My mind is boggled when I think about how far the fields of medicine and nursing have come since my mother trained in the early 1940’s. We both trained at the same nursing school, as did my sister. But we graduated in 1972 and 1973. I worked as a nurse from 1972 until 2011. I … More Nursing “Back Then” Part 1
My patient, Ms. Q, was on oxygen in the Coronary Care Unit where I was a nurse. She became quite a challenge as you will see. Ms. Q had a long history of cigarette smoking coupled with a heart attack. On her admission she and her family were instructed on our policy of no smoking … More Compassion and Understanding
(Elowen is now seven months old.) I am a bit late on your welcome letter. But I am so happy you are here with us now. I was so excited that your mommy and daddy had a little girl! You are just beautiful! But now that you are born I can’t come see you because … More Elowen, My New Granddaughter
Number 2 Grandson was born almost three years ago this weekend. I am delinquent in posting a letter of welcome to him like the one I wrote for his brother. I apologize, Grandson. You are and were treasured and loved before you were born. Leo had been feeling you move inside your mother’s tummy before … More Dear Grandson #2 (at Birth)
When I was two years old my uncle gave me a “real live,” Smokey the Bear”, teddy bear for Christmas. Smokey had a hat, badge and shovel, which was lost so early on that I don’t remember them. But somehow the plastic belt with a metal buckle with his name, “Smokey,”on it lasted many years. … More My Inner Child Is Alive and Well
For National Domestic Violence Awareness Month I am sharing from my experiences in surviving abuse and some lessons I learned. To continue the story of my husband’s illness he recovered from the stroke and could walk with a cane. Since he worked on a computer, not being able to walk a lot was not an … More My Last Days As His Wife
Today I am sharing about my parents. I combine Mother’s Day and Father’s Day because they were such an amazing team as parents. I seem to remember they used Dr. Spock, a famous pediatrician in the 40’s and 50’s, (not to be confused with Mr. Spock on Star Trek!) as a guide to good parenting. … More Thank You, Moma and Daddy
With spring now moving along many of us are going to the beach. I always loved the beach. This morning I woke up with an ear-worm. And with it came a flood of memories from a delightful beach trip I took when I was a teenager. When I was almost 16 years old I traveled … More Do You Remember Your First Crush?
For Part 1 of this letter https://joyful2beeblogs.com/2020/03/08/dear-grandmother-t/ Dear Grandmother P, I understand you now in ways I never thought I would. I too had a happy marriage at first. Then things changed after the first four or five years. I now know the behavior I saw in you as weakness and frailty were the signs of … More Dear Grandmother P. (Part 2)
Dear Grandmother P, I’ve thought of you often since your death over thirty years ago. I came to the conclusion that I never truly knew you until recently. Several observations about my own life and marriage brought understanding and a growing admiration of you, your strength, and more compassion for you. You see, Grandmother, I … More Dear Grandmother P. (Part 1)
