All I Ever Wanted to Be Was a Nurse

Want to be a nurse? Find out what you’re in for. Already a nurse? You can identify.

All I Ever Wanted to Be Was a Nurse shares the sad, funny, terrifying, and compassionate feelings in the daily routine of a nurse’s life. Looking back, I can see more clearly how God guided this nurse in her work. Each chapter is its own individual story taken from my experience in different fields of nursing.

Here are a few samples, just a few, to whet your appetite:

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The impact of the car on the motorcycle sent Justin flying up into the air as the gas tank burst into flames, his body landing hard on the burning, racing bike. “No!” Justin screamed.

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“I’ve decided not to deliver—AND YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!

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I rushed into the street in pursuit of the beautiful, young-looking Alzheimer’s patient; now we had stopped the traffic both ways. As I tried to corral her, she started to beat me up with her large, leather purse. She rushed at the waiting traffic yelling. “Help, she’s trying to kidnap me!”

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“Give it to me or I’ll just hold my breath and die!” I couldn’t give more meds to him; surely a grown man wouldn’t do such a thing. But...

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“Director of Nurses, come here!” No one but the Director of Nurses was acceptable for this former neurosurgeon.

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All I Ever Wanted to Be Was a Nurse is still true—no regrets. I hope that those who are sitting on the fence about nursing will, after reading my story, choose to be that one more nurse who will carry on!

Finite Element Analysis

There are several objectives in this book. These include teaching the history, basic principles, and the theory of finite element analysis. The students will be introduced to applications of finite element analysis to real-world applications. These applications include, but are not limited to, analysis of thin shells, fracture mechanics, analysis of reinforced beams and columns, stress analysis, earthquake analysis of structures, buckling, seepage under a dam, a medical example, registration of MRI and PET scans, and a finite element analysis of the Golden Gate Bridge. These examples come from my own personal work experiences, research, and technical publications authored by me and persons instrumental in the development of the finite element method.

James A. Mandel, P.E., is a registered professional engineer. He designed bridges on the interstate highway system. He also did the structural design of the Gemini Ballute. He was a full-time professor in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University from 1967 to 2008.

The Radical Thread

Ever wonder what it would look like to weave a little bit of Heaven into your everyday work?

To turn ordinary emails, meetings, and customer chats into something that feels... sacred?

That’s the heartbeat of The Radical Thread. This isn’t just another customer service strategy. It’s a completely different way of working—one built on a foundation of real faith, genuine love, and service that’s led by the Spirit, not a script.

The Radical Thread is a call to live out your discipleship right at your desk. To see that no task is too small when it’s done intentionally, in the name of Jesus. Every single thing you do can carry eternal weight.

It’s time to stop managing your faith and start weaving it—into every thread of your business and your life.

And honestly? The world is waiting for what you’ll bring.

New Horizons in Astrology

Couture offers a transpersonal view of astrology. Rather than the planets’ apparent position to the Earth, he places them in position to the Sun. This would be a heliocentric view, and his work is dedicated to being of help for humanity in the development of a non-dualistic spirituality. This view is supported by the development of the quantum scientific viewpoint. I highly recommend this detailed view of astrology that promotes a sense of universal connectedness and interdependence, including empathy, social responsibility, and ethical action.

Justine Willis Toms

Co-founder, Creative Producer, Host

New Dimensions Radio

Backyard Rehabbing

“Save some for Inky,” the Roper children chant at meal times after their father found and brought home an abandoned baby crow. Two years later, their parents find an injured wild bird, take it to a wildlife rehabilitator, and begin the process of becoming rehabilitators themselves. What they find is that the most difficult part of rehabbing is not working with the birds. The public, who know little about wild birds, can hamper a bird’s healing and even become a danger to their lives.

...a man saw an injured pigeon... “But I didn’t touch it,” the man said. “I didn’t want to catch rabies.” I explained to the man that rabies can be caught from...wild and domestic animals. Birds...cannot catch nor carry rabies. I then asked the man to pick up the bird and bring it to us in a covered box. “You want me to touch that bird?” the man asked...and hung up.

An injured bird may need immediate attention from the person who found it, and that could be YOU! Suggestions are included as to how to help the birds.

Seven Brief Lessons on Computing

Have you ever looked down at your phone and wondered, “What’s going on in there?” If you’ve ever wondered how modern computers and digital devices work, Seven Brief Lessons on Computing takes you through an entertaining and educational journey of mankind’s desire to count, compare, and compute our world.

Evolving with the Infinite

Evolving with the Infinite is an impressive, scholarly, thought-provoking examination of the purpose of life and humanity’s role in the cosmos. It is a courageous quest for answers to life’s ultimate questions. The material in Evolving with the Infinite presents a fresh coherent theory of a worldview that builds bridges between science and spirituality, a new paradigm of reality that brings together science, philosophy, metaphysics, theology, cosmology, psychology, sociology in a logical systems-view of All-that-Is. If the author had to choose a single subject field, it would be: “Philosophy.”

Read and learn about:

Life after physical death
Personal and cosmic evolution
The urgent need for a wisdom society
Divine powers of love, wisdom, and logic
The mysteries of life; its meaning and purpose
Spiritual consciousness versus physical awareness
A map for conquering fear and gaining personal power
Relationships of spirit, mind, brain, and consciousness
The difference between gods and the spirit of creation
The liberating power of forgiving and letting go
How freedom must be won by personal effort
Life as an opportunity for spiritual growth
Living wisely by the directives of creation
A new cosmology versus the big bang
What truly is love and compassion
The living and evolving omniverse
Unknown, lost civilizations

The book:

Is inspirational and positive but also realistic.
Aims to help readers on their individual paths of evolution.
Makes use of graphics and charts to illuminate important relationships.
Is trans-denominational and aims to heal the rift between science and religions by presenting a holistic and comprehensive worldview.
Clearly distinguishes between information, knowledge, and wisdom. Knowledge is recognizing the truth. Wisdom is living it.
Presents a realistic path toward a wisdom society.
Offers a new and realistic alternative to the Big Bang cosmology.

Prooflike Morgan Silver Dollars

Delve into the first exhaustive monograph centered solely on Prooflike Morgan Silver Dollars. Explore date-by-date and mint-by-mint analyses of these unique coins struck between 1878 and 1904 and 1921 across five U.S. mints. Drawing from the most complete collection of Morgan prooflike dollars, including rare varieties, all in mint-state uncirculated condition, this volume enriches your understanding with over 500 high-quality photographs. This is an essential exploration into a captivating facet of numismatics.

English Language Structure in Context for English Second Language Learners

This book is an A-to-Z guide to English grammar, designed to help learners, especially those whose home language is not English, achieve proficiency.By presenting grammatical concepts in a variety of real-world contexts, this book not only enhances language skills but also encourages self-reflection and personal growth. Each lesson equips learners with fundamental skills, including speaking, writing, listening, reading, and reasoning.Mastering English will be an essential key to unlocking opportunities in various lucrative professions worldwide.

A Handbook for Improving Student Achievement in Secondary Schools

Democratic values, student achievement, and effective citizenship are intrinsically linked. The research, however, is that students, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, have few opportunities to practice democratic citizenship in secondary schools.

Alongside current threats to democracy, this should concern us all: professional learning communities, teacher-leaders, parents, consultants, administrators, school districts, human rights activists, minority leadership, the justice system, local communities, university faculties, state education departments, and citizens in general.

Democratic citizenship is a superordinate goal – a composite of communicative abilities, freedom with responsibility, inclusiveness, career preparation, community mindfulness, evidence-based thinking, collective ownership, distributed leadership, and support for those in need. Student leadership, including school research (their own school and others), not only benefits the school generally, but helps prepare high school students for freedom, responsibilities, and opportunities as democratic citizens.

Such leadership has foundations: student-chosen teacher advisors, daily advisories, collaborative learning expertise, student-led assemblies, self-regulation, leadership credit courses, and virtual/personal connections with student leaders in other schools, districts, and countries.

Expanded contributions are student feedback on teacher performance, student-led (parent-student- teacher) conferences, after-school activities leadership, reciprocal teaching, and participation in school/district decision making. All under the auspices of improved language capability, teacher modeling and encouragement, a learning to learn focus, and gradual release of responsibility.

Endorsements

John Hattie

“There is never a dull moment reading this book. Centred on the principles of democracy, it points to the need for broad participation and thus calls for schools to do more, do better, and do wonderful things to ignite a love of learning. Orchard masterfully outlines seven key theorems to make his case; a compelling roadmap for educators to foster effective learning strategies.”

Professor Emeritus John Hattie, Melbourne Laureate

Michael Fullan

“Jack Orchard’s 'Handbook for Improving Student Achievement in Secondary Schools' is powerful, timely, and an action-packed message for us to get going in transforming secondary schools. Orchard’s Handbook is grounded, urgent, insightful, and deeply practical. Anybody in high schools can act on this agenda. Read this book with others, be collectively inspired, and get down to the excitement and frustrations of engaging in breakthrough change. The good news is that students, teachers (and eventually parents and communities) will be excited to join in and make the long-awaited transformation of secondary schools.”

Professor Emeritus Michael Fullan, OISE/University of Toronto

The Amazing Zoo in My Backyard

Schoolhouse Burning