New Year’s Resolutions and Relapses, Part 1

New Year’s Resolutions and Relapses, Part 1

Resolutions and Relapses, Part 1 Originally Written 1/1/2021 Reposted 12/31/2023 Valerie looks haggard, but composed. Then when I ask, “How are you?” she dissolves into tears. “It’s back,” she sobs.  “It’s back!” Her words make me feel sick, and several thoughts flash...
An Eyewitness Account

An Eyewitness Account

BEAUTY AND TRUTH IN PERIL Every July my family takes a week-long vacation on the Florida gulf coast.  The area is gorgeous – famed for its surreal blue water, sugar-white sands, and delicious seafood.  We stay right on the beach and spend hours every day in the sand...
Mixed Messages, Part 3

Mixed Messages, Part 3

A QUESTION WITHOUT AN ANSWER Clara stares at me with a mixture of pity and shock.  What an expressive face!  She telegraphs her feelings with uncanny precision and drama.  If we did not trust one another so deeply, I know that the 61 year old lady, who has been my...
Mixed Messages, Part 2

Mixed Messages, Part 2

MIXED MESSAGES, PART 2 – The False god Within If you take nature as a teacher she will teach you exactly the lessons you had already decided to learn. – C.S. Lewis RUDE AWAKENING One night at the hospital during a dark valley of my residency training, I found myself...