Working through Stress...

Stress is definited as "test the limits of", "tension" or "difficulty that cause worry or emotion tension". The pretty much sums it up for me (all 3 definitons) what I have encounter since I basically come back from the reabstracting study in April. The stress in my life is majority speaking work related, but my relationship with the church I was attending came to a crossroads. After taking in all that was happening, praying about it too - I realize that the direction of the church was not where I am comfortable with. So I have made the decision to withdraw my membership - it was sad as I have met some special people at the church. As my mom likes to point out - if relationship are important to me, I take all means at my disposal to continue that friendship (emails, phone calls, visits). I will miss meeting the ladies on Monday nights who were trying to teach me how to sew/quilt. I enjoyed all our laughs as well as tears when they came too. Right now, I think I am going to take some downtime before going "church shopping" as some call it. Plus with most groups within the churches closed down for the summer - it worked as good timing so I will be ready in the Fall. I will be able to use this time to figure out what I am looking for - my needs.

Now work - around the world you hear the news of job losses and the stresses of the employed who are working their way though this current recession. Alberta's health care system is no different. April 2008 the government took over per sae - Alberta had like 12 separate health boards (I was a part of the Calgary Health Region) - April 1, 2008 we became one health care board - Alberta Health Services - one board to serve the needs for the whole province. Well, we "support staff" are now feeling the affects of this merge. Downsizing and a Hiring freeze!! My heart goes out to the front line workers - our nurses. There is such a need - someone said that there were 100 openings prior to the freeze!! Those now are all shelved. Same with the two coordinator positions I applied for - shelved. This freeze is hitting our dept - it the realization that we will always have these looming data collection deadlines over our heads and that we are not always going to have the manpower to meet them. Maybe coming from a multi-site hospital situation in Thunder Bay I have a different view in the big picture - the words :like "teamwork" "flexibility" "understanding" need to be looked at. The data can't be sent into our data collection place until all the sites have completed their months - so we have to work as a "team" to make it happen; be willing to be "flexible" and for a day or two go to another site that needs help to make that deadline; to be "understanding" that we all are dealing with the same stresses at work and that some sites are more understaffed in certain coding disciplines that makes it impossible to get ahead in the game. Plus some sites are more difficult in certain disciplines that makes it a struggle to meet our daily quota expectation (FMC - trauma/cardiac inpatients) (PLC - daysurgery ortho cases - feet/shoulders and face - Yucky charts!!). Now with summer vacations - interesting times ahead - at least no ones holiday times have been cancelled on them (that happened in Thunder Bay when we were under similar circumstances) . I think having had worked at all 4 urban sites within Calgary myself at one time, has given me an insight of what each site is facing. Impression - we are all in the same boat. I am trying to stay positive though it has been a struggle this week especially, as you see the physicial strain on my coworkers' faces - I am happy to have a job, a job that has open doors I thought were shut forever, opportunities to spread my wings and my comfort zone, and I have met some neat ladies too. My additional stress has been my training of staff - some of it being a reality check - it has been a challenge as you combine both that and the above mention stresses. My training of new hires will be coming to a close on July 3rd and I head back to my home base of FMC where I will just code - well for 2 weeks before I am sheduled a coworker for 2 weeks in the daysurgery discipline. I have received a few emails this week from FMC where at the end of their coding question to me - adding they miss me there. It brought a smile to my face.

Anyway - all I can do is to take each day as it comes - deal with it and repeat it the following days ahead. Unfortunately, hearing at our site meeting this week - as the board has to cut $1 billion off the budget, the axe hasn't finished falling and we are only beginning to feel what the storm is going to bring us - all levels from the top down as feeling the external pressures and financial strings tighten - I think we are still in the "calm before the storm" phase - so I just have to prepare myself that in some respects - it is going to get more stressful and worst at work before it is going to get better - hey that sounds like what you hear on the news about the current recession too!!

A reminder to myself: Try to stay positive or at least look on the positive side of things. You have family and friends who care about you and have my faith to see it through to the sunny sides once again.

Close-ups taken by Jon J

Sierra - our birthday girl!!

Ethan

Journey

John P

While I was holding Casendra - Jon J took over as photographer for the birthday party. It seems he likes the zoom feature of the camera. Here are some closeups he took today. Thanks for stepping in for me Jon.

Casendra's closeups

Casendra's closeups as she sat on my lap.

Casendra and I - it has been amazing to me, as I come to realize the connect or bond that one can make with a child, even if it is not your own. It seems Casendra and I have that bond - despite being away for over 12 weeks on the reabstracting study she never acted strange - instead she came to me right away with a big smile and arms up for me to pick her up. Amazing being she is only 16 months old. It is so cute that most of the time, she would come to me to be picked up or held before going to even her parents (she also goes to her Uncle Jon too). It has been awhile but later in the evening we had our cuddle time (head on my shoulder as she plays with my tops gathers). I was taken aback though, when I was holding baby Emily as Casendra cried as she wanted to be held too. So at one point I was sitting in a chair with Baby Emily in one arm with Casendra sitting on my lap being held with the other arm.

Box full of Entertainment

It is amazing how something like a simple box can provide such entertainment for children, especially a box this big. Here is Sierra enjoying her birthday cake and ice cream in the box which had her American girl bed for her doll.

Ethan with his sister Casendra having their turn to have fun in the box

Ethan found that styloform can stick on your forehead!!!

Logan

Meagan with her daughter Baby Emily (only 8 weeks old)

Mike

Logan

A couple of Sundays ago, I babysat Logan and his baby sister Emily (she is 8 weeks old) so that his parents could go to the movies. I must admit it was wonderful - Logan decided to take his afternoon nap about 30 mins after his parents left and didn't wake up until they arrived. Baby Emily was wonderful too until feeding time which they left me a bottle - so all was good.

Logan sharing some one on one with Sgt Pepper
(oh the muzzle was so he didn't eat the grass - he doesn't react well with fresh grass.)

Mother and Daughter

Sara (Sierra's mom) wrote a special letter to her daughter (Sierra is the oldest child). Hearing the wonderful words that Sara was expressing to her daughter, you know there is a special bond between Sierra and her mom. If you wish to read this letter, Sara has posted it on her blog site (you can find the link from my blog site). Here, Sierra is reading out loud her letter to us.

Near the end of the letter, Sierra asked her mom to read the remaining portion of the letter. There is something so special between the relationship of a mother and her daughter(s).

Opening her gifts

Sierra's friends gave her this colourful beach blanket (looked soft too). Plus a nice long necklace and I think it comes with a pair of matching earrings too.

Sierra is becoming a wonderful reader. She tries her best to say all the new words but asks either her friends or parents to help her with those toughie words. Being she is an animal lover - she was excited to see the book is about dogs.

Friends of the family, Mike and Meagan, found this beautiful necklace for Sierra. She put it on immediately. The flower pedals are made out of seashells - memories of Ocean City, NJ (a favourite beach getaway for the James family - especially Char). It looks great on you Sierra.