You can tell a lot about a person from his or her hands.
When this was first brought to my attention, I immediately thought of my grandfather. I thought about the hours I spent as a child lotioning his rough carpenter hands. I thought about how appalled my child-self was that he let his hands get so chapped and cracked.
I look down at my own hands now and realize my child-self would be appalled. Calloused from holding a pen. Blistered from raking leaves (yes in December). Red and rough from the cold, despite the gloves. I thought about the abuse they receive throughout the day.
Hands vital for communication. Hands that fidget. Hands ready to hold. Ready to perform. Hands that spell "Hi!" with veins. Hands that are washed way too often. Hands that work just as easily in polar fleece gloves as they do independently. These hands hurt. These hands are cold.
These hands don't care. These hands will do their best for God's glory. These hands were made to praise Him. These hands were made to serve Him. These hands may have to work slowly, but these hands will work and He'll get the honor.
As a child, I never wanted to have the hands of my grandfather, the hands of a carpenter. As an adult, I want to be the hands of a carpenter, Christ Jesus.
A carpenter's hands are beat up, bruised, and rough. When I say, "Lord, I want to be Your hands" am I willing to be beat up and bruised? Am I willing to accept that life will be rough? Am I willing to accept the scars?
If you can tell a lot about a person by his or her hands and we are called to be Jesus's hands and feet, what are we saying about Him?
<>< Katie
Showing posts with label hand sanitizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hand sanitizer. Show all posts
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Touch
Sometimes Elizabeth is struck with this uncontrollable urge to touch someone's hair. It's really bad when she walks up to a stranger and starts running her finger's through this person's hair.
I had an "Elizabeth Moment" the other day. Sarah was sitting beside me in class with a stack of blank paper in her notebook. During the entire 50-minute class I had this barely controllable urge to run my hand along her beautiful paper. I'm a writer; I can't help it. Don't judge; it's the little things in life. As soon as the professor dismissed the class, my left hand shot across the aisle and onto Sarah's notebook. It happened at the exact moment that she was closing her notebook, sandwiching my hand between the new and the used paper. She gave me a weird look, I explained, and the weird look continued. But she let me touch her paper.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, what if had the same urge to touch lives in His name?
Christian told me this story about his first trip to Guatemala. They were serving food outside the garbage dump in Guatemala City. As the dump inhabitants came for food, Christian and some of the other members of his team sanitized their hands.
"The biggest thing we could do for them was to touch them. These people were considered untouchable and when we touched them to sanitize their hands we accepted them," he explained.
Jesus did the same thing in touching the man with leprosy in Matthew 8. He could have said, "You are healed," and it would have been done. He's God. He has the power to do that. But He didn't. He made a point to touch someone that society had seemed untouchable.
Now, I'm not saying run up to everybody and touch them. There are ways to touch people without ever making physical contact.
Jennifer and Amy just sent letters to their Compassion children in the Philippines and Ecuador. Lives touched. The executive chef served some weakling from the self-serve ice cream cooler. Life touched. We packed seven Operation Christmas Child boxes last week. Lives touched. A grad student spent her birthday doing homework and grading papers, alone, until some friends invited her over to hang out. Life touched.
It doesn't always take much. A small act can have a huge impact.
May the Lord give us all uncontrollable urges to touch the lives of His children and those who do not yet know Him. Let's do it all in His name.
<>< Katie
PS: I was inspired to write this during church this morning. As I was revising tonight, I was thinking about how it was similar to this post I wrote for Kaitlyn's birthday. I just found out an hour ago that after two and a half years of medical treatment 800 miles from home, Kaitlyn finally will be able to go home this December! What a wonderful Christmas present!
I had an "Elizabeth Moment" the other day. Sarah was sitting beside me in class with a stack of blank paper in her notebook. During the entire 50-minute class I had this barely controllable urge to run my hand along her beautiful paper. I'm a writer; I can't help it. Don't judge; it's the little things in life. As soon as the professor dismissed the class, my left hand shot across the aisle and onto Sarah's notebook. It happened at the exact moment that she was closing her notebook, sandwiching my hand between the new and the used paper. She gave me a weird look, I explained, and the weird look continued. But she let me touch her paper.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, what if had the same urge to touch lives in His name?
Christian told me this story about his first trip to Guatemala. They were serving food outside the garbage dump in Guatemala City. As the dump inhabitants came for food, Christian and some of the other members of his team sanitized their hands.
"The biggest thing we could do for them was to touch them. These people were considered untouchable and when we touched them to sanitize their hands we accepted them," he explained.
Jesus did the same thing in touching the man with leprosy in Matthew 8. He could have said, "You are healed," and it would have been done. He's God. He has the power to do that. But He didn't. He made a point to touch someone that society had seemed untouchable.
Now, I'm not saying run up to everybody and touch them. There are ways to touch people without ever making physical contact.
Jennifer and Amy just sent letters to their Compassion children in the Philippines and Ecuador. Lives touched. The executive chef served some weakling from the self-serve ice cream cooler. Life touched. We packed seven Operation Christmas Child boxes last week. Lives touched. A grad student spent her birthday doing homework and grading papers, alone, until some friends invited her over to hang out. Life touched.
It doesn't always take much. A small act can have a huge impact.
May the Lord give us all uncontrollable urges to touch the lives of His children and those who do not yet know Him. Let's do it all in His name.
<>< Katie
PS: I was inspired to write this during church this morning. As I was revising tonight, I was thinking about how it was similar to this post I wrote for Kaitlyn's birthday. I just found out an hour ago that after two and a half years of medical treatment 800 miles from home, Kaitlyn finally will be able to go home this December! What a wonderful Christmas present!
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Nose Knows
It's happened. I've been waiting patiently all semester and it has finally come to fruition. A cold has taken up residence in my body and no amount of hand sanitizer, bottled water, or Zicam will be evicting my newest suitemate. Until it decides to leave on its own terms, I will be sanitizing everything I look at.
But you know what? It's ok. Don't get me wrong, breathing is really annoying right now, but if it's March and I just now got sick for the first time: it's been a good year!
The other day at sign choir practice, Lizzie and I got into each others' sign space. Her hand got a little too close to my face. If Malachi poking me in the nose made it bleed, Lizzie's fingers definitely would have come out covered in ... censored. Ew gross! Filter, Katie, filter.
The sign Lizzie almost sent up my nose was "God." Yes, Lizzie's God almost went up my nose. Sometimes we need God to bloody our boogy nose before He gets our attention. That shouldn't be the case but it is reality. He shouldn't have to take such drastic measures before we give Him our undivided attention. Yet we're too busy running around trying to stay healthy, be productive, and keep the peace that we don't find the time to thank Him for our health, work, and relationships. We don't take a second and look for Him in those situations; we wait until He's taken drastic measures before we focus on Him.
Take a second and thank Him. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in a new way today.
As for me, I will do the same. I'll also make sure I'm rexercising ("rest" and "exercise" combined) to make sure this cold doesn't apply to be my roommate for next year. Oh, and since Zicam recalled their excellent up-the-nose product, I'll try to make sure the only thing headed up my nose is a tissue... and the occasional finger. Kidding. I think.
<>< Katie
But you know what? It's ok. Don't get me wrong, breathing is really annoying right now, but if it's March and I just now got sick for the first time: it's been a good year!
The other day at sign choir practice, Lizzie and I got into each others' sign space. Her hand got a little too close to my face. If Malachi poking me in the nose made it bleed, Lizzie's fingers definitely would have come out covered in ... censored. Ew gross! Filter, Katie, filter.
The sign Lizzie almost sent up my nose was "God." Yes, Lizzie's God almost went up my nose. Sometimes we need God to bloody our boogy nose before He gets our attention. That shouldn't be the case but it is reality. He shouldn't have to take such drastic measures before we give Him our undivided attention. Yet we're too busy running around trying to stay healthy, be productive, and keep the peace that we don't find the time to thank Him for our health, work, and relationships. We don't take a second and look for Him in those situations; we wait until He's taken drastic measures before we focus on Him.
Take a second and thank Him. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in a new way today.
As for me, I will do the same. I'll also make sure I'm rexercising ("rest" and "exercise" combined) to make sure this cold doesn't apply to be my roommate for next year. Oh, and since Zicam recalled their excellent up-the-nose product, I'll try to make sure the only thing headed up my nose is a tissue... and the occasional finger. Kidding. I think.
<>< Katie
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Buckle Up... It's the Law
Sometimes I feel like our trips in the car should be a blog saga. Might I add, that the longest travel time is twenty minutes and the shortest is three. It's usually the same people, so this could be like a column in a newspaper but really it's a blog.
They all start in the same way: Elizabeth and me fighting over shot gun. Sometimes I win; sometimes she wins. Either way it's a physical struggle between the two of us. We're both the oldest of three girls so we know how to fight and don't always fight fair. Hair pulling is not out of the question.
On Tuesday, Elizabeth won, so Amy and I sat in the back. Once seats are assigned and we all crawl in the second fight beings: to wear a seat belt or not to wear a seat belt, that is the question.
"Are you wearing your seat belts?" Andy asks every time. For the record, my seat belt is always on. It's Amy and Elizabeth that he has to worry about. They have been known to unbuckle each other so they can honestly answer "no" when he asks "Did you just unbuckle your seat belt?" He still pulled over and refused to go again until their seat belts were on correctly.
"I'll put my seat belt on if Katie takes hers off," Amy argued. I took my seat belt off. She put hers on. I put mine on. She took hers off. "And keeps it off!" That wasn't part of the deal.
"No, no, no the law says everyone in the vehicle must have their seat belts on at all times," Andy argued.
"Andy, do you plan on crashing?" Elizabeth asked.
"I don't think anyone plans on crashing. I think that's why it's called an accident," I suggested.
"But, really, Andy, you're a safe driver; he drives ambulances. We'll be ok."
"Put your seat belt on anyway," he argued.
"No! I've got a great Mom Arm. If we crash I'll just use my Mom Arm to save myself," Elizabeth suggested.
"You can't Mom Arm yourself. That just doesn't work!" Andy argued.
"Fine the I'll Mom Arm you and your seat belt will save us both."
For some reason I don't think that's going to work either.
"I'll put my seat belt on if Amy puts on her seat belt," Elizabeth started.
"I'll put on my seat belt if Elizabeth puts on her seat belt," Amy countered.
"Ok, on the count of three the two of you are going to simultaneously put on your seat belts... One... two... three!" Failure.
"If you don't put your seat belt on Katie's going to hold your shoulders, and I'm sure her hands are cold," Andy told Elizabeth.
Ten minutes after we got in the car both girls put on their respective seat belts which remained on for the duration of our three minute venture. Although it is always a concern. If he hadn't been driving stick shift I think he would have held Elizabeth's hands in his to prevent her from removing her seat belt.
While we were driving we created a what-if scenario regarding the importance of seat belts. My own accident story apparently isn't good enough for them.
"What if a deer jumps out in the middle of the road, I hit it, and you go flying through the windshield because you weren't wearing your seat belt and your Mom Arm failed. Then you crack your head open on the road and blood is spewing everywhere!" Andy started our hypothetical.
"You're trained to handle that," she said mocking Andy's EMS training; this has become one of our favorite lines (third favorite to be exact. The first two are "That's what she said" and "-er? You barely know her!").
"What if the airbag pushed me backwards while seat belt-less Amy is pushed forward behind me so we clunk heads and both pass out. Now you're still bleeding to death in the middle of the street," Andy continued.
"Katie, will you call 9-1-1 before you go crazy and start sanitizing everything?" Elizabeth asked me.
"I can't. My cell phone was in the bag you chucked into the elevator a half hour ago. Sorry," I said.
I was still sitting helplessly in the back seat, seatbelt fastened and hand sanitizer ready, as my friends struggled for consciousness when our hypothetical came to an abrupt hault. It was not by choice, however. You see at that very moment we learned the meaning of the word "irony." From the woods on our left jumped a deer. There was a mix of laughter and shock in the car as the deer disappeared into the woods across the stree.
No, Andy didn't hit it and our bizarre scenario didn't come to fruition, but I think Elizabeth and Amy will wear their seat belts next time we all go for a joy ride in Charlie.
And to think this post was going to be "Why I Wear a Helmet"... That'll be next week. :-)
Buckle up for safety, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah,
<>< Katie
They all start in the same way: Elizabeth and me fighting over shot gun. Sometimes I win; sometimes she wins. Either way it's a physical struggle between the two of us. We're both the oldest of three girls so we know how to fight and don't always fight fair. Hair pulling is not out of the question.
On Tuesday, Elizabeth won, so Amy and I sat in the back. Once seats are assigned and we all crawl in the second fight beings: to wear a seat belt or not to wear a seat belt, that is the question.
"Are you wearing your seat belts?" Andy asks every time. For the record, my seat belt is always on. It's Amy and Elizabeth that he has to worry about. They have been known to unbuckle each other so they can honestly answer "no" when he asks "Did you just unbuckle your seat belt?" He still pulled over and refused to go again until their seat belts were on correctly.
"I'll put my seat belt on if Katie takes hers off," Amy argued. I took my seat belt off. She put hers on. I put mine on. She took hers off. "And keeps it off!" That wasn't part of the deal.
"No, no, no the law says everyone in the vehicle must have their seat belts on at all times," Andy argued.
"Andy, do you plan on crashing?" Elizabeth asked.
"I don't think anyone plans on crashing. I think that's why it's called an accident," I suggested.
"But, really, Andy, you're a safe driver; he drives ambulances. We'll be ok."
"Put your seat belt on anyway," he argued.
"No! I've got a great Mom Arm. If we crash I'll just use my Mom Arm to save myself," Elizabeth suggested.
"You can't Mom Arm yourself. That just doesn't work!" Andy argued.
"Fine the I'll Mom Arm you and your seat belt will save us both."
For some reason I don't think that's going to work either.
"I'll put my seat belt on if Amy puts on her seat belt," Elizabeth started.
"I'll put on my seat belt if Elizabeth puts on her seat belt," Amy countered.
"Ok, on the count of three the two of you are going to simultaneously put on your seat belts... One... two... three!" Failure.
"If you don't put your seat belt on Katie's going to hold your shoulders, and I'm sure her hands are cold," Andy told Elizabeth.
Ten minutes after we got in the car both girls put on their respective seat belts which remained on for the duration of our three minute venture. Although it is always a concern. If he hadn't been driving stick shift I think he would have held Elizabeth's hands in his to prevent her from removing her seat belt.
While we were driving we created a what-if scenario regarding the importance of seat belts. My own accident story apparently isn't good enough for them.
"What if a deer jumps out in the middle of the road, I hit it, and you go flying through the windshield because you weren't wearing your seat belt and your Mom Arm failed. Then you crack your head open on the road and blood is spewing everywhere!" Andy started our hypothetical.
"You're trained to handle that," she said mocking Andy's EMS training; this has become one of our favorite lines (third favorite to be exact. The first two are "That's what she said" and "-er? You barely know her!").
"What if the airbag pushed me backwards while seat belt-less Amy is pushed forward behind me so we clunk heads and both pass out. Now you're still bleeding to death in the middle of the street," Andy continued.
"Katie, will you call 9-1-1 before you go crazy and start sanitizing everything?" Elizabeth asked me.
"I can't. My cell phone was in the bag you chucked into the elevator a half hour ago. Sorry," I said.
I was still sitting helplessly in the back seat, seatbelt fastened and hand sanitizer ready, as my friends struggled for consciousness when our hypothetical came to an abrupt hault. It was not by choice, however. You see at that very moment we learned the meaning of the word "irony." From the woods on our left jumped a deer. There was a mix of laughter and shock in the car as the deer disappeared into the woods across the stree.
No, Andy didn't hit it and our bizarre scenario didn't come to fruition, but I think Elizabeth and Amy will wear their seat belts next time we all go for a joy ride in Charlie.
And to think this post was going to be "Why I Wear a Helmet"... That'll be next week. :-)
Buckle up for safety, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah,
<>< Katie
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Keep Looking
When it comes to the blog, there's no real system for what I post. I know it's a shocker for "Don't touch it; I have a system" Katie to not have a method to this madness.
I do try to include a nice mix of God moments, this is what my crazy friends did this week, book reviews, and other random stories. I've had the last two well-covered this week, but I was thinking it's been awhile since I posted my last God moment.
First thing this morning, I decided I wanted to post a God moment today. Problem: that means I need to have a God moment today and God moments don't always come when you call. You have to go searching for them. So I've been looking...
In my dreams... nope, I dreamed about a hearing man complaining to me (in ASL) about the lack of closed captioning on certain television channels. Gosh my dream-life is exciting.
In my social life... My creative writing friend has strep throat and one of my suitemates has a staph infection. My life is filled with hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and vitamin C. God did not get my attention through disinfecting the door-knobs and light switches, sorry.
In my academic life... "What language am I supposed to be using now?" has been my motto for this week. Signing to people who speak Spanish doesn't work any better than speaking Spanish to deaf people. I've tried both.
In my free time... what's that?
Just because I've been searching for God and haven't heard from Him directly doesn't mean He's not here. Just because you can't see His hand in your daily life doesn't mean He's not there. He's there. Trust me: He's there. Keep looking. Keep praying. Keep listening. When He gets your attention, don't be shocked if it's not life shattering. While He can do ostentatious divine interventions, most of the times He's gotten my attention it's been through mundane, every day activities. He's with you in the crazy and in the daily.
<>< Katie
I do try to include a nice mix of God moments, this is what my crazy friends did this week, book reviews, and other random stories. I've had the last two well-covered this week, but I was thinking it's been awhile since I posted my last God moment.
First thing this morning, I decided I wanted to post a God moment today. Problem: that means I need to have a God moment today and God moments don't always come when you call. You have to go searching for them. So I've been looking...
In my dreams... nope, I dreamed about a hearing man complaining to me (in ASL) about the lack of closed captioning on certain television channels. Gosh my dream-life is exciting.
In my social life... My creative writing friend has strep throat and one of my suitemates has a staph infection. My life is filled with hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and vitamin C. God did not get my attention through disinfecting the door-knobs and light switches, sorry.
In my academic life... "What language am I supposed to be using now?" has been my motto for this week. Signing to people who speak Spanish doesn't work any better than speaking Spanish to deaf people. I've tried both.
In my free time... what's that?
Just because I've been searching for God and haven't heard from Him directly doesn't mean He's not here. Just because you can't see His hand in your daily life doesn't mean He's not there. He's there. Trust me: He's there. Keep looking. Keep praying. Keep listening. When He gets your attention, don't be shocked if it's not life shattering. While He can do ostentatious divine interventions, most of the times He's gotten my attention it's been through mundane, every day activities. He's with you in the crazy and in the daily.
<>< Katie
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sweet Suitemates
Reason number 5,602 why I love my suitemates
Yesterday in the car in the Sonic parking lot:
"Amy, do you want hand sanitizer?" Nikki asked.
"No, I'm good," Amy responded.
"Amy's going to get swine flu," I taunted. Swine flu doesn't scare me. Seven people living in close quarters, and one of them being sick scares me.
"Nikki," Amy said giving me a dirty look, "Can I have the hand sanitizer?"
Two minutes later:
"Does anyone care if I drive while eating my burger?" Elizabeth asked. "Katie?"
"As long as you're still safe," I told her. Gosh, they know me too well. :-)
Ten minutes later:
"Anyone want my last cheese stick?" Nikki asked the car. "They're just too big to shove in the last one. The last fry, no problem, but that last cheese stick is too heavy."
"I'll take it. I was watching you eat them before thinking about how good they looked, but I wasn't going to ask for on because you only get like six, so it's perfect that you offered the last one," I said smiling as I ate a mozzarella stick.
"How perfect. Oh, and you shouldn't have been afraid to ask me for the cheese stick because I love you more than I love cheese sticks. And you love cheese."
"Yeah, and I need to watch how much cheese I eat."
"We'll get you some fiber cereal, too."
Thanks, girls.
Reason Number 5,603
Today Allyson and I walked out of our bedrooms at the same time and smiled at each other across the kitchen. Her hand was in the air and she was kind of posed. Most girls probably would have snapped her hand down quickly and turned red, embarrassed she was just caught. Not Allyson. For the next ten minutes, she and I danced around the living room to "Desert Song" by Hillsong.
Reason Number 5,604
We cleaned together today. Sounds pretty basic but for an hour this afternoon our apartment was a cleaning machine! It needed to be done, and six of us were around to do it (Amy was exempt because she was home for the weekend). We've kind of envisioned Sunday afternoon cleaning as a suite but in the six months we've lived together it had yet to come to fruition. Today it finally did! Most of us just did the chores that we enjoy, but some of us did chores we don't like (yay, Eizabeth!). We listened to each other, got out of each others' way, and even organized the honkin' huge closet.
"Let me know if I'm in your way."
"No, you let ME know if I'm in YOUR way."
Reason number 5,605
My suitemates are currently licking all of the silverware and putting it back in the drawer just so I have to rewash everything before I eat here again.
Yesterday in the car in the Sonic parking lot:
"Amy, do you want hand sanitizer?" Nikki asked.
"No, I'm good," Amy responded.
"Amy's going to get swine flu," I taunted. Swine flu doesn't scare me. Seven people living in close quarters, and one of them being sick scares me.
"Nikki," Amy said giving me a dirty look, "Can I have the hand sanitizer?"
Two minutes later:
"Does anyone care if I drive while eating my burger?" Elizabeth asked. "Katie?"
"As long as you're still safe," I told her. Gosh, they know me too well. :-)
Ten minutes later:
"Anyone want my last cheese stick?" Nikki asked the car. "They're just too big to shove in the last one. The last fry, no problem, but that last cheese stick is too heavy."
"I'll take it. I was watching you eat them before thinking about how good they looked, but I wasn't going to ask for on because you only get like six, so it's perfect that you offered the last one," I said smiling as I ate a mozzarella stick.
"How perfect. Oh, and you shouldn't have been afraid to ask me for the cheese stick because I love you more than I love cheese sticks. And you love cheese."
"Yeah, and I need to watch how much cheese I eat."
"We'll get you some fiber cereal, too."
Thanks, girls.
Reason Number 5,603
Today Allyson and I walked out of our bedrooms at the same time and smiled at each other across the kitchen. Her hand was in the air and she was kind of posed. Most girls probably would have snapped her hand down quickly and turned red, embarrassed she was just caught. Not Allyson. For the next ten minutes, she and I danced around the living room to "Desert Song" by Hillsong.
Reason Number 5,604
We cleaned together today. Sounds pretty basic but for an hour this afternoon our apartment was a cleaning machine! It needed to be done, and six of us were around to do it (Amy was exempt because she was home for the weekend). We've kind of envisioned Sunday afternoon cleaning as a suite but in the six months we've lived together it had yet to come to fruition. Today it finally did! Most of us just did the chores that we enjoy, but some of us did chores we don't like (yay, Eizabeth!). We listened to each other, got out of each others' way, and even organized the honkin' huge closet.
"Let me know if I'm in your way."
"No, you let ME know if I'm in YOUR way."
God's placed some great girls in this apartment, and I feel incredibly blessed.
<>< KatieReason number 5,605
My suitemates are currently licking all of the silverware and putting it back in the drawer just so I have to rewash everything before I eat here again.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
International Security
I had another blog in mind for today, a God-moment even, but it needs to be more developed first. Instead, I logged online and found an interesting article I'd like to talk about.
http://www.sphere.com/nation/article/airlines-say-transportation-security-administration-has-new-rules-for-passengers-in-seats/19294497?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sphere.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fairlines-say-transportation-security-administration-has-new-rules-for-passengers-in-seats%2F19294497
Sorry, I don't know how to do the cool "click this link" thing... I can do it for my school/work blog on wordpress but not here).
That's right, they're changing airport security measures at least temporarily. When I first read the article, I was worried. They said no carry-ons in your lap when you're one-hour out from your destination. Um... my flight home is only two hours; you mean I'm going to sit there staring at the back of the seat in front of me for half of that time? I think not. No electronic devices I can handle. While I can't handle words in the car, the motion from planes doesn't bother me, I'd much rather be reading or writing than staring at the stranger sitting next to me.
I then learned it's only international flights. While I've never flown through any of the cities mentioned in the article, I do have international flying stories that can tell, and I realize international airports have different rules and regulations.
In Central American countries, security measures are... well... a bit different. My friend had his wallet chain confiscated. This had not been a problem for him to and from Europe nor to Central America. We were amused the US didn't care about it but this country did.
Also, the 3-1-1 rule does not apply (3 ounce liquid, 1 quart size bag, 1 traveler). Even though it was under 3 ounces and in a Ziploc bag, they took my hand sanitizer. I didn't understand, and the security guard felt the need to attempt to explain it to me in very broken English (I am an American but that doesn't mean I'm ignorant; I do speak Spanish). What I finally understood is that they had to take it because it has alcohol in it. I worked really hard to not laugh as I assured him I would NOT be drinking my hand sanitizer. He took it anyway and I was glad this was on the return trip. He didn't care about my one-liter bottle of water, though.
If you've been in an airport in the US you've heard the woman say, "Items purchased beyond the security check point may be carried on to the aircraft." This seems really weird, right? Well, in Central America, items purchases beyond the security check-point may NOT be carried on-board the aircraft. They hand-check bags as you're boarding the plane and confiscate water bottles at this point in time. This was bad news for our team member with a kidney stone. Flying with a kidney stone isn't a good idea to begin with but to board a plane in a lesser-developed country with a kidney stone and no bottle of water is... well... let's just say EMS met the plane when we landed in the US.
I'm not saying one way is right while the other is wrong. I do prefer the US standards because I'm not forced to surrender my beloved hand sanitizer and then fly five hours without a bottle of water but that doesn't mean it's a better system.
Just something to ponder.
<>< Katie
http://www.sphere.com/nation/article/airlines-say-transportation-security-administration-has-new-rules-for-passengers-in-seats/19294497?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sphere.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fairlines-say-transportation-security-administration-has-new-rules-for-passengers-in-seats%2F19294497
Sorry, I don't know how to do the cool "click this link" thing... I can do it for my school/work blog on wordpress but not here).
That's right, they're changing airport security measures at least temporarily. When I first read the article, I was worried. They said no carry-ons in your lap when you're one-hour out from your destination. Um... my flight home is only two hours; you mean I'm going to sit there staring at the back of the seat in front of me for half of that time? I think not. No electronic devices I can handle. While I can't handle words in the car, the motion from planes doesn't bother me, I'd much rather be reading or writing than staring at the stranger sitting next to me.
I then learned it's only international flights. While I've never flown through any of the cities mentioned in the article, I do have international flying stories that can tell, and I realize international airports have different rules and regulations.
In Central American countries, security measures are... well... a bit different. My friend had his wallet chain confiscated. This had not been a problem for him to and from Europe nor to Central America. We were amused the US didn't care about it but this country did.
Also, the 3-1-1 rule does not apply (3 ounce liquid, 1 quart size bag, 1 traveler). Even though it was under 3 ounces and in a Ziploc bag, they took my hand sanitizer. I didn't understand, and the security guard felt the need to attempt to explain it to me in very broken English (I am an American but that doesn't mean I'm ignorant; I do speak Spanish). What I finally understood is that they had to take it because it has alcohol in it. I worked really hard to not laugh as I assured him I would NOT be drinking my hand sanitizer. He took it anyway and I was glad this was on the return trip. He didn't care about my one-liter bottle of water, though.
If you've been in an airport in the US you've heard the woman say, "Items purchased beyond the security check point may be carried on to the aircraft." This seems really weird, right? Well, in Central America, items purchases beyond the security check-point may NOT be carried on-board the aircraft. They hand-check bags as you're boarding the plane and confiscate water bottles at this point in time. This was bad news for our team member with a kidney stone. Flying with a kidney stone isn't a good idea to begin with but to board a plane in a lesser-developed country with a kidney stone and no bottle of water is... well... let's just say EMS met the plane when we landed in the US.
I'm not saying one way is right while the other is wrong. I do prefer the US standards because I'm not forced to surrender my beloved hand sanitizer and then fly five hours without a bottle of water but that doesn't mean it's a better system.
Just something to ponder.
<>< Katie
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Song of the Sick
Well, it's official: I have the cold that's going around. Despite washing my hands incessantly and drinking a case of water (and then some) in four days (approximately 13 liters), I am sick. I wonder if orthodontists know that translucent sheath retainers make it almost impossible to breathe.
When I get sick, it attacks my speaking voice first followed by my singing voice. Even though I've sounded like crap all day, I was able to sing to God tonight and actually keep the song in the right key! It was an amazing miracle!
By the end of night, my singing voice was going quickly and I started squoaking. Well, go figure the next song was "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns. My sign choir did this song last year, so when my voice disappeared, I praised God with my hands.
Lord, God, I give You all that I have. I will praise You will all that I have. Whether You take those abilities away from me or not, I will praise You!
In Christ,
<>< Katie
"I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever." Psalm 86:12
When I get sick, it attacks my speaking voice first followed by my singing voice. Even though I've sounded like crap all day, I was able to sing to God tonight and actually keep the song in the right key! It was an amazing miracle!
By the end of night, my singing voice was going quickly and I started squoaking. Well, go figure the next song was "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns. My sign choir did this song last year, so when my voice disappeared, I praised God with my hands.
Lord, God, I give You all that I have. I will praise You will all that I have. Whether You take those abilities away from me or not, I will praise You!
In Christ,
<>< Katie
"I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever." Psalm 86:12
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