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Lessons from a Pie
“My tummy hurts!” my little niece cried as she threw herself on the couch. “I wonder why you didn’t eat your dinner?” her mom asked, picking up the empty pie dish from the floor. “Turkey and veggies are not as good as dessert!” The adults in the room struggled to keep a straight face. “Honey, not everything we eat, or drink is good for us. Some foods make us strong, and some can make us weak or sick, especially if we eat too much of it!” She rubbed her tummy and dried her tears. “I know how she feels,” I said, holding my own stomach. “I know nobody wants to…
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The Day My Thanksgiving Failed
“Can’t we try new recipes this Thanksgiving please!” my daughter asked. “We always eat the same dishes.” “I know,” I said. “I have a bunch of new recipes that look delicious, but I end up cooking our family traditional ones. I guess it makes me feel closer to those that’re so far away. “Do you remember our first Thanksgiving in this town?” I asked. “Not really,” she said. “Just that we were all alone. What happened?” Well, this is the story of our first Thanksgiving here… …
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The Day I wished I was Invisible
I’d never seen such a thing. A thick white snowy blanket enveloped the city. The temperature was so low that Lake Michigan had frozen over and appeared to rise above the ground. “Please come with me,” he pleaded. “This is a decision we’re both making!” “But the news says people should not leave their homes unless it’s totally necessary and you know how much I hate the cold!” I responded. My husband had just graduated from medical school and training for a specialty was the next step, which also meant we had to move far away from our country and our families. The third of several interviews for medical residency…
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Angel on the Sidewalk
The bright sun and blue skies screamed Spring that Saturday afternoon. “I’m so sorry I can’t help you,” my husband said as he hugged me tight,” but you know that medical residents are expected to work long shifts and get no free weekends during first year of training.” We were in a new country, a new city and had no friends, which forced me to navigate my way through our new reality on my own. I grabbed the Yellow Pages, the only resource before cell phones and GPS’ existed, searching for a park in the area. Venturing out was an attempt to calm my lonely heart as much as our…
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Do you Know how to Ski?
“Hurry up, the race is starting!” my husband called. I grabbed the popcorn and rushed to the living room to watch the Winter Olympics’ ski competition. “How can they go down that mountain so fast without hitting all those trees?” I wondered. “Focus on what you want, not what might stop you,” he said. “That’s what the commentator explained.” My fingers raced to Google just the same. According to Rei.com: Scan the terrain ahead of you as you go so you can adjust to trees, rocks, stumps and other obstacles that may be in your way. Don’t fixate on the trees, but rather the white spaces between them—this will help…
