Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Old Abandoned House

Have you ever stopped and looked at an old abandoned house and wondered what it had lived through. Who had lived there years ago?

Did a young couple start their life here and had layed in bed at night dreaming about their future?

Did small children run across the veranda laughing and playing tag?

Did  a big family gather together for Christmas dinner and  enjoy a hot turkey supper with many  servings of dessert?

Did  the family get  word that a son would not be coming home again because he was killed in a battlefield on the other side of the world?

Did a mother fight with her daughter when she came in late one night after being told she was not allowed to be hanging around with Ben Harley's son?

Did a woman lay awake at night crying and wondering where her husband was again at 2:00 a.m.?

Did a man bury his wife because she died in childbirth, and was left with six small children to raise alone?

Did a small child fall into the well and die breaking her parents will to live, yet knowing they had to carry on  for they had other children to feed?

Did a middle aged woman cry quietly, knowing that she had no more love to give her husband after years of arguments and struggles?

Did a family move to the city looking for a better way of earning a living and leave the house to hold their memories within its walls, hoping that they would return one day?

Yes what would this house tell if it could speak ... so many stories through the years of time.  But it will keep their secrets for house are like that you know. Their walls kept a family safe from the storms of life and protected their belongings by asking little in return. At one time it received a fresh coat of paint every few years and had flower beds to make it feel loved and admired. How proud it had felt  when vistors had come over and said how beautiful it was and so well built. In return it would brace itself against the winds  and the rain and cry out in pain with its creaks and cracking, yet it never gave in for it had a family that loved it and needed its protection.

Oh yes, what do you think when you see an old abandoned house? An old eyesore that should be torn down?  Just remember that house was  very much alive  back in its day and all it would need is a little tender care for it to start over with another family and their story. A little paint, some repairs to the roof, maybe some new windows for it to see again and who knows what a place of comfort it could be once more for  these old house were built to last and there is not a modern home that can compare to the wise old ways of these magnificent structures.



Sunday, July 1, 2012

Florence Nightengale A Life of Passion

 We have all heard the stories about Florence Nightingale. She was a young woman that  was born in Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820.  She spent most of her childhood in England and although she didn't attend school, her father taught her well.
  At an early age she began to study  elementary nursing techniques and in 1852 she was given the position of superintendent of the Institution for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in London.  
 During the Crimean war in 1854 she  volunteered as a nurse with a group of other women. The conditions of the nurising facilities were inadequate an she brought about changes that  would improve the sanitary conditions of the patients care. Florence would check on and comfort the patients at night, walking the halls with a lamp. It was because of this that the soldiers gave her the nickname, "The Lady with the Lamp."
In 1856, she became widely known as superintendent of the Female Nursing Establishment of the Military Hospitals.  After meeting with Queen Victoria
she was promised a royal commission and the Royal Commission on the Health of the Army, was created in 1857, and this commission also formed an Army Medical School in 1857 as well. Another royal commission was created as well in 1859, and this commission established a Sanitary Department in 1868.
In 1860, Florence created the Nightingale School for Nurses at St. Thomas' Hospital. This was the first of its kind, and Florence reformed the workhouses and trained the midwives and nurses herself. However, her health began to fail her and in 1901, she became completely blind. Florence died in London, England, on August 13, 1910.

  Although this gives one a brief  overview of her life, I cannot help but wonder about her personal life. After all she was  a real woman and I am sure felt the fear, fatigue and emotions that we all do as we move through the different stages of life.  There must have been times when she was angry and frustrated and longed for some peace and quiet. Or maybe she found her true calling and it remained her passion throughout her life.  How many of us live our lives waiting  and dreaming about what we really want to do but push it aside to deal with the real issues of  our busy lives. How many of us fear our dreams because reaching towards them just feels painful and impossible. Sound familiar? What a shame to limit our own possibilities with a smaller life.


How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.
                                             Florence Nightengale