Today I officially completed my the first block of medical school. Goodbye to bench work and basic science! Now's it's onto organ blocks, physical diagnosis, primary care clinics and all that good stuff. First, however, we have a week off to recuperate and gear up for what will surely be a more challenging (and hectic) fall semester.
Research presentations wrapped up around 11:45 this morning, leaving me just enough time to make it to 12:15 Mass. I almost didn't go, however, feeling more drawn to the thought of lunch and a cup of real coffee (darn that decaf they managed to sneak in this morning!) I was pretty sure that both would make me happier than going to Mass. But as I was driving home, it dawned on me - we don't go to Mass to make ourselves happy (even though that may be a pleasant side effect). We go to bear witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to re-present His sacrifice, and to be blessed beyond all telling by His true and lasting presence in the Eucharist. We go because of Him. And that little reminder gave me a deep-seated joy that even my caffeine-withdrawal headache could not disturb.
After Mass I came home and, despite my good intentions of searching Amazon for next semester's textbooks, spent about three hours reading a wonderful blog, Blossoming Joy, written by a Catholic wife and mother. Praise be to God for people living their vocations with such wholehearted joy and sacrifice!
The afternoon's activities have left me feeling sufficiently refreshed (food and coffee also helped), so I feel that I can be rather ambitious about my plans for my week off. Proposed events include:
- Visiting friends back East Saturday-Monday. Hopefully the 8-hour drive will go quickly with some good Catholic audiobooks (yet to be downloaded)
- Coming back for Bioethics class on Tuesday and Thursday night (medical school might have break, but the graduate school is on a slightly different schedule)
- This particular endeavor is one that I need to keep in prayer...bioethics from a secular viewpoint can be challenging to digest at times. And the rather consistent liberal slant to the lectures and discussions can be frustrating to sit through (not to mention the occasional side comment or joke about religion...especially Catholicism. But that is another topic for another time.) But regardless - I do believe that understanding this culture's approach to bioethics is necessary if I am indeed called to be a physician. I can't navigate what I don't understand, and having insight into the intellectual, social, political, legal, (etc) aspects of secular bioethics will hopefully, with God's grace, allow me to be a more effective witness to the Gospel, and maybe find common ground with those whom I may be practicing alongside.
- Getting ready for next block! Buying textbooks and physical diagnosis equipment (tuning forks and reflex hammer), and possibly a few items of fall-appropriate professional clothes
- Apple-picking and apple pie-making.
- Finishing up assessments and starting a draft of my Formative Portfolio for the summer block.
- Sleeping. Lots of sleeping.
Hm, maybe that's not all that ambitious. But sleeping is going to take up a lot of time.
There are lots of good things coming up in the next month or so, aside from school. This year's 40 Days for Life campaign starts September 28, and I'm hoping to carve out some time in my schedule to participate. God willing, I may also be able to attend a Come & See retreat with the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, MI in October. Maybe we'll also be able to get the Catholic graduate/professional student group more active. Then there's volunteering in the children's hospital, helping out at the Free Clinic, getting the OB/GYN interest group started...
Busy, busy. Anyway, right now I'm off to a delightful little happy hour with some classmates, and then must do laundry/pack for the weekend. Blessings abound. The greatest of which, of course, is Jesus Christ, the Word by Whom the Father spoke the universe into being...the Lamb Who purchased our salvation by His blood...the King of Kings Who should be King of all our hearts.
Piety is off-putting, I know. But sometimes it just has to be said :-)
+Pax Christi
Sophia
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