It’s an overcast chilly day in Chicago, just the kind of day for a good joke. And I got one this morning from a former nursing student at Trinity Christian College, now a seasoned grad. She’d had a “crazy” day yesterday. Here’s why: Our primary IV tubing is on back order. This means we can't use …
Moms: Survival Tools for Temper Tantrums
I feel exonerated. Finally. When my daughter was two, her temper tantrums merited a blue ribbon. Once, as I was leaving a coffee date, a friend with a child also two, remarked, “I don’t know how you stand it, Lo.” She stared with me at the floor where my feisty adorable blonde-haired child splayed herself …
Say Something Nice to Someone Today
Caring Lessons Now #4 Yesterday, on my way to the radio interview in Elgin, I took the bus to Union Station where I presented my Reduced Fare (seniors) CTA card, sporting a photo ID, to the ticket agent. He looked at it, glanced up at me, and said, "You pickin' this up for your ma?" …
Caring Lessons / Radio Interview
Tomorrow, between 3 and 4pm Chicago time, I will be a guest on the Laura Dion-James Show at wrmn1410.com. Tune in online! The topic will, of course, be about my nursing memoir, Caring Lessons: A Nursing Professor's Journey of Faith and Self. Laura is a dynamic motivational coach, author, and speaker. Read more about her …
Former First Lady of Illinois – Maggie Daley – 1943-2011
Our loved and respected former First Lady of Illinois Maggie Daley passed away yesterday from complications related to metastatic breast cancer. The news is full of the story. What sticks with me most in the repeated images is her gracious smile. That's the way I will remember her. The graciousness in how she lived her …
Continue reading Former First Lady of Illinois – Maggie Daley – 1943-2011
Friendship – A Thanksgiving Gift
Caring Lessons Now #3 In your rush to thaw the turkey, find the family's favorite pecan pie recipe, and email your address to your guest list for their GPSs, have you taken a second to name what you are especially thankful for this year? It's easy about this time to get enmeshed and overwhelmed with …
Fresh Shrimp / Milk Crate Picnic
Caring Lessons Now (CLN) #2 In sixty-two days, I’ll be seventy. No longer do my peers talk about babies, weddings, and marital fights. It’s much more likely that we talk about our latest doctor’s appointment, medical diagnosis, and health insurance rate. That’s why, in this phase of my retirement, I want to actively seek out …
Introducing “Caring Lessons Now”
I have a newish idea. One that’s been growing. The idea of adding Caring Lessons Now as a blog topic. The idea started at Women & Children First last spring when I did a reading of Caring Lessons: A Nursing Professor’s Journey of Faith and Self. During the Q/A, a nurse in the audience asked …
Focus
There's something about going to a wedding and meeting up with siblings where the discussion is retirement that makes me restless. Not that restlessness is a new thing, because I've always liked change. But after last week's immersion into sibling talk-we range in age from 65 to 82--about how we spend our leisure time in …
Write Along with Me 