"i wanna hold your hand"

thoughts on exodus 17:9-12

sometimes it seems as if the job we are given is insignificant or that no matter our part, someone else will get the glory. sometimes it seems as if our names are not known or that they pale in comparison to the other names involved. certainly in this battle of israel against the amalekites, aaron and hur could have felt such. moses (THE MOSES!) only had to lift or lower his hands to change the direction of the battle. joshua (JOSHUA!) was in the midst of the fray. and although aaron had a 'name', he and hur were only to stand beside moses and hold his hand. and yet, without their work, the battle would have been lost. their standing beside this great well known leader holding his hand was their work...to hold his hands when he could not, to stand beside him. so, sometimes, the work is 'glorious' but sometimes, we go a long only to hold another's hands. but the work needs both. and sometimes everyone may know your name and sometimes maybe they don't. but the work belongs to all, name or no, holding hands or leading the charge.

HIPPA

this one is more for my american healthcare friends.

today as we were giving report, 2 of the dutch speaking nurses gave report in dutch. another american nurse and i just laughed and said what a great way to provide patient confidentiality! we decided that would be the solution to some of the HIPPA issues. all medical professionals would be required to learn/speak another language that is not widely used in america for work purposes. then, you can give report in the middle of the dining room if you like and no one will know what you are saying :) i said russian, alaine said swahili.

yeah

i have a friend who when you ask how she is, she answers "yeah" sometimes, she follows this yeah with a good or happy or whatever else but i have grown used to hearing yeah as an answer to this question. it makes me smile, mainly b/c she makes me smile.

so, when people ask me how it's going here, sometimes i just want to say "yeah". people expect that b/c i live on a ship in west africa that every day is exciting. it isn't. a lot of my week (and sometimes all week) is just a normal day-to-day routine. i get up, go to work, work out, eat a few meals, read a book, maybe spend some time with friends and then sleep. much like my life at home. the difference being that my life here is contained in a very small space....all of it--grocery shopping, going to starbucks, the library, my house, my work. and so sometimes it feels as if my blog must be boring b/c well, sometimes even life on a ship in west africa can be boring. not bad boring, but not exciting boring. and then there is the thought that if all i blog about are the exciting things, it sounds like i'm on holiday. and although i like to play and play hard when i do, i am just here living life.

so, nothing profound today. just life.