A Life Thought
~~~ Don’t be afraid to live because someday you will die; rather be afraid to die without ever havin
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Reflections of Him
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are...
View Articlescaffolding an imperfect marriage
Laurie Anderson tells this story about the day she married her best friend, Lou Reed: “It was
View ArticleSo Much More Than a Haircut
Getting my hair cut provides an increasingly sobering experience. My hair has always been thin, wispy and generic brown, never a thick wavy mane of movie star standards. An assortment of random...
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The Importance of Rituals by Elise M. Edwards
My sister once said about me, “One thing you have to understand about Elise—she takes the ritual of whole thing very seriously.” My sister was right and her words helped me see this quality about...
View ArticleUntil Then
There are times in life when status quo is interrupted for various reasons. For the next few weeks,
View ArticleYour Patients Deserve Your Humanity
I was recently assigned to a hospice patient that had been seeing another social worker, but hadn’t been having much of a connection. When the team decided that he might open up more to another man, I...
View ArticleIf the Dead could Speak.
Today, I learned of the death, Of a friend of mine. A friend from my past, Whom I hadn’t heard from in a while. And, today, my heart is quite sad, From the news of his sudden passing. Yet, strangely, I...
View ArticleSentimental Journey
As I write this I am attending my college reunion… I got my degree at a small Presbyterian school and our graduation class was only about sixty people. Last night I met up with a dozen of them to have...
View ArticleWhen the Patient Dies
When the Pt Dies During my time as a nursing assistant I had my fair share of patients (pt) who died during my shift. Not surprisingly as I found out—that the closer a pt draws to death—they become...
View ArticleWhat Hospice Is and What Hospice Is Not
The word “hospice” stems from the Latin word “hospitium” or “hospitality”, meaning guesthouse. The name was first applied to specialized care for dying patients by Dame Cicely Saunders. During the...
View ArticleThere Comes a Time.... Then, What?
It is said that when Alfred Nobel’s brother died, media mistakenly reported that it was Alfred and printed his obituary by mistake. We’ve all heard of people who write their own obituary. But, what...
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National Healthcare Decisions Day - April 16, 2015
National Healthcare Decisions DayIt’s time to get The Conversation started— How do you feel about discussing your own death?? Do you have religious, spiritual or moral beliefs that may play a part in...
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The D-Word (Don’t Be Afraid To Say It)
Death. It is a reality we all will experience. But when a person faces a serious medical condition, we may be reluctant to speak the words “death” and “dying.” Dr. Edward Bruera of the MD Anderson...
View ArticleAddiction: A Whack-A-Mole Proposition
I change. I know that sounds pretty vague and elementary, but it’s the truth. The problem is that I don’t always change for the better, or into something I have not previously been. I guess you could...
View ArticleIn Memory of Iris Rivera
4/15/15 Today’s post is dedicated to my dear friend, Iris Rivera, who left this world back in the 90’s, but will be remembered and loved forever.
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Secrecy, transparency, purdah and the illusion of candour #ADASSspring...
Earlier this week Sara posted a blog post titled State agents and lives on hold. In it she updates on the tiresome slog to get accountability and answers around her son’s preventable death, in an ATU....
View ArticleHealthstyles: In Awe of Being Human & Jen Sorensen Political Cartoonist
Tune in to CHMP’s Healthstyles Radio Thursday, April 16th, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM on WBAI, 99.5 FM in New York City and streamed online here. In this segment of Healthstyles you’ll hear co-host Barbara...
View ArticleA Moving Memorial: A Young Woman's Life and her Journey of Moving On
To my WordPress Following old, aspiring, and the like, Some of you who have read my posts from before know that I’m an advocate for mental health and a Roman Catholic Christian. I have a Facebook...
View Article02 03 04 - The Day I Crossed Over
Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to “die before you die
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