The 4th floor can be a busy place, especially the nurse's station. Patients pace up and down the halls holding on to the arm of an aide or IV pole, strengthening their legs and stretching their minds out from beyond the ivory-toned rooms. Lunch carts and doctors take the corners tightly in an effort skirt … Continue reading Painting Advent: A Metaphor in Waiting
This weekend we celebrate all the gratitudes of life. We take advantage of leftover turkey sandwiches, football, family and fall crispness to restore our souls before we go back to work. For some who practice the Christian faith, post-Thanksgiving also signifies the arrival of Advent. Beginning in the 4th or 5th century in Spain, Advent … Continue reading Leftover turkey and restored souls.
After my cousin Jessica gave me grandma’s recipe box, it sat on my desk for months patiently waiting on me. It waited partly because of schedule restraints, wanting to have enough time to take it all in without feeling hurried: partly because I found it intimidating. What if I found the unexpected? What DID I … Continue reading Grandma’s recipe #1: Sally Lunn
Unfamiliar gear strapped to my back: the bulk heavy with anticipation. We checked each others tanks to make sure we had wrestled them on correctly, rubik-cubed the snorkle on to the mask and spit at the appropriate time and place to prevent mask fog, all in preparation for our first dive. With anticipatory thoughts … Continue reading Sitting in the Waters of Discomfort
Returning from a soul care retreat, I arrived home, unpacked my bag and took a few moments to sit in a quiet space. My shoulders felt relaxed, mind cleared and knees a bit sore from walking the hills. Thoughts went to the stories I had received, some humorous, some vulnerable and gratefulness welled up in … Continue reading The Two Arrows of Pain
Last week I hiked in the woods for about an hour in the snow and wind. It was glorious and uncomfortable. Dressed for the weather, though perhaps not quite as many layers as needed, I was bundled nonetheless: hiking boots, headband, winter gloves. Snow landed on my face, immediately melting into Mother Natures tears on my face. The twists and … Continue reading Wonder
Throughout this past year we have touched on many subjects, one of which is taking the perspective of the other. The following is a poem by Mary Oliver where she peeks our curiosity of another’s perspective. If you are not accustomed to reading poetry, it can feel intimidating. Here is the invitation: read Mary’s … Continue reading For Autumn
Numerous events in our world, continued stressors at work and in our personal lives are impacting mind, body and spirit. Every week I receive many emails in which people share the high levels of stress they are experiencing in life. Please know this: You are not alone. Let me repeat that: You are not alone. … Continue reading Not alone
I love the annual event of seasonal movies. Whether it is the time of year for White Christmas, Sound of Music, or the Harry Potter series, there is something about sitting down and relaxing into a familiar story during a specific season. Growing up, I watched The Wizard of Oz every year. The monkeys were … Continue reading Behind the Curtain
Recently hurricanes have roared through the Atlantic and along the Pacific coast creating all sorts of chaos for the people and communities touched. As we watched Irma tear through the Caribbean and land on the peninsula of Florida, we learned the worst damages would be due to the storm surge: that extra water churned up … Continue reading Storm surge
Andrea Tatley 