Today our Paramedic class had the honor and pleasure of listening to Annette speak about what to expect on out clinical rotations at the Burn Unit at the University of Utah hospital. I am always so excited when we get to here about a specific injury or patient we may encounter in the health field from someone who works with it everyday and not only that but is passionate about what they do. While she was going through her slide show I found myself grimacing at some of the graphic pictures she had included. I then stepped back and thought to myself, how would I feel if that was a picture of myself or of someone I loved. Our natural and first instinct is to shy away from uncomfortable sights. Annette brought up an often forgotten point. These are people too and they have feelings greater than any of us may experience. Having worked with burn patients for many years, the best thing we as a normally not very warm and welcoming society can do when we encounter someone who has experienced this unfortunate situation is to acknowledge them and ask them about their experience. Saying something like "I noticed the scar on your arm, it looks like it's from a burn. How are you healing? or what happened if you don't mind me asking?" She said the worst thing we as a society can do is pretend like we're not looking and don't care. In elementary school aged kids she said that when a kid returns to school, his/her friends will rally around the patient and act as protectors of them. In middle school and high school, people are ruthless and those who at one time we considered our closest friends may not be as accepting. When do we as people make this shift and why?
Annette also shared with us the awe inspiring experience of seeing these people who come in because a needle broke off in their arm from self administering heroine to admitting themselves to detox, and changing their thinking from what am I going to do now that I can't shoot up myself to who is going to take care of my ill mother. She said "Peoples' perspective on life changes after being burned, those who live choose to live and those who don't want to survive usually don't."
Another little tidbit she left us with was the saying "Don't tell me what to do if you can't tell me why." I am going to try my best to use this every chance I get. Not so much on the not taking orders but when I give orders or ask others to do something differently, I better have a good reason why I asked them to change what they're doing, or it's most likely not a very logical request. I'm not a huge fan of taking orders or of criticism. I struggled with this a lot with coaches in high school. I found I was much more receptive to their instruction if they had data to back up their request, and took the time to explain it to me. This can also be applied to patient care, when performing a procedure on a patient, they're (in theory, definitely not always) going to be much more calm and receptive to care if they know what to expect and why you're going to do it to them.
As Kyle brought up at the end of class these calls are low frequency/high acuity for the Fire Department. Meaning we won't get called on them much but when we do, a lot is required of us and our interventions may just be the difference between life and death.
Class today has reminded me to appreciate the little things in life.
I was reading on a facebook page of a friend of a friend about their child who's time is set to expire really soon due to heart failure and how they as a family are coping with this potentially devastating time in their lives and there are a few lines from it that put my feelings in to words more effectively than I seem to be able to. Here are two lines that really stuck out to me:
"I believe it is in recognizing the many blessings we already have that we find happiness. That isn't to say life isn't painful for us and that we wish things were otherwise - but our trials, when placed in the context of our blessings, seem to give us a much more balanced and joyful perspective."
"... it is the battles that rage inside our minds and hearts that are in greatest need of others service."
Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.
— Henri-Frederic Amiel
Remember to let those you love and appreciate know just how much you love and appreciate them and to do it as often as you can. You never know if that may be your last chance to do so.
Until next time,
Katie
Feb 7, 2013
Jan 24, 2013
Lab Day
Lab days intimidate me. That being said, today was definitely one of the more enjoyable days in class. We went over how to give IVs and calculate drip rates. I hit one vein and blew through the back of another. Too bad the one I botched up with my instructor's. Luckily he was very understanding and a great sport. He talked me through what I had done wrong all while gritting his teeth through the pain I was causing him. I felt sooo bad.
In the assessment portion. We had an awesome Paramedic come in that I already respect so much. The way he treats each of us as equals and doesn't care about our background or past experience made me feel soo much more comfortable and relaxed. Hearing him talk about his experiences and passion for the work he does and loves has made an impact on me. I have a feeling I will be spending more time with him picking his brain to gain as much knowledge and insight as I can. So far I've been able to hold my own alright and have been able to become friends with most everyone in class which has been a blast. I can't wait for the weeks to come to get to know, and trust everyone even more.
Until next time!
Katie
Jan 23, 2013
Observational Ride Along Day II
Today I had the chance to ride along with SLCFD Station 2. The calls I got to go on consisted of a false alarm on a high rise fire, a chest pain, another drunk that got sent to detox, a woman that was presenting with a brain attack (stroke), a lift assist, and another woman who was complaining of chest pain and bronchitis.
I had the opportunity to experience a lot of new things today. On the first chest pain call, we were dispatched to the road home. I had looked at the outside many times but I would have never been able to picture just how sad and dirty the inside was. I was a little shocked. The people hanging out there welcomed us and thanked us for our service to them which was nice. I would never want to have to live in their shoes.
While the engine responded to the high rise fire, I got to sit in the rig and listed to the communication and break down of the event over the radio. It was really interesting to see how they delegated who would be the inspection crew, who would be in charge of finding the water source, and who would be responding as backup. It makes me appreciate the hard work and time these guys put in to make sure that they can be there when they're needed and be able to deescalate the problem as soon as possible. Even though it was a false alarm there was a lot to be learned from it and the firefighters take any opportunity to continue their training and to become more familiar with the buildings within their district so that when there is a real fire, they know the best way in and out of the building and the possible risks they would have to consider to maintain their team's safety.
While treating the woman who was presenting as a possible stroke, I learned that sometimes you can't rely on only talking to communicate, not only was her speech slurred, but she couldn't understand us because she only speaks Russian. Having her family translate presented some problems too. They couldn't tell us where she was hurting or how she was feeling, they could fill in bits and pieces of the events leading up to the attack, and some of her current medications but not much else. Simple questions like can you blink for us or raise your arms and hold them turned into a game of charades almost. We loaded her in the ambulance and I got to ride to the hospital with the medics in the back of the ambulance to continue observing their patient care. We transferred the care to the hospital staff and I got to sit and watch while the Neurologist took over and started tests of her own. On the other side of the curtain, a full arrest was going on. I never got a chance to see the patient but I heard them call it and watched as they cleaned up the room. That made me realize that I have no room to complain when I'm having a rough day. At least I'm breathing alive and well.
As usual, I had a blast and thought the men I rode along with today were great. They gave me pieces of advice that I will never forget and more importantly, I learned more from them by the example they set and their high standards for each other and themselves. I hope if I ever have the chance to work along side them as a coworker, I'll be able to pull my own weight and make them proud.
Until Tomorrow!
Katie
I had the opportunity to experience a lot of new things today. On the first chest pain call, we were dispatched to the road home. I had looked at the outside many times but I would have never been able to picture just how sad and dirty the inside was. I was a little shocked. The people hanging out there welcomed us and thanked us for our service to them which was nice. I would never want to have to live in their shoes.
While the engine responded to the high rise fire, I got to sit in the rig and listed to the communication and break down of the event over the radio. It was really interesting to see how they delegated who would be the inspection crew, who would be in charge of finding the water source, and who would be responding as backup. It makes me appreciate the hard work and time these guys put in to make sure that they can be there when they're needed and be able to deescalate the problem as soon as possible. Even though it was a false alarm there was a lot to be learned from it and the firefighters take any opportunity to continue their training and to become more familiar with the buildings within their district so that when there is a real fire, they know the best way in and out of the building and the possible risks they would have to consider to maintain their team's safety.
While treating the woman who was presenting as a possible stroke, I learned that sometimes you can't rely on only talking to communicate, not only was her speech slurred, but she couldn't understand us because she only speaks Russian. Having her family translate presented some problems too. They couldn't tell us where she was hurting or how she was feeling, they could fill in bits and pieces of the events leading up to the attack, and some of her current medications but not much else. Simple questions like can you blink for us or raise your arms and hold them turned into a game of charades almost. We loaded her in the ambulance and I got to ride to the hospital with the medics in the back of the ambulance to continue observing their patient care. We transferred the care to the hospital staff and I got to sit and watch while the Neurologist took over and started tests of her own. On the other side of the curtain, a full arrest was going on. I never got a chance to see the patient but I heard them call it and watched as they cleaned up the room. That made me realize that I have no room to complain when I'm having a rough day. At least I'm breathing alive and well.
As usual, I had a blast and thought the men I rode along with today were great. They gave me pieces of advice that I will never forget and more importantly, I learned more from them by the example they set and their high standards for each other and themselves. I hope if I ever have the chance to work along side them as a coworker, I'll be able to pull my own weight and make them proud.
Until Tomorrow!
Katie
Jan 22, 2013
Beginning of week two!
This weekend was a busy one to say the least, I went on a ride a long with station 8 this weekend. Nothing too stressful, it was mainly just to observe life in the fire house and that's exactly what I did. I have what the firefighters call a white cloud following me. No matter what station I'm at, we don't receive many calls. Station 8 is known to be one of the busiest stations in the valley and average anywhere from 6-12 calls in a day, we had two for the 12 hours I was there with them. I did however get two patient contacts. I took blood sugar and blood pressures on two very intoxicated males. The rest of the day consisted of watching Paranorman, College Basketball, and a very cool car auction. The guys at 8 were great and it was a pleasure getting to meet and work along side everyone.
Sunday I went down to Provo to stay at a friend's place and have some fun. We made a Cafe Rio style dinner and had a great time playing games. One of Afton's room mates, Renee is in the animation program at BYU and it was a lot of fun talking art, color theory and concept design with her. If I wasn't doing paramedic, I would probably be studying art as my major. For now it will remain as one of my beloved hobbies that I will use as an excuse to take a break from studying once in a while.
Anytime I am together with this particular group of friends (Afton, Haval, Jared, and any of his room mates that choose to come) we can be doing anything and burst out into uncontrollable laughter leaving us all in tears and barely able to breathe. Werewolf and Uno were the games of choice this weekend. I'm so glad I have these people in my life to lighten the mood and knock me down to size. While waiting for dinner to cook last night, we were giving each other nicknames Struggles is what I ended up with, I wasn't too offended because put simply, it fits. Haval was Stutters and Jared was Gimp. We can all pick on each other and laugh at ourselves without taking offense because we all know it's meant to be taken very lightly. We all know that we would do anything for each other. I'm so lucky to have such an awesome support group cheering me on in life.
While this weekend was a lot of fun, it left me very sleep deprived and class this morning was very long. We were warned at the beginning of class that it was going to be one of those "death by power point" kind of days. Sure enough, we went through almost 200 slides on the subject of patient assessments. I have another ride along tomorrow and I can't wait to hopefully get a few more patient contacts to add to meager list. Hopefully I will get the chance to write tomorrow night to tell of my time spent at the firehouse.
Until then!
Katie
Sunday I went down to Provo to stay at a friend's place and have some fun. We made a Cafe Rio style dinner and had a great time playing games. One of Afton's room mates, Renee is in the animation program at BYU and it was a lot of fun talking art, color theory and concept design with her. If I wasn't doing paramedic, I would probably be studying art as my major. For now it will remain as one of my beloved hobbies that I will use as an excuse to take a break from studying once in a while.
Anytime I am together with this particular group of friends (Afton, Haval, Jared, and any of his room mates that choose to come) we can be doing anything and burst out into uncontrollable laughter leaving us all in tears and barely able to breathe. Werewolf and Uno were the games of choice this weekend. I'm so glad I have these people in my life to lighten the mood and knock me down to size. While waiting for dinner to cook last night, we were giving each other nicknames Struggles is what I ended up with, I wasn't too offended because put simply, it fits. Haval was Stutters and Jared was Gimp. We can all pick on each other and laugh at ourselves without taking offense because we all know it's meant to be taken very lightly. We all know that we would do anything for each other. I'm so lucky to have such an awesome support group cheering me on in life.
While this weekend was a lot of fun, it left me very sleep deprived and class this morning was very long. We were warned at the beginning of class that it was going to be one of those "death by power point" kind of days. Sure enough, we went through almost 200 slides on the subject of patient assessments. I have another ride along tomorrow and I can't wait to hopefully get a few more patient contacts to add to meager list. Hopefully I will get the chance to write tomorrow night to tell of my time spent at the firehouse.
Until then!
Katie
Jan 18, 2013
End of the first week!
I have made it through the first week of medic school. TGIF. The mutual feeling in class this morning seemed to be exhaustion. We were all tired and quiet. I was having a rough morning and was not feeling that great. I was happy to sit in my back corner and take my notes and listen to the lecture. Little did I know we were going to be running through some scenarios first. I know that when I am working as a paramedic in the field, I will have to be able to put my own personal struggles and ill thoughts aside and approach my patients with the best attitude I can muster up, and be able to focus all of my attention on them and their current problem. I am going to strive to make myself work through these mornings and approach everything that is asked of me with the attitude and answer, "Yes of course" and "Sure, why not?" I have to make myself take advantage of every opportunity to better myself and build my skill set along with my confidence in my abilities so I can be the best paramedic/person I can be.
A few tidbits from yesterday and today before I pass out and take a much needed afternoon nap.
-It is vital that you become very familiar with your equipment and how to properly use it.
-Always prep your surfaces when applying fast patches, and shave the sweater if needs be. Singed hair doesn't smell so good.
-Never assume. Always be searching for possible alternatives and narrow down your choices logically.
-While ANP stands for Atrial Neuro Peptide, BNP stands for Brain Neuro Peptide and by that they really mean Ventricular Neuro Peptide. It was just found in the brains of rats first.
-"Don't treat the damn monitor, treat your patient." (talking about reading the ECG machine) They make mistakes too.
A movie we watched yesterday in class to lighten the mood a little bit
Until next time!
Katie
A few tidbits from yesterday and today before I pass out and take a much needed afternoon nap.
-It is vital that you become very familiar with your equipment and how to properly use it.
-Always prep your surfaces when applying fast patches, and shave the sweater if needs be. Singed hair doesn't smell so good.
-Never assume. Always be searching for possible alternatives and narrow down your choices logically.
-While ANP stands for Atrial Neuro Peptide, BNP stands for Brain Neuro Peptide and by that they really mean Ventricular Neuro Peptide. It was just found in the brains of rats first.
-"Don't treat the damn monitor, treat your patient." (talking about reading the ECG machine) They make mistakes too.
A movie we watched yesterday in class to lighten the mood a little bit
Until next time!
Katie
Jan 16, 2013
Pictures I realize never made it onto the blog from this fall
Pumpkin carving with Whitney!
An epic day of shooting with the boys
We can't help but goof off a bit.
This series of photos I found on my camera while I was downloading the ones I had taken... I guess that's what I get for leaving my camera unattended.
This on makes me laugh every time :)
Looks like I left the camera unattended again...
Gardner Village with my mom and cousin Annie and her kid Giselle.
Annie and Giselle.
My cute momma and I.
Another day of epic shooting with some more of my favorite people.
Silly Jason
Nasty A rat tail....
Jason's anime face.
Day 2 of Medic School
Today was filled mostly with a lot of review of material we all should have covered in previous classes such as physiology, and anatomy. The first half of class we talked about the electophysiology of how the heart works. It was a nice refresher since I haven't been in physiology since last year. This will play heavily in our ability to interpret Electrocardiograms (ECGs) later on in our career. It was also helpful that I had the opportunity to take an Advanced Cardio Life Support class from my EMT intermediate teacher and this covered almost all of what I had studied for that. I am also so thankful for taking two Medical Terminology classes as they are put to almost constant use in the classroom. Just a few of the words we used multiple times today were, ionotropic, chronotropic, dromotropic, enteral, parenteral, synergism, potentiation, bioavailability, among many others.
We also went over the importance of working as a team. These fellow medics and EMTs are your family away from home. They have your back and you in return should have theirs. Without each other it becomes almost impossible to perform even the simplest of tasks. They are your witness when shit hits the fan so you better become the best of friends.
One of the most intimidating parts of this class is the medication list, we received 7 pages (landscape mind you) of drugs listed with their generic and trade name, class, indications, dosages (both ped and adult), contraindications, side effects along with some additional notes on each drug. Our instructor told us by the end of the year we will be able to recreate this table from memory... I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.
Once again I left the room with a desire to know as much as I can so when I am put in the situation of having someone's life in my hands and their family expecting me to fix their loved one, I am able to do so to the best of my capabilities.
A few tidbits I liked from class,
-You guys are having a unique experience in this class, you are the guinea pigs. You get everything, the important stuff along with the shit that I will edit out later because frankly... it didn't work.
-PFM: stands for Pure F#*$&%( Magic, this was used to describe the complex functions of the heart both mechanically and electrically.
-The way we practice is the way we play, verbalize everything and go through your checklists religiously.
-As you get your experience you will know where to cut corners, don't start here.
-Kill them all and let God sort them out, well since the public wouldn't be very happy about that, take them to the Emergency Department and let them sort it out.
-The three things that people need most when their life on the line is and IV, O2, and Diesel. (meaning an IV running to push meds, oxygen is always a good thing, and diesel burning in the engine while their in the back of the ambulance being transported to the appropriate facility.)
Until next time,
Katie
We also went over the importance of working as a team. These fellow medics and EMTs are your family away from home. They have your back and you in return should have theirs. Without each other it becomes almost impossible to perform even the simplest of tasks. They are your witness when shit hits the fan so you better become the best of friends.
One of the most intimidating parts of this class is the medication list, we received 7 pages (landscape mind you) of drugs listed with their generic and trade name, class, indications, dosages (both ped and adult), contraindications, side effects along with some additional notes on each drug. Our instructor told us by the end of the year we will be able to recreate this table from memory... I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.
Once again I left the room with a desire to know as much as I can so when I am put in the situation of having someone's life in my hands and their family expecting me to fix their loved one, I am able to do so to the best of my capabilities.
A few tidbits I liked from class,
-You guys are having a unique experience in this class, you are the guinea pigs. You get everything, the important stuff along with the shit that I will edit out later because frankly... it didn't work.
-PFM: stands for Pure F#*$&%( Magic, this was used to describe the complex functions of the heart both mechanically and electrically.
-The way we practice is the way we play, verbalize everything and go through your checklists religiously.
-As you get your experience you will know where to cut corners, don't start here.
-Kill them all and let God sort them out, well since the public wouldn't be very happy about that, take them to the Emergency Department and let them sort it out.
-The three things that people need most when their life on the line is and IV, O2, and Diesel. (meaning an IV running to push meds, oxygen is always a good thing, and diesel burning in the engine while their in the back of the ambulance being transported to the appropriate facility.)
Until next time,
Katie
Jan 14, 2013
First Day of Medic Class
The last 6 months have been some of the best of my life! That being said, I have gone through many trials and hard decisions to get to my current feelings. Here is a quick list of just a few of the things that have happened, I will most likely explain some of them in more depth later in the post or those that follow in the months to come.
1. Two of the most amazing people whom I have the honor of calling my friends and partners in crime have returned from serving full time LDS missions abroad. Those two years were the longest two years of my life, but much needed. I was able to learn a lot about myself and was forced to focus on me. I was able to narrow down and choose a major which I am passionate about and really enjoy. Health Education and Promotion but more importantly, the provider track, where if all goes as planned, I will be a paramedic in less than a year! On one of my ride a-longs I had the pleasure of meeting Capt. Gaulke. He made a lasting impression on me that I will never forget. He first questioned me why I... a girl... wanted to go into EMS and Fire. I replied because I love the work and I feel like I was born to help people. He was very supportive and gave me some words of advice. He really wanted me to try out for Fire Academy that following spring but I had other plans of finishing school. He also told me that I would need to get my butt in to shape and probably lose 30 pounds if I really wanted to be the best Fire/Medic I could be. I took that portion of his advice to heart and was able to drop 20 pounds this past year. I have never felt better both mentally and physically.
2. In July, I got out of a two year relationship that I have learned so much from and have gained a loving family that accept me as one of theirs in return even though the two of us are not just right for each other.
3. I've reconnected with some old friends that I haven't talked to since high school. Even though we haven't talked for years, it was just like old times and we have had a good time catching up on each other's lives.
4. In October, I had the opportunity to take a trip to see my brother while he was interning in St. Thomas USVI. Whitney and I had a blast traveling just the two of us. It was definitely an adventure I will keep with me for life.
5. In November, I sent my academic adviser an email asking when I need to apply for the Paramedic Program at the University of Utah and got a quick reply back stating that I had missed it by two weeks but could still try contacting the Coordinator to see if they would still accept my application. Over the course of the next two days, I gathered the mountain of required documentation and paperwork and handed it in. All I could do was wait until I heard back from them. A week later they called me in for an interview. I was stoked. When I went into interview it was kind of an awkward time because I was working during the time they normally scheduled the interviews. I got there and they were just shooting the breeze and had totally forgot that I was coming. I felt as though they had already picked their candidates and I was going to have to prove that I was willing to put in the time and work necessary to excel. As they were interviewing me, they asked my prior experience, I explained to them that I hadn't had much in the field, I had worked as an EMT at a summer camp and that was about it. They then proceeded to ask me if I knew the five patient rights. I had not reviewed these since 2009 for my EMT basic course. I was able to recall something about right time, right patient, right medication, right dose, and my mind just blanked on the last one... I said that was all I could come up with and they thanked me for my time and sent me on my way. On my drive home I realized the one right I forgot was right route. I was so mad at myself. But hopefully they had sensed my love for the work and desire to learn. Once again, all I could do was wait to hear from them. Two weeks went by and nothing... It was getting closer to Christmas and I had figured that they had already told the students that made it in who they were so I started to prepare myself for the next year. I planned on applying for a job at Gold Cross to gain the experience I was lacking and studying up on all of the past courses I had taken to stay current. On the 7th of December I opened my email inbox to find a letter from the Paramedic program coordinator with the subject line of
"Welcome to the Salt Lake City Fire Department and University of Utah Paramedic Program 2013"
I have never been so excited in my life. I had made it! This next year is going to be one filled with hard work, late nights, long shifts, hard tests (mental and physical), teamwork, and most importantly of all, knowledge that will prepare me to work my dream job as a paramedic helping those in need to make the worst day of their lives the best I can.
Today was the first day of class and the second week of my internship. Every time I leave I am left wanting more. I can be in a funky mood before class and when I leave, I have a renewed passion for life and am as happy as ever. I feel I have found my calling in life. I can't wait to see what the future brings. I'm going to try and write as often as a I can about my experience in the program not only so you can enjoy reading about my life, but also so I can come back on those days that I'm struggling to remember why I got myself in such a demanding program and read through the good days I have had.
Some tidbits and pieces of advice that stuck out to me today while listening to our lecture in class today:
1. No matter good or bad, you can't take back first impressions
2. Strive to be the best paramedic you can be
3. Be the best you can be TODAY
4. If you really want to F$%^ up a fire scene, insert an injured firefighter. Be safe out there.
5. Hand sanitizer is there to tide you over until you have time to wash your hands.
6. Do not carry what you can put on wheels.
7. This profession is not a measure of toughness, ask for help if you need it.
8. Avoid becoming irritated with a patient, while being important, is easier said than done sometimes.
Until next time!
Katie
Nov 9, 2012
Return from Tomorrow: an unexpected favorite read
Last night while on the train home from school I finished the book Return From Tomorrow by George Ritchie and Elizabeth Sherrill. Here is the synopsis of the book:
George leaves his body and sees it lying in his bed. He is not aware the dead body in his bed is his. Wanting eagerly to travel to Richmond, Virginia to start college, he finds himself flying in the air toward a city. He is not sure how he acquired these strange powers of flight and transparency.
He arrives at a city and discovers he has lost his solidness. He flies back to the hospital and sees his lifeless body in the morgue and realizes he has died. Suddenly, Jesus appears emitting a tremendous light and love. George's entire life appears before him. Jesus asks, "What have you done with your life?" He realizes Jesus is not judging him, but he is judging himself. Jesus gives him a tour of four different dimensions in the afterlife. They both fly toward a large city on Earth where they notice a group of assembly-line workers at work. He witnesses the spirit of a woman trying desperately to obtain a cigarette from the workers who are oblivious to her presence. This woman died severely addicted to cigarettes.
In a house, Jesus shows him the spirit of a boy following a living teenage girl and begging for forgiveness while the girl is completely unaware of the boy's presence. Jesus tells George that the boy committed suicide and is "chained to every consequence of his act." Jesus shows George a bar filled with sailors who are heavily drinking. Spirits try desperately and in vain to get a drink or to control the sailors' alcoholic behavior. These spirits are from humans who die severely alcoholic. He is horrified as he observes a drunken sailor pass out and an alcoholic spirit jump into the body of the sailor.
Jesus takes him to a new dimension away from Earth and shows him a kind of "receiving station" where spirits would arrive in a deep hypnotic sleep because of their beliefs. These are spirits who believe they must sleep after death until Jesus returns. Jesus shows him a dimension where angry spirits are locked in hand-to-hand combat, trying in vain to hurt each other. He hears verbal abuse going on. He observes some trying in vain to get sexual gratification from each other. He also sees spirits arguing over some religious or political point and trying to kill the ones who did not agree with them. Here, he realizes he is seeing hell. These are spirits who are locked into some earthly desire that went beyond the physical and which cannot be satisfied in the spirit.
He is then taken to a different dimension appearing like an enormous university. Here he observes people dressed as monks engaged in some form of artistic behavior or research. He is taken into an enormous library where all the important books of the universe are assembled. He asks Jesus if this is heaven. He replies that these are the people who grew beyond selfish desires while on Earth. George realizes these people cannot see Jesus, just as the others could not see him in hell.
Jesus takes him into outer space toward a distant city made of brilliant light of a similar description to the city in the Book of Revelation. He speculates this is the place where people go who have become Christ-like while on Earth. Here, love was the dominant focus of life. He realizes he is seeing heaven, but he is not allowed to go in. Jesus then shows him the future of the Earth. He then returns to his physical body.
"Death is nothing more than a doorway, something you walk through." - Dr. George Ritchie
First let me say that I'm not a huge fan of reading books about people and their beliefs and experiences with God I find them to be cheesy and not quite inline with who and what I believe god to be. Obtaining this book was a mistake I was looking through the free books on my kindle and I read the short about this one and figured why not so I clicked it and it started to download. I looked later and noticed that it in fact was not free, and so I figured if I paid for it I might was well read it and so I did. Boy, I'm glad I did. It just made me realize that our priorities here on this earth are sometimes skewed. People get caught up in material needs and let what's really important like love and compassion for one another take a seat on the back burner.
While leaving the platform to walk to my car, a gentleman who I would say was about my age if not a year or two older was waiting for a bus. Me being in a good mood and just having finished this book made eye contact with him and smiled which got a reaction I did not expect. He proceeded to smile back and then asked me if he could ask me a quick question. I said of course, thinking that he would be asking something about when the bus was coming or where it goes. He ended up asking however "That smile you just gave me.... what was that about? Is it the cigarette I have in my hand or the way I am dressed or what...?" I was caught off guard and said the first thing that came to mind "It's been a good day, I'm happy and why not smile?" He chuckled and said "I guess that's reason enough. and Thank you." This little experience made me realize that a simple smile shared with someone can make a change in their day.
I've made it a personal goal to smile at everyone I meet in passing and love as many people as I can unconditionally. The second one is going to be a toughy because I've grown up thinking that in order for you to love someone they have to earn your love or prove that they are worthy of it. This book made me think if God treated me that way, I would never be good enough. But the god I believe in loves everyone for who they are blemishes and all and I'm going to try to do the same to make this world a little more heaven like and enjoyable to be a part of.
George leaves his body and sees it lying in his bed. He is not aware the dead body in his bed is his. Wanting eagerly to travel to Richmond, Virginia to start college, he finds himself flying in the air toward a city. He is not sure how he acquired these strange powers of flight and transparency.
He arrives at a city and discovers he has lost his solidness. He flies back to the hospital and sees his lifeless body in the morgue and realizes he has died. Suddenly, Jesus appears emitting a tremendous light and love. George's entire life appears before him. Jesus asks, "What have you done with your life?" He realizes Jesus is not judging him, but he is judging himself. Jesus gives him a tour of four different dimensions in the afterlife. They both fly toward a large city on Earth where they notice a group of assembly-line workers at work. He witnesses the spirit of a woman trying desperately to obtain a cigarette from the workers who are oblivious to her presence. This woman died severely addicted to cigarettes.
In a house, Jesus shows him the spirit of a boy following a living teenage girl and begging for forgiveness while the girl is completely unaware of the boy's presence. Jesus tells George that the boy committed suicide and is "chained to every consequence of his act." Jesus shows George a bar filled with sailors who are heavily drinking. Spirits try desperately and in vain to get a drink or to control the sailors' alcoholic behavior. These spirits are from humans who die severely alcoholic. He is horrified as he observes a drunken sailor pass out and an alcoholic spirit jump into the body of the sailor.
Jesus takes him to a new dimension away from Earth and shows him a kind of "receiving station" where spirits would arrive in a deep hypnotic sleep because of their beliefs. These are spirits who believe they must sleep after death until Jesus returns. Jesus shows him a dimension where angry spirits are locked in hand-to-hand combat, trying in vain to hurt each other. He hears verbal abuse going on. He observes some trying in vain to get sexual gratification from each other. He also sees spirits arguing over some religious or political point and trying to kill the ones who did not agree with them. Here, he realizes he is seeing hell. These are spirits who are locked into some earthly desire that went beyond the physical and which cannot be satisfied in the spirit.
He is then taken to a different dimension appearing like an enormous university. Here he observes people dressed as monks engaged in some form of artistic behavior or research. He is taken into an enormous library where all the important books of the universe are assembled. He asks Jesus if this is heaven. He replies that these are the people who grew beyond selfish desires while on Earth. George realizes these people cannot see Jesus, just as the others could not see him in hell.
Jesus takes him into outer space toward a distant city made of brilliant light of a similar description to the city in the Book of Revelation. He speculates this is the place where people go who have become Christ-like while on Earth. Here, love was the dominant focus of life. He realizes he is seeing heaven, but he is not allowed to go in. Jesus then shows him the future of the Earth. He then returns to his physical body.
"Death is nothing more than a doorway, something you walk through." - Dr. George Ritchie
First let me say that I'm not a huge fan of reading books about people and their beliefs and experiences with God I find them to be cheesy and not quite inline with who and what I believe god to be. Obtaining this book was a mistake I was looking through the free books on my kindle and I read the short about this one and figured why not so I clicked it and it started to download. I looked later and noticed that it in fact was not free, and so I figured if I paid for it I might was well read it and so I did. Boy, I'm glad I did. It just made me realize that our priorities here on this earth are sometimes skewed. People get caught up in material needs and let what's really important like love and compassion for one another take a seat on the back burner.
While leaving the platform to walk to my car, a gentleman who I would say was about my age if not a year or two older was waiting for a bus. Me being in a good mood and just having finished this book made eye contact with him and smiled which got a reaction I did not expect. He proceeded to smile back and then asked me if he could ask me a quick question. I said of course, thinking that he would be asking something about when the bus was coming or where it goes. He ended up asking however "That smile you just gave me.... what was that about? Is it the cigarette I have in my hand or the way I am dressed or what...?" I was caught off guard and said the first thing that came to mind "It's been a good day, I'm happy and why not smile?" He chuckled and said "I guess that's reason enough. and Thank you." This little experience made me realize that a simple smile shared with someone can make a change in their day.
I've made it a personal goal to smile at everyone I meet in passing and love as many people as I can unconditionally. The second one is going to be a toughy because I've grown up thinking that in order for you to love someone they have to earn your love or prove that they are worthy of it. This book made me think if God treated me that way, I would never be good enough. But the god I believe in loves everyone for who they are blemishes and all and I'm going to try to do the same to make this world a little more heaven like and enjoyable to be a part of.
Oct 27, 2012
Long overdue
I know I'm long overdue for a post or two, Fall semester is 1/2 over and I'm really enjoying it thus far. I have two classes one of which is an internship. I'm on campus one day of the week for 3 hours and work part most of the other days. The last 3 months have been interesting. I decided to end a two year relationship that I had invested a lot of time and love in. I don't regret a thing. We were just two VERY different people and were starting to realize that what we ultimately wanted in life varied a bit. It was rough and not easy by any means. It's taken some getting used to being single again. I've been able to concentrate on refocusing myself on my goals and aspirations. I've wanted to be a Firefighter Medic for a few years now and I'm two months away from enrolling in the Paramedic program at the U and I couldn't be more excited! Life is never easy but oh, life is sooo sooo good! I will follow this post up with more that will include pictures from my various adventures and experiences!
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