The Secret Giver
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The Secret Giver

Spring evenings Those cool spring evenings and cooler nights are some of my fondest memories of growing up, especially on May Day eve.  That was when we went to the woods and gathered buckets and tubs of wildflowers from the river bank, the shaded woodlands, and the swampy marshes along the winding dirt road. 2017…

Choosing Life
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Choosing Life

Every spring when the tulips push through the sod and burst into bloom, I remember a conversation I had with my children several years ago. We planted tulip bulbs in the fall, and a few weeks later, one of the children asked, “Why are the flowers not coming up?”  They expected to see quick results….

Six Ways To Handle Family Discord When Someone You Love Is Dying
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Six Ways To Handle Family Discord When Someone You Love Is Dying

My stressful day in ICU was about to become even more stressful. My patient was dying. The doctors, who are taught to help their patients live, had reckoned with the fact that it was just a matter of time. I realized my biggest problem was not the patient or the doctors. My biggest problem was…

On Level Ground
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On Level Ground

“Have you ever thought about it,” a fellow nurse asked me one day, “that going into Isolation makes us all equal?” It’s true.  Our education, experience, age, and culture might be different.  Yet,  when patients need to be protected or when health care workers need protection, those going into the patients’ rooms wear caps, gowns, gloves,…

Because I Said So
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Because I Said So

As a child and later as a teenager, I made some vows about what I was not going to do when I was a mom. One of those was the promise that when my children asked me “WHY?”  I would never, ever, ever say, “Because I said so.” Then I became a mom. These kids who…