Life, Spirit, and Health: the View from the Mountain
What once was, is, and always will be... The old woman lay on her bed of sheepskins in front of her hearth, a strand of amber beads cradled in her hand, others laying in front of her. She fingered the beads, one by one, slowly, lovingly. They were of all colors, from a deep, rich,… Continue reading Solace in Amber
Sitting on my bed, I cried inconsolably. It was ugly crying, so violent I was gasping for breath, unable to stop my sobbing. Snot poured out of my nose and onto the pile of tissues beside me. I hadn't cried like this in... years? At least. Decades? Maybe. Probably. Maybe I can learn from this,… Continue reading Shattering Climate Change Denial
I was told a pretty story, growing up. It went like this... I was given up for adoption at birth. My birth mother was 19, and already had a 3 year old boy. She was a navy brat, living with her parents. Her mother, my birth grandmother, was sick with vaguely described "women's issues." She… Continue reading Finally Finding Family
I was doing it wrong, and I knew it. It was one year ago today, my mom had just died, but I wasn't crying. "Something's wrong with me," I confided, oh so quietly, to those closest to me, a week later. They assured me there was no right way, no wrong way, to grieve. That… Continue reading On Mourning
This story starts with a dog, and ends with another. It's long, and touches on sensitive subjects, with raw, open, honesty. The last 10 months have been quite a journey, full of sorrow, shock, a moment of extreme clarity, a lot of contemplation, reflection, unexpected dreams, and then resolution, when the dream became reality. It… Continue reading Saving Myself By Saving a Dog
"Veterinarians deal with death the most out of any medical profession." "Does it ever really get any easier, euthanization?" asked the first year student. "Every euthanization is difficult, but some hit harder than others..." - from "Vet School" (TV show, NatGeo Wild) Is there any such thing as a good death? A beautiful, peaceful, passing?… Continue reading A Good Death
