Will go anywhere for fondue--even through ice!

We have plans tonight to eat with another couple at the Melting Pot--love the fondue!! Anyways, we have power and the Pot has power so we will head out carefully to eat dinner. The problem is the ice, snow we could drive in just fine. And up north there would be millions of snowplows out putting down salt and sand on every roadway. (Okay not quite millions). Here in GA, they only do the interstate highways...forget all the other roads, there are not enough trucks for that. It was fine to be home all day. I am still recovering from the on-call night from hell and spelt most of today. I am feeling better now and not so wiped out. Hope I don't conk out at dinner, that wouldn't be pretty my face in the bread and apples plate. Teehee. Anyways...miss you all and hope you are all safe tonight.

Living up to my sign on name...

I am a reverend seeking wisdom tonight. This has been my worst experience on-call. The parents who struggled to make the right decision about their unborn child discovered the worst nightmare possible. After the doctors removed the child that was not able to sustain life, the mother crashed. The doctors worked hours to keep her alive. Then they finally pronounced her. This warm and soft-spoken man lost both his unborn child and his wife tonight. The whole hospital wept for them. I actually had to leave the room where the family was sitting because I could not contain my tears any longer. I wept. There was no justice for this man. There was no way to console him. So I search for wisdom all night and for a long time....

Quick thoughts

I am sorry it has been a few days now since I last posted. Work has been crazy enough that I haven't had a free moment or an open computer long enough to post anything. Yesterday the full moon certainly wrecked havoc on pregnant woman. The problem with working at a hospital where so many are born is that there is more perinatal deaths too. Unfortunately, we don't get called to celebrate much and are called for the losses instead. Anyways...I had a great interaction with a Muslim family and I just loved working with them and will be working with them again today. I miss the diversity of the northeast. Although to be fair the city is diverse, we aren't very diverse in the chaplain's dept. But I do my part whenever the opportunity arises. I am on-call again this week (tonight). So I will be able to post more later tonight unless all hell breaks loose here.

What a change 4 years bring

I wrote this lovely "muse" and then lost it thanks to the wondrous blackholes in the internet. I will try to reconstruct it because it was important to me. Basically I was pondering all that has changed in my life and my wife's in the last four years. We finished school, made changes in our careers, met and got married, moved and started a new stage of our lives--all in a very short time. And yet in the last four years, I never would have guessed how wonderful my life would be--I was overwhelmed with grief most days. My parent's car accident was four years ago and I haven't stopped missing my mom for one day. I wasn't even sure how to go on with my life then and I would do just about anything to have her back and a part of my life. And although that is not possible, I am really okay as a person. Even the work I do has changed since the accident. If the accident never occurred would I still have become a chaplain? I will never know. I do know that it makes me a damn good chaplain and I love my job even when I don't really like it. I honor my mother with every patient and family that I help in their tough moments. Her life and her death have meaning and signifiance every day. Usually this day I would spend some time at her gravesite and try to clean it up and chat with her there. But living so many miles away that is not possible today. So instead I share my thoughts with you and reflect on how I helped people during my shift in her memory. And I plan that garden in my mind waiting for the proper time to plant those marigolds.

Living in the south

Well, it has been a little over 6 months now since moving down south from the northeast. I have missed friends and all kinds of familiar places from work to pizza places, etc. (They can't make good pizza here nor good bagels. Bummer!) At times the weather has not been much different which I found very surprising and a little bit depressing. What is the point of not having any snow but still having temps in the 20's and even colder in December. Of course a few days ago it was in the 60's--I didn't complain that day. But, today even with the temps in the low 20's and very windy the south is spared the big snowstorm that hit the northeast. It sounds so pretty to me 18 inches--I love snow and will miss sledding and watching the dog try to walk around in it. Doc has never seen snow (best I can tell) I bet he would love romping around in it! Oh well. The good things about living down here is the days where it is 60's and to know spring is around the corner. I look forward to working on the yard and hope to plant flowers and fix the yard up a bit. Of course, I need to hurry before it gets too hot for me. :) The humidity can be real bad. I want to plant marigolds the most. That will be my memory garden for my mother and I can't wait to start planting. Soon! I have been looking for a bird bath here an there but never found anything. Maybe this spring I can find one at a decent price. Diana and I have also talked about creating a butterfly garden too--all of this together could make a wonderful spiritual place. Oh well, enough daydreaming for now. Ta ta.

First Day

Hey there...I thought I would join the craz of posting thoughts and whatever. I will try this for a bit and see how it goes. Today, I am at work so I never know that the day will bring. Hopefully it will be boring--which means people won't be hurting so much and no deaths. Tough job being a chaplain in a hospital. My job makes for bad dinner conversation. Unless I hang out with other chaps or their loved ones. :)