A Life Completed for Jesus

This was my final project for a class I was taking. Hope you enjoy!
              Tatiana was born and raised in Northern California and moved to Monterey at age 20. She was known for her generosity and sweet and friendly spirit. Tatiana married at age 30 and had two children. She leaves behind her husband, Christian, of 64 years, her two kids James, 53, Kayla, 52, and her four grandchildren.

            Tatiana was a very generous and sweet spirited person. She enjoyed helping others and donating her time to charity and Christian organizations. When not donating her time and money, she could be found helping children learn to read and write. Tatiana would make cards for friends and family who were sick and in need and go visit them.

            Tatiana graduated from Monterey Peninsula College in June 2015 and majored in writing as a career. During her career as a writer, she wrote many books and articles on ministry and religion. She had several bestsellers and many of her novels were on the top of the chart. One of her novels was about ministry, which helped young men and women find hope. In her spare time, she loved to read books and write in her journal.

When she was 65, she retired and moved to Puerto Rico with her husband. She remained there for the remainder of her life. When not doing any of the things mentioned above, she could be found praying or spending time with her husband and grandchildren.

Tatiana lived her  life completely for Jesus Christ everyday. She will be known and cherished for her hospitality and comfort to others and will be dearly missed.

             

             

The Story of My Birth

Even though the doctors told my parents I wouldn’t make it, this story tells how I am alive today. In this case, the story of my birth tells how I made it through my first months of life.

When my mother was still pregnant with me, she and my dad were reading a book by Tolstoy. They happened to fall in love with the name Tatiana and decided that would be my first name. Without knowing it, they named me after my great aunt Marguerite, which became my middle name. Of course, the other alternative would have been Gabriella, but Dad did not want me to be nicknamed Gabby Grubb, so they went with Tatiana.

The night before my mom went into labor, she ate Won Ton soup for dinner. At about midnight her labor pains began.  Because she was only five and a half months pregnant, she thought it was a stomachache from the soup.  She went to work the next day, but had to leave because of labor pains from the night before. She told my father she was going to the hospital and would be back, but instead she was admitted into Labor and Delivery. She never returned to work.

While she was in labor, the doctors tried to stop the process, but they could not because a test revealed she had a fluid infection in her amniotic sac. The doctors told her if she did not give birth both of us could die. The doctor expressed empathy concerning the possibility of my death after birth and gave me a 10% chance of survival. However, my mom did give birth and immediately following my delivery, I was intubated and sedated because I was “squirming” too much. I had a tube placed down my throat because of breathing problems. After intubation, I was diagnosed with Chronic Lung Disease because of too much oxygen during intubation and premature lung development.  I was in and out of the hospital for the first 9 months of my life. My weight was 1 lb. 7oz and I was 12 inches long. I was so tiny that my mother’s wedding ring fit all the way up to my shoulder. According to the nurses and doctors, I was the smallest child born at Kaiser Permanente that year. My primary care nurse said I was determined to live.  During my stay in the Intensive Care Nursery, my parents recorded themselves reading children’s books and songs for me to listen to so I could always feel their presence.

At 14 days-old, I had to have a Patent Ductus Arteriosus ligation heart surgery because of a hole in my heart. Dr. I.M Heller, my primary pediatrician and neonatologist, told my parents at one point, “We’ve done all we could do. We don’t know if she will make it through the night. All we can do is pray at this point.” He would not say if I would survive long enough to determine when I could be discharged.

When I was 10 months old, I had to have a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt implant because of fluid build-up in my brain.  Even though I was discharged from the hospital after the surgery, I still required oxygen for the first 18 months of my life.

In conclusion, even though the doctors were unsure about my chances of survival, due to the fact I survived, I know I have a purpose on this earth and a higher calling. I also know this purpose includes ministry. I am grateful that I made it and am alive today.  I am also thankful for the doctors and nurses who took very good care of me.

Here's a link to another post I wrote regarding this story: https://iluvbingjcsbride.blogspot.com/2016/06/miracles-happen-everyday-how-one-girl.html.

Blessings!

Everyday Living

Isn’t it great how we learn to be independent in everyday living? Did you know that everyday living consists of topics such as getting ready for the day and ending your day with peace?  My everyday living consists of school, finances, food, careers, transportation and health.

I start off my day by getting up in the morning ready for school. I get up at six o’clock a.m. and take a shower because I believe odor forms in the night while we are sleeping. So for me, it’s best to shower in the morning. After my shower, I get dressed, eat breakfast, brush my teeth, grab my backpack and head out the door. 

When I get to school, I get my homework done and study for tests. Once a semester, I talk to my Guidance Counselor about possible classes to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. On days that I’m not studying, I take time to find a job to do involving school. If I could get a job at school, I would want to be a teacher’s aide. At school, I eat the lunch I’ve made in the cafeteria. In my spare time, as soon as I am finished with my work, I go to the gym and workout. 

When my day at school is finished, I take the bus home. As soon as I get home, I get ready for my second job outside of school. The job that I work at is working in a public library. At that job, I help people check out books, and help them find them on the shelves. 

Before I go to bed, I have dinner. Usually, I find a recipe and cook that type of food. Whatever I cook, I eat for dinner. I enjoy cooking because when I was in middle school and high school, I learned how to cook by taking cooking classes. The food I enjoy making the most is rice, chicken, and veggies. When I am done cooking and eating, I clean my spot and the kitchen. As soon as I am done, I brush my teeth and get ready for the next day. Then I head off to bed.

         In conclusion, I now know that everyday living begins with starting my day off right. I know that when I wake up in the morning I am ready for the day. Just how do you start your everyday living?