Waiting with the Robins

March did not start with a roar this year; it came in more like a wet dog than a lion. I was born in March, so I’ve always been a defender of the month that most New Englanders despise. It is, after all, a gloomy, raw, merciless month. Wind, rain, sometimes snow and...

The Real Valentine (it’s not at CVS)

Like most Hallmark holidays, Valentine’s Day, a day that supposedly promotes love, has a high probability of doing the opposite. Ok maybe not promoting “hate” – how about just plain old anxiety/depression? I’ve noticed a trend in health care over the last few years....
How to Break Up a Monster Party

How to Break Up a Monster Party

Sometimes I wish I could forget. Memories that haunt like ghoulish apparitions, or some so painful they still take my breath away – are all unwanted guests. Sometimes they hide in closets, other times they party all night, but they remain. God has mercifully removed a...

Where Does It Hurt?

“Where does it hurt?” My hip, I told the doctor, placing my hand on my right leg. She paused, then said, “Let me look in your mouth.” I smiled at the paper towel taped over my doctor’s nose and mouth and the roll of tape tied to the top of her head. Health care really...

Old Nurses Never Die; They Just Have Surgery

Robin. I had penned the letters over silk tape and stuck it to a locker 7 years ago. I caught the corner and pulled it off, closed the empty locker door and headed out, taking one last look at the small break room. The room is tucked away, off a hallway used by...

The Chalkboard

I can’t remember now where I bought the board – a simple chalkboard that you would use in a restaurant to write Today’s Specials on. Just a blackboard with a plain wood frame. But I do remember the first scripture I wrote on it:   The joy of the Lord is your...