Category: Story
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The Summer of Gnome
Gnomes “Do you see him up there?” She smiles and points up above the window. There sat a cute little gnome. She grabbed my hand and toured me around the house showing me the three others. “Aren’t they cute? They are my gnomes. They are so fun!” I asked, “Why are they so high up… Read more
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I Love You To The Moon and Back
The first time I was 7-years-old the first time I experienced death. That day remains vividly in my memory though I am sure that nearly 4 decades later, some of the details may be off. It was a Sunday morning in May, 1987. As I exited my bedroom, I noticed that Dad and Mary’s bedroom… Read more
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The Lake
Success How is success measured? Money? Fame? The size of your house? A recognizable name? Or is it measured by the way we care for others? I have always considered my Uncle Doug to be a successful man by all of the standard measures. Retiring early from a successful engineering career, he began a consulting… Read more
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Someone needs you…
A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:23-24 Someone needs you. Someone needs you. Someone needs you. Over and over these words flooded my mind from the moment I opened my eyes that morning. I… Read more
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Never Underestimate the Power of a Cat
She was in the intensive care unit, overwhelmed by infection from wounds she acquired from immobility and poor nutrition. Suffering from a progressive neurological condition at a young age, she was bed bound and relied on her partner as her primary caretaker. Her neurological condition left her unable to speak or swallow. She received all… Read more
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A Man of God
People will exclaim, “I just love nurse practitioners! What do you do?” Me (generally stated with a smile on my face), “I work in palliative care.” Response (generally stated with a sorrowful look), “Oh, that is so sad. That must be so hard.” There are certainly days when the work is hard, and sad. But… Read more
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The Formidable Woman
Her oncologist had warned me about her. She was formidable. Difficult. Suffering from a chronic blood disease for which she required bi-weekly blood transfusions, she had just been diagnosed with advanced cancer. While she declined any work-up or treatment for her cancer she insisted on continuing with life-sustaining blood transfusions. This left her oncologist befuddled… Read more
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The lady on the plane
On Sept 17, 2023, I boarded a flight to Washington D.C. I prayed that during the flight God would use me to be a blessing to someone or that I may be blessed by another. I was in the last group to board the Southwest flight and as is my policy, I chose the first… Read more