oblivion

yesterday morning was the end of a 3 nights-in-a-row stint at work...my first night shifts in a long time as well. i drank more coffee than i can remember to stave off sleep and delirium; i'm sure it was not a healthy decision. anyhow, i survived, my patients were safe, and i only have 3 more shifts with somebody looking over my shoulder.

i am looking forward to 4-5 days off reconnecting with friends and catching up on schoolwork.

being a nurse in oakland is exceeding my expectations. daily i have the opportunity to meet and touch the poor and forgotten of our society; they know their place...they know how much of the world views them: homeless, drug addicted, irresponsible. i dig the chance to break through some of that, even if just for a few hours, and show them a new way of love.

tribute to rick

my dad rick gregory, at the culmination of a 30+ year journey and dream, graduated from the cal poly pomona's school of agriculture with a degree in animal science..(magna cum laude, i might add). this is a man who walked away from a career in which he was making more money than most...a "successful" man in the eyes of many. post 50 years old, head full of grey hair and aspirations of creating good in the world, he fled the rat race for a new journey. rick is the only person in his family who has completed college, and his parents came to see their 53 year old baby with cap and gown on. he (along with my mom, who has completed her bachelor's, nursing school and is pursuing her master's)will use the knowledge and skills acquired during school to empower the forgotten peoples of the world, those caught in vicious cycles of poverty, more specifically in southern uganda, to a group of indigenous people called the Batwa.

dad, i love you, and i am so proud of you. may this be one of many markers on the path you are on toward bringing greater peace and wholeness to this world.