Memorial Day

I really do like Memorial Day. I love all the flag waving. I love the parades. I love the picnics. I love the concerts full of music that makes me proud to be an American. The ugly politics we usually hear has been replaced by words of gratitude and patriotism. I truly am grateful for this great country of ours. God bless America!

I have a small flag hanging in my window with two stars shining brightly, one for each of my family who are currently serving in our military. One star is for my grandson, the airman. 

The other star is for my son the soldier, who is safely home after four tours in Iraq.

Senior Chorale

There are lots of problems with growing old. Teeth fall out. Aches and pains become a normal part of life. Old friends are lost. Fortunately, God, in His great wisdom, also gives us many joys to help this part of life become a time rich in blessings too.

 For me one of the best things about getting older is being a part of the Bowie Senior Chorale. Once a week for the past eight years I've gone to the senior center to spend two hours learning to sing and learning to live. The time we spend together is one of the highlights of my week. This group of 100 people have learned to make beautiful music. Half the group can't read music and most have no formal training, but our lively young director, Craig, inspires us and teaches us and makes sing far beyond our expectations. Our inner divas shine through our wrinkled, well worn bodies and for a little while we feel young again.

 Last night we sang a rousing program full of songs about America to a sold out house. I believe our audience left happy and proud to part of this great country of ours.

The Dentist

“Wow! That's really big. It's enormous.” These words did not bring me any comfort as the dentist checked my mouth to inspect the tooth that had broken last week. He told me the entire front half of the tooth had broken off, and the back half was a filling he had put there five years ago. He wasn't sure if he could save it. I like my dentist. We've become friends over the forty years that he has taken care of my teeth. He is a kind and gentle man. I try to be a good patient, but I really am a wimp. I hate sitting in the dentist's chair. “Open wide,” he said and he went to work. First there were needles. Lots of needles. I don't get numb easily. Then there was the the little jack hammer drilling away the part he didn't like, along with the the suction machine, the blow gun, an erector set and the little sunlamp. I didn't know my mouth could open that far. He poked and punched and prodded around in my mouth for almost two hours. Finally he was done. I still have my tooth, but if it breaks again it will have to come out. Teeth wear out over time. I had done everything right and the tooth still broke. This getting old stuff has a lot of disadvantages.

Mother & Grandmother

These four children of mine fill me with love, joy and pride. I am indeed blessed

We had Mother's Day lunch at our granddaughter's house. I don't remember growing older. When did she become such a grown-up?

Nurse's Week

This is national nurse's week. To celebrate I thought I’d share one of favorite nurse stories. Thirty years ago I worked in a big inner-city hospital. It was hard work, but usually I enjoyed the job and loved taking care of those in my care. One day I was assigned to care for Agnes. Agnes was an elderly lady who had suffered a stroke. She was not able to do much for herself. I had spent a good deal of time with her that morning. I had fed her breakfast, helped her brush her teeth, given her a bath and even a back rub. I got her up in a chair and fixed her hair up with ribbons. She seemed grateful. I have a habit of singing while I do chores, and as I was changing her sheets I was singing a song without even being aware that I was singing. Agnes sat and listened for a while. Finally she said, “Honey,when you were young, I bet you could sing.” Do you know any good good nurse stories?