Category Global health and disparities
FMM 3 20 2020 These Bipolar Times
“I often think the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh. One of the amazing things about the human body (and there are many) is its ability to develop immunity, over time. We have these cells who, pacman-like, chomp up invaders and then display pieces of them […]
FMM 3 13 20 Virus Ignoramus
“Vows made in storms are forgotten in calm.” ~ Thomas Fuller. I have one very clear memory of nursing during the early days of the AIDS epidemic. A young man had developed a collapsed lung, which required the insertion of a tube into his chest wall to suck the air out of the pleural space […]
FMM 2 28 20 Perfect Balance
“To him who is in fear everything rustles.” ~ Sophocles. I have always been fascinated by my dreams. I still have a clear memory of a dream I had as a child. I was in a forest where all of the trees were ghostly white. There may have been animals like statues, also white. The […]
FMM 2 14 20 Sing me a Song
“My music had roots which I’d dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil.” ~ Ray Charles. The road trips of my early childhood included many a song. My family had a repertoire of songs which distracted and entertained on the long journey which would take us from the city […]
FMM 2 7 2020 An Age-old dilemma
“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.” ~ Henry David Thoreau. My father Pearce was a picky eater. I don’t know when it began, but definitely by the time I was a teen I was aware of it. In restaurants he would stick to what he knew. The most adventurous he would […]
FMM 1 31 2020 Color your Perspective
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” ~ Elie Wiesel. This is my story, condensed, abridged, minimized, retold. Picture an almost eight-year-old white girl (blonde hair, blue eyes) transplanted from grey rainy Manchester along with her entire family and […]
FMM 1 10 20 Traveling Mercies
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” ~ Lao Tzu. My first time in Key West, over 40 years ago, was a trip of revelation. I was already having a hard time adjusting to the America of Miami: large cars, huge straight roads, flashing neon lights advertising establishments big […]
FMM 1 3 20 Respect and Reciprocity
“Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.” ~ Albert Schweitzer. For my mother, sending cards at Christmas was a serious affair. With her organizational and secretarial skills, the task received the best of her talents. Each year her list would be carefully reviewed. Who […]
FMM 12 27 19 Home Stretch
“You can be still and still moving. Content even in your discontent.” ~ Ram Dass. There was a time when I would unwind after a hectic night shift by sitting at my dining table reading the Miami Herald, cup of coffee at my side, kids on or off my lap. Sundays were particularly special – […]
FMM 12 13 19 Gobsmacked
“He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.” ~ Confucius. One of the things about growing up a Preacher’s Kid (PK as they say in the US) is that you are always having to watch what you say. Not just what you say, but how you say it. In […]
