Tis the season of gratefulness…
I am thankful for all that I take for granted:
+Living in a war-free area of the US. My recent 2 months in Nablus, Palestine, reminded me of the gift of not hearing drones and military planes flying overhead night and day. And to live in a US neighborhood where I am not afraid.
+Having sisters that work together relatively well to care for our sister with Down Syndrome and our aging mother whose quality of life is the best it can be despite her intermittent confusion and full-care needs. Lord, don't let me live to be that old!
+Witnessing the sense of humor despite the challenges and pain of aging in my 98-year-old aunt, who served as a nun in the Ursuline order of Kentucky for 80 years and died this fall. Wishing her peace.
+The easy commute to Boston by train to see the current Life Magazine Photography exhibit. Which brought back memories from my childhood, although my family didn't subscribe. And the curator's inclusion of contemporary artists' perspectives on "the what” that was left out about the US in the 30s-60s.
+A home with heat and running water without rotating electric cut-offs where I am not dependent on the kindness of others.
+Meaningful work where I can try to help others in a healthcare system that may be broken but is better than some around the world.
+The opportunity to evaluate an ERASMUS-funded project in Jordan that helps GPs (medical school plus 1 year of a hospital-based internship) gain a Family Medicine diploma that offers them evidence-based medicine skills, better communication skills including shared decision making, improved approaches for managing complex cases and identifying mental health problems among their patients in the government outpatient clinics. I am reminded of the value of a family medicine approach to caring for patients.
+The ability to teach the next generations of healthcare clinicians and to see their excitement and idealism.
+The love of a partner, Reed and a dog, Conner, who also enjoy walking along the Narragansett Bay shore in sun, rain, and snow.
December pre-sunrise Narragansett Bay