Creative Blessings

I hope this finds you healthy, able-bodied, and full of creative energy. Or, as one dear gentleman answered when my husband asked about his health, “I’m ambulatory.” Sometimes, ambulatory is today’s creative blessing.

Like a Pollock painting, a weird juxtaposition of medicine, education, message, and art came together for our family this past week.

Creative Blessings

Often, seemingly chaotic and colorful, even disruptive events reflect an underlying purpose. If only we could interpret the creative blessing properly.

The Creative Blessing of Collaboration

For starters, a coming art exhibit has our family in a state of impatient anticipation. A collection of local artists, inspired philanthropists, and Valerosa Designs and Gallery collaborated to highlight Tyler Junior College’s health programs. They are congregated in the beautiful Robert M. Rogers Nursing & Health Sciences Center, or as we like to call it, “TJC’s nursing building.” The official announcement happens in early 2018. (See, by reading this far, you totally rock the local inside scoop.)

A Bias for Nurses

I confess a family bias for nurses. Since 1951, TJC has been training nurses to step into countless roles here and throughout the world. Since I grew up in a medical family, I get it. Also, one son-in-law is a nurse and one is in elder care. We harbor an abiding respect for the service of nurses. However, since TJC hosts a full array of health service training, some friends may dispute our nickname for the building. Dedicated local dentists may even call it “TJC’s dental building.”

Art or Tech?

At TJC, robots could pass for sculptures of humans. Just the creative process in developing the robotic technology is enough to prompt us all to believe in miracles. We live in a world where computers and polymers come together in robots that function as faux patients with medical emergencies. Generations of future nurses no longer threaten human patients’ well-being in the training process. They instead learn skills on robotic guinea pigs. Is this art, science, technology, education, or all of the above? Perhaps, robotic patients simply represent humans in a free society unleashing their creative, innovative potential.

In honor of her time at TJC, our daughter invited me to collaborate on a huge painting, Imagine the pure joy of applying layers of purple paint to gold canvas with two adorable toddlers “helping” us.

The Inspiration of a Good Mom

Ironically, the one person most responsible for instilling our family values missed our initial visit to see our painting in its new home. Just days ago, my sweet mom made an emergency trip to the hospital. Maybe I needed a personal reminder about how blessed we are in this community to have such amazing health care providers. If you know and love my mom, please pray. She is once again tutoring me in strength and grace.

Like any creative work, fostering innovative genius means keeping up with today’s modern challenges in the workplace and the global economy. No where is collaboration more important than if someone you love needs medical care. TJC contributes accessible education for all in our community, especially in the health care field.

At TJC, you have all the fundamentals of an educational masterpiece. Our community is blessed by such a school.

Coming Soon

Coming soon: Next week, I plan to share some Comfort for Christmas. Especially if you are missing a loved one, this is for you. For any moms out there who are facing Christmas alone, we started the “Strong and Single” series on Fireside Talk Radio. I hope you will look for the podcasts of my recent interviews with media guru Sandra Beck. In Divorce/ When is Enough Enough?, Sandra shares how her marriage broke down into divorce, yet she emerged her family’s champion. Then, in How to be Your Family’s Champion this successful professional woman gives us tips for how to excel at mom-hood, even if you or someone you love is going it alone.

May I pray for you?

Dear Father, life has unexpected turns constantly. We often find ourselves alone with You, whether we want to be or not. We may even ignore You or wonder how to connect with You. Yet, You constantly reach out to us. In the touch of a loved one, in the tender smile of a stranger, in the kindness of a dear friend, You express Your love for us in infinite ways. Open our eyes and hearts so that the creative power of Your love bursts in on our consciousness. Bless this dear reader because its Your heart’s desire to do so now. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I want to hear from you and this week I need to….

How have people expressed unexpected love for you in a crisis moment? What encouragement have you received when you were on vigil at the hospital?

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Cathy Krafve, Texas Author, Columnist, Speaker, and Radio Host, focusing on fellowship in Christian Marriage and Family, invites your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com. Truth with a Texas Twang.