It is sometimes difficult for me to understand how life can interfere so much with things I want to do, like daily blogging. I have always thought that if a person really had enough desire to do a thing, the person would never fail to do that thing. I have found that some things slow me down or at least I LET these things slow me down. My lovely bride, on the other hand, managed to knock out, I mean, EARN a doctorate degree in nursing. For me, having to work twelve-hour days while doing my job and the job of training a new employee, then immediately training another employee, was all it took to derail my "daily" blogging.
There is another "demon" that occasionally hinders my blogging, and that is, why is what I have to say important to anyone, or even just entertaining to anyone? We have all had life-experiences that others would like to hear about, maybe learn from. But why mine? I am not a movie star, a politician, or even a local "big fish in a small pond." Nothing that I have done in my life is really "stand out." As one my favorite songs says, "I'm just a plain and simple, ordinary man." (RIP Dale McBride)
Having said all that, I once again start pounding the keyboard...
One of my dear friends (an actual friend, not just a Facebook friend) had a terrible experience today, but she was able to step in and render aid in a very critical situation, possibly saving a person's life. It may be that my friend will never know whether the person to whom she rendered aid lived or died after she was taken away in that ambulance. But I commend my sweet friend for doing what was needed when she could have stood by in shock and helplessness like several others gathered at the scene of the accident.
By rendering aid, I mean that my friend attended a lady who was trapped in a damaged, mangled automobile, keeping her vital functions operating until paramedics arrived. She also attended two other victims. I know from personal experience that when a person does his or her best to help victims of traffic accidents, shootings, or other traumatic situations, that person also invests a lot of heart and emotion. Even if the person who needs help is a complete stranger, the emotional investment in those few awful minutes (that seem like HOURS!!) creates a bond that will last so much longer. Quite likely my friend will never meet the person she helped so much, or that person's family, but she is bonded with this person, and concerned about the outcome, just the same.
It is now been over five years, but I remember it like yesterday, when my wife and I were involved in a similar event as my friend. My lovely bride and I were travelling from Surfside Beach to meet my cousin for lunch in Pearland. As we travelled north on Highway 288 and had just left lack Jackson, I happened to look in my rear-view mirror where I saw a pickup nearly a mile behind our car, weaving dangerously in and out of traffic while travelling at a much higher rate of speed than all the other traffic. As the pickup quickly overtook us, I moved into the right lane and carefully watched this vehicle, ready to take evasive action if necessary.
The pickup flew past us like a rocket, swiftly changing in and out of the traffic lanes, nearly side-swiping numerous vehicles in the process. I told my lovely bride that this was not going to end well. The pickup was gone within seconds, and we momentarily lost sight of the pickup as our view was blocked by the Highway 35 overpass. But as soon as we passed the bridge we saw a white car literally in the grass to the right of the right land and shoulder. The car looked like an army tank had run over the back of it. And we literally saw debris still falling from the sky as the pickup, now on its side, skidded down the shoulder.
Of course we stopped, along with almost all the traffic. My lovely bride and I went to the car first, arriving just as two off-duty firefighters arrived and opened the passenger door of the car. There were four people in the car, and a very strong smell of gasoline. Fuel was seeping out of a broken gas tank. The person in the front seat, the mother, was not severely injured but was clearly in shock and disoriented. Two younger kids and a teen-aged girl were in the back. All three were seriously injured but the teen-aged girl was unconscious and barely clinging to life. Even a layman like myself could clearly see that she was near death. My lovely bride took charge of this young lady while the firemen removed the others from the car. I had found a man lying in the grass and I thought the pickup had hit him, but in fact the man had jumped out of the way as the pickup hit the car.
He was not injured physically, but he was aware that the young girl was badly injured, maybe dying. I left him briefly and went to the pickup, where a couple of men helped the driver climb out. He was a young man, only twenty or so. He asked if he had hit something, and the smell of alcohol flooded him and his vehicle. Yes, he was so drunk he could barely stand. I left him in the care of the two men, and about this time the first police officer, a captain with the Brazoria Sheriff's Office, arrived on the scene. I told him about the driver then went back to stay with the man I had found in the grass. By now the full reality of the situation had come home, and I held him as he cried.
My lovely bride had never left the young lady's side even though she was trapped in a car that could go up in flames any second. Firefighters had arrived and were washing away the gasoline, and in the distance I could hear the sound of rotors. A helicopter was coming for the young lady. She died, however, before the helicopter landed. The other children were flown away. Eventually the "scene" was cleared and traffic once again was able to move down the highway.
After I had spoken to one of the officers working the accident, I turned to locate my lovely bride, and found her standing with another nurse who had stopped several minutes after we arrived. My lovely bride was soaked with water and gasoline. And when I went to her, she broke down as the emotions she had to restrain while caring for this young girl erupted to the surface. The traumatic things these people went through, the helplessness as this girl's life literally faded away while my wife held her, the sheer stupidity and senselessness of the man's actions that caused this terrible accident. I am sure all of these things my lovely bride felt were similar to the emotions my friend went through today.
As a police officer I was in this situation many times, and was trained to function even with the emotions and tragedy. Nurses are much the same, in that they have to continue to function even in the face of emotion and tragedy. I am always impressed when I see or hear about "civilians" who are able to render aid or do whatever it takes to control a situation, because most people are not "trained" to maintain calm, at least a functional calm, when faced with a horrible situation. And after the situation is "over," the emotions jump out, and very often there is not a suitable release, other than to just talk about it with someone. The emotions do not just "leave." People who witness terrible sights and help those who are injured will relive the scene time after time. And they may be unable to put the emotions behind them because they cannot learn the outcome, the "epilogue" to their experiences and efforts at the scene.
To all who have ever rendered aid, rescued someone, defended a person in danger, even if you never know the actual "outcome" I commend you all for what you have done. But even more important, those that you helped appreciated it, even if they can never tell you. You did for them what was needed at the time, and that is a reward in itself...the Good Shepherd said "It is more blessed to give than to receive." And when you gave all you could, in that traumatic situation, you indeed become the hands of the Good Shepherd.
For Carla
There is another "demon" that occasionally hinders my blogging, and that is, why is what I have to say important to anyone, or even just entertaining to anyone? We have all had life-experiences that others would like to hear about, maybe learn from. But why mine? I am not a movie star, a politician, or even a local "big fish in a small pond." Nothing that I have done in my life is really "stand out." As one my favorite songs says, "I'm just a plain and simple, ordinary man." (RIP Dale McBride)
Having said all that, I once again start pounding the keyboard...
One of my dear friends (an actual friend, not just a Facebook friend) had a terrible experience today, but she was able to step in and render aid in a very critical situation, possibly saving a person's life. It may be that my friend will never know whether the person to whom she rendered aid lived or died after she was taken away in that ambulance. But I commend my sweet friend for doing what was needed when she could have stood by in shock and helplessness like several others gathered at the scene of the accident.
By rendering aid, I mean that my friend attended a lady who was trapped in a damaged, mangled automobile, keeping her vital functions operating until paramedics arrived. She also attended two other victims. I know from personal experience that when a person does his or her best to help victims of traffic accidents, shootings, or other traumatic situations, that person also invests a lot of heart and emotion. Even if the person who needs help is a complete stranger, the emotional investment in those few awful minutes (that seem like HOURS!!) creates a bond that will last so much longer. Quite likely my friend will never meet the person she helped so much, or that person's family, but she is bonded with this person, and concerned about the outcome, just the same.
It is now been over five years, but I remember it like yesterday, when my wife and I were involved in a similar event as my friend. My lovely bride and I were travelling from Surfside Beach to meet my cousin for lunch in Pearland. As we travelled north on Highway 288 and had just left lack Jackson, I happened to look in my rear-view mirror where I saw a pickup nearly a mile behind our car, weaving dangerously in and out of traffic while travelling at a much higher rate of speed than all the other traffic. As the pickup quickly overtook us, I moved into the right lane and carefully watched this vehicle, ready to take evasive action if necessary.
The pickup flew past us like a rocket, swiftly changing in and out of the traffic lanes, nearly side-swiping numerous vehicles in the process. I told my lovely bride that this was not going to end well. The pickup was gone within seconds, and we momentarily lost sight of the pickup as our view was blocked by the Highway 35 overpass. But as soon as we passed the bridge we saw a white car literally in the grass to the right of the right land and shoulder. The car looked like an army tank had run over the back of it. And we literally saw debris still falling from the sky as the pickup, now on its side, skidded down the shoulder.
Of course we stopped, along with almost all the traffic. My lovely bride and I went to the car first, arriving just as two off-duty firefighters arrived and opened the passenger door of the car. There were four people in the car, and a very strong smell of gasoline. Fuel was seeping out of a broken gas tank. The person in the front seat, the mother, was not severely injured but was clearly in shock and disoriented. Two younger kids and a teen-aged girl were in the back. All three were seriously injured but the teen-aged girl was unconscious and barely clinging to life. Even a layman like myself could clearly see that she was near death. My lovely bride took charge of this young lady while the firemen removed the others from the car. I had found a man lying in the grass and I thought the pickup had hit him, but in fact the man had jumped out of the way as the pickup hit the car.
He was not injured physically, but he was aware that the young girl was badly injured, maybe dying. I left him briefly and went to the pickup, where a couple of men helped the driver climb out. He was a young man, only twenty or so. He asked if he had hit something, and the smell of alcohol flooded him and his vehicle. Yes, he was so drunk he could barely stand. I left him in the care of the two men, and about this time the first police officer, a captain with the Brazoria Sheriff's Office, arrived on the scene. I told him about the driver then went back to stay with the man I had found in the grass. By now the full reality of the situation had come home, and I held him as he cried.
My lovely bride had never left the young lady's side even though she was trapped in a car that could go up in flames any second. Firefighters had arrived and were washing away the gasoline, and in the distance I could hear the sound of rotors. A helicopter was coming for the young lady. She died, however, before the helicopter landed. The other children were flown away. Eventually the "scene" was cleared and traffic once again was able to move down the highway.
After I had spoken to one of the officers working the accident, I turned to locate my lovely bride, and found her standing with another nurse who had stopped several minutes after we arrived. My lovely bride was soaked with water and gasoline. And when I went to her, she broke down as the emotions she had to restrain while caring for this young girl erupted to the surface. The traumatic things these people went through, the helplessness as this girl's life literally faded away while my wife held her, the sheer stupidity and senselessness of the man's actions that caused this terrible accident. I am sure all of these things my lovely bride felt were similar to the emotions my friend went through today.
As a police officer I was in this situation many times, and was trained to function even with the emotions and tragedy. Nurses are much the same, in that they have to continue to function even in the face of emotion and tragedy. I am always impressed when I see or hear about "civilians" who are able to render aid or do whatever it takes to control a situation, because most people are not "trained" to maintain calm, at least a functional calm, when faced with a horrible situation. And after the situation is "over," the emotions jump out, and very often there is not a suitable release, other than to just talk about it with someone. The emotions do not just "leave." People who witness terrible sights and help those who are injured will relive the scene time after time. And they may be unable to put the emotions behind them because they cannot learn the outcome, the "epilogue" to their experiences and efforts at the scene.
To all who have ever rendered aid, rescued someone, defended a person in danger, even if you never know the actual "outcome" I commend you all for what you have done. But even more important, those that you helped appreciated it, even if they can never tell you. You did for them what was needed at the time, and that is a reward in itself...the Good Shepherd said "It is more blessed to give than to receive." And when you gave all you could, in that traumatic situation, you indeed become the hands of the Good Shepherd.
For Carla
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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