and the continuation of the Chicago type of politics.

Obama showed that he is still the president with a small p and hasn't earned the honor of the capital President.

Do the Math

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger came up with an interesting way to help California's budget crisis. California has a $19.9 billion deficit so this is good news or is it?
Arnold wants to house 20,000 illegal immigrants in prisons built in Mexico and have Mexican guards watch them. Sounds good so far. Mexicans for the Mexicans. That is where his logic fails.
He says this will save 1 billion dollars. Fantastic. Finally a politician really saving money by thinking outside the box or outside the borders in this case. The he comes up with the statement that all politicians seem to trip on.
"We could save a billion dollars right there that could go into higher education."
Now I have nothing against higher education. I spent seven wonderful years there but I did pass first grade math. If you start with a negative $19.9 billion and save 1 billion you don't have that billion to spend, you are just $18.9 billion in the hole instead of $19.9 billion.
Duh!

It's a great day in America