• The Other Side of Medicine

    Do you Trust like a Melon?

    It was three o’clock in the morning when the cell phone rang. No, it shrieked. I was so sound asleep I didn’t know if it was an ambulance or a tornado siren in my bedroom. “Who is it?” My heart pounded and my body shook. “Calm down,” my husband said as he picked up his phone. One of the hardest things about having a physician husband is surviving night calls. That’s the other side of medicine that only the family gets to experience. “Why do you always expect bad news?” he was asleep before I could respond. It took my heart a while to calm down and my body to…

  • Life Lessons

    The Preservation Project

    “Are you ready for your lesson?” my niece said. “The first part of my training would be in restoration and second part has to do with preservation or conservation.” I put my phone on speaker while I grabbed my coffee and sank in my comfy chair. “Once the piece is restored then it’s preserved or protected from future damage. That is referred to as art conservation.” (Britannica.com) We chatted about her future plans and dreams until I ran out of coffee, and she had to go. The conversation ended, but my mind didn’t. To preserve or protect from future damage… Isn’t that what God does when we choose to surrender…

  • Messages from Heaven

    Restoration Project- Kintsugi Style

    “Can you tell me a little more about that restoration business?” I asked my niece. “Well,” she smiled “Technically it’s the repair or renovation of works that have already sustained decay with the attempt to restore a work to its original, undamaged appearance”(britannica.com) I grabbed another cup of coffee and sank in my favorite chair to savor my improvised lecture. “But there are other techniques used to restore pieces. Have you ever heard of Kintsugi?” Knowing that her hospital administrator aunt has limited knowledge of the art world, she barely paused for my response. “It’s a Japanese technique where they take broken pottery and instead of trying to put it…

  • Life Lessons

    The Race That Turned into War

    “I can’t do it! “I cried. “Once again something I’ve lost everything I trained for. Six months of training in the trash!”. Injuries, illnesses and now plantar fasciitis had plagued me from the moment I signed up for my second half marathon. “I can barely get out of bed; I can’t wear my regular shoes and the race is a couple of months away.” I limped out of my car as my friend, running partner and pastor’s wife listened patiently. She smiled warmly and looked me in the eye. “And you’ll let the enemy take that away from you again?” Her words pierced my heart with loving conviction. “Ok,” I…

  • Life Lessons,  Motherhood

    The Little Red Rocking Chair

    “Mommy, help! This is too heavy!” My parents and I were visiting our favorite children’s store. Not only did it carry high quality clothing, but it arranged a corner in the back with toys, a TV and tiny red rocking chairs for the children to enjoy while their parents shopped. I turned around to find my toddler dragging the chair she had been sitting in. “Honey, that belongs to the store. You can’t take it with you.” I tugged on it, but she held on tight. Chuckles erupted all around. “This is my chair!” she stated as she struggled to carry it out the door. The other shoppers stopped browsing,…