Holistic Medicine

GOOD NEWS!

Life Uniform recently donated 163 tops and 92 bottoms to the New Hope Education Center of Harvest House.  Many of New Hope's LPN students already work in the medical field as a CNA, and are required to wear scrubs.  Scrubs can be a financial burden for someone accepting a new job, or a new student.  This donation has allowed us to give scrubs at no charge to current and future students!  We are grateful for this donation from Life Uniform. 

(We sorted the scrubs according to size to create our impromptu "store" for current students.  On the left, our LPN instructor, Laura Bailey shows off some of the donated items.)


This donation was unsolicited (as far as I know).  I simply picked up the phone to someone asking me "would you like some free scrubs?"  Life is nice when it is so easy to give and receive gifts.

However, my time at Harvest House has shown me that it is not that easy to solve someone's problems.  An education can be a very powerful tool that can make life easier.  Last month, I was overjoyed to hear that a recent graduate of New Hope's LPN program was graduating with a full-time job.  This single mother had worked hard; I was happy to see a quick reward for her year in the LPN program.  When I called to see how her job was going, she replied, "Oh, I didn't take that job."  I was shocked.

I asked why she didn't take the job.  She responded that family issues needed to be addressed before she could accept any job.  She seemed to be taking it all in stride while I was almost angry that she was now without a nursing job.  Why didn't she simply get someone else to look after her ill uncle while she began this great new job!?  Why didn't she do things differently!?  Why was she so calm during this whole situation!?

I realized that it's because she is living her life, not mine.  It seemed like her family came first and she was willing to sacrifice a job in order to be present for her family.  Although I may not agree, she made this decision. 

I can offer opportunities and options.  Harvest House surely offers many opportunities and tools to help make life easier: clothing and large items at the Baby and Children's Ministry, medical care at Good Neighbors Health Care, education and legal advice at New Hope Education Center, and spiritual time at the Retreat and Spirituality Center.  However, not one of these things will bring a person peace.  It can help lead them to it; but, a person, as well as his or her problems, have many facets.  I love that Harvest House strives to treat a person as a whole.  Even so, I know that I am not in control of anyone who walks through our doors.  I can only treat them with love and kindness.