Author Archives: bethpow06

FMM 5 31 19 Set a Better Example (upcycled)

“Lively up yourself” Bob Marley Is there anything as unattractive as a slouch? Someone who walks with no energy, arms folded or hands in pockets, looking as if they would rather be anywhere than where they are? It has always made me crazy to see people who approach their job in this fashion – it […]

FMM 5 24 19 Brass Bands and Parenting

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain, That morn shall tearless be. ~George Matheson. I am not sure why I love the sound of a good brass band.  They are a particularly English phenomenon, […]

FMM 5 17 19 Shape Shifting

“Whoever you are holding me now in hand, Without one thing all will be useless, I give you fair warning before you attempt me further, I am not what you supposed, but far different.” ~ Walt Whitman.   Story-telling is in our bones, in our genes, in our blood.  It is how we know who […]

FMM 5 10 19 Mirror Mirror

FMM 5 10 19 Mirror Mirror “Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-brake on.” ~ Maxwell Maltz. One of the joys of genetics is that you never know what features a baby will have.  Will he/she be a ‘mini-me’ of one parent, or a blend of both?  I don’t know what age […]

FMM 5 3 19 Link me!

“The idea of shared humanity and the connections that we make with one another – that’s what, in fact, makes life worth living.” ~ Clint Smith.  One of the beauties of being a nurse is that you are legitimately able to ask people intimate details about their life, with impunity.  For a story teller, this […]

FMM 4 19 19 Natural Wonder

“The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.” ~ Walt Whitman. I am by nature suspicious of flowery speech.  I have a memory of my father explaining something to me as ‘purple prose’, passages of literature that are too fulsome, too many superlatives and flashy […]

FMM 4 12 19 Crowning Glory

“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart” ~ Khalil Gibran. The other day I met up with someone I hadn’t seen for a while.  And to be truthful, I did not immediately recognize her.  She was an acquaintance rather than an old friend, and it was only through the […]

FMM 4 5 19 Distilled Spirits

“Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.” ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. I was a late arriver to the gym scene.  My husband took up jogging in the early years of our marriage, but I always told him I preferred to exercise my mind.  With a […]

FMM 3 29 19 Mother and Child Reunion

“Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver.  I am the youngest in my family.  I found that to be frustrating as a child, as I had no baby brothers or sisters to play with.  My mother was unmoved by my requests.  She often declared herself to ‘have no maternal […]

FMM 3 22 19 Intentionality

“When you eat mindfully, by paying attention to what you eat, you get more pleasure with fewer calories.” ~ Dean Ornish.  My father was a man who had great faith, but who also believed in doing his part to ensure good outcomes.  He would say he always knew when God wanted him to do something […]