Blog

Mitochondria. Fascination with these energy-producing parts of my cells is increasing as I age. As I’ve observed in ageing patients, my energy levels are decreasing as my age increases. Enjoying research, I spend hours Google searching mitochondrial function and support to insure optimal mitochondrial performance. I learned as mitochondria convert food into energy, ATP (chemical […]

Flight 1731, boarding in Knoxville, quickly filled with passengers and their belongings. The gentleman in my aisle seat row commented, “Sure would be nice if this seat between us stayed empty.” Not very expectant I said, “By the looks of the crowd, it’s not looking good.” Then I got that hopeful divine nudge and continued,

A broken people picker was somewhat responsible for my traumatic and failed first marriage. But because of this difficult experience, I learned healthier boundaries, and compassion for those suffering unhealthy relationships. My personal identity became rooted in the knowledge of being a precious daughter of a good and kind Father. The reality of my great

            Telling your CEO no is usually not a good idea, if you want to keep your job. What would make me resist the authority of a supervisor? As described in the last blog, it had to do with speaking and doing the wise thing. For years I have said to those drivers who appear

Awkward, embarrassed, feeling overly obvious, are the uncomfortable feelings I’ve experienced when standing for something that isn’t what the crowd stands for. As a child, I was taught to keep the peace, agree with and accept others as much as possible. If I hadn’t gotten to know Wisdom (as explained in last blog), standing alone

Unique, beautiful and loved, is what the creator says about His created. As I allowed Him to plant this truth deep in my heart, I began to gradually let go of pride and arrogance. It’s not easy to submit to a master unless you know that master loves you unconditionally and has some really beneficial

Freedom, independence, autonomy. As a home health and hospice nurse, I found these aspects of the job to be an attractive fit to my personality and life-style. The Clinical Director assigned patients to each nurse; then the nurse, patient and caregivers formulated a plan of care. Under physician orders, this plan of care identified team

In my years of community nursing, I had the privilege of visiting clients in posh gated communities with beautiful sprawling homes and golf courses. In contrast, I also was honored to enjoy clients in falling down homes often lacking in sanitation, safety and comfort. No matter what the environment, I discovered that the treasure was

I still hate death. The last scene of the human growth and development timeline is often diverse. Some folks, in their last weeks, resemble finger nails clawing a chalk board. How does this look in real time? Unresolved relationships with loved ones and God can cause lots of physical, emotional and spiritual pain for which

Retirement after forty years of a fruitful nursing career is bittersweet. Hospice, community health, geriatrics, medical-surgical and college campus nursing experiences have taught me how to live and die successfully. For that I’m very grateful. Watching how others did or did not care for their physical body, thought life and spiritual condition provided me invaluable

Exhausted and delighted describes my arrival home to Key Largo yesterday, after a lovely but action packed visit to TN. My mind was preoccupied with all the homecoming responsibilities as I stopped to shop at the local grocery store. After paying for my selections, I grabbed the grocery bags out of the cart but neglected

I’m filled with conflicting thoughts of despair and hope in the midst of family illness and trauma, uncertain, violent news reports and uncertain future. Green is sprouting about the tree branches, the red breasted robin and bright blue, bluebird swoops from yard to yard in almost a coordinated dance and the white and pink dogwoods