National Doctors Day

How appropriate that I should wake up on National Doctors Day, as a patient in a hospital.  I am unable to add any graphics to today's post, but I want to say I am grateful, not only to physicians, but to all the health care professionals who are treating me. 

Take a moment and think about all the doctors you know, either as friends or relatives, or those whom you know professionally.  The gift of good health is precious and I am grateful for all of these women and men.  Such an important field and one which we will all call upon at some point in our lives.  This commemoration was the idea of a doctor's wife, and the date chosen was the anniversary of the first use of general anesthesia in surgery. The first Doctors’ Day observance was Georgia back in the early 30s.

 

Today, or in the days ahead, say thank you to a doctor.

embrace equality

Should women be allowed to vote? Should a Black woman be allowed to marry a White man? Should two people with the same education and experience, and doing the same job, be paid the same amount, regardless of their sex? Should two adult females be allowed to marry each other? The questions I am asking here deal with equality. There are many more examples of course, but you get my point.

Time after time most polls show that Americans believe in equality and time after time the courts have ruled in favor of equal treatment, so what's the problem? Why don't we actually HAVE equality. Why do some people still refuse to treat others fairly?

 

"My personal conviction says I shouldn't do that," some are saying, or "It's against my religion."  What religion preaches discrimination?  Seriously.  When will we stop with the excuses and just embrace equality?  Let's be fair.  My personal conviction tells me that's the way to go.  My religion says so too!

My hero My mom

Today is the anniversary of a sad day for me, and even though this blog is NOT about me, I have mentioned my mother on many occasions.  This is the date on which she passed away six years ago.  I cannot help thinking about what an incredible mother she was - what an incredible person she was!

 

Most folks called her Teddy.  My sister and I of course called her Mom.  I also call her my hero.  She was always there for her family and her friends.  She loved to give whether money, or time, or her various talents, or even just her presence.  Even in her last days she was planning for happy events.  She wanted to share Easter dinner with my sister and I that year, but died just a few days before.

 

Sometimes I will wonder why there seems to be less love in the world.  There certainly was a lot of it from Mom.  She is one of the reasons I write this every morning and she is one of the reasons why I volunteer and why I keep involved in the community and in various organizations.  Thanks Mom for your love, your leadership, and your inspiration.  I miss you.

Arizona sunrise

If you read this regularly, you know I only moved to Arizona a few years ago and I still have not gotten used to all the breathtaking views. Lovely images of nature's beauty seem to be just about anywhere you look. It's especially nice at this time of year watching the sun come up just as I finish my morning jog.

When you live in a big city, there's a different kind of beauty - sometimes it's manmade. I loved running past shop windows or urban parks at the start of day back in San Francisco. I can recall the lovely sights from my Upstate New York childhood too. It's everywhere. Enjoy the views that brighten our days.

One of the really cool things is that we don't all have the same view. Even within one town, there are going to be differences depending on which direction you are going or the street you are on. Trees might block part of your view, but look down and discover the flowers or look the other way and perhaps there are some birds. After living in the city most of my life, I was really surprised at the animal life I have discovered here, including all kinds of birds, all sizes of lizards, and cute hopping rabbits. (Oh and there are snakes too, but that's when I prefer to look the other way).

The Arizona sunrise was gorgeous this morning.  At this time of year the temperature is perfect too, so I just might go out and explore some more of the views! Have a wonderful day. Enjoy the scenery wherever you are.

Homeless Through the years

The other day I heard someone say that when she grew up there were no homeless people.  "Why can't we go back to the way it was then?" she asked.  Well first of all, she was wrong.  Homelessness is not new.  The woman pictured to the right is Lucille Ball in a scene from The Stone Pillow, a motion picture she made about homelessness late in her career.  That was over thirty years ago and in publicity for the movie Lucy said she recalled the homeless situation from her youth and wanted to shed some light.

 

People with no place to live have often been outcasts, but there have also been people who care.  In 1872, Jerry and Maria McAuley founded the New York City Rescue Mission.  It became this country's first rescue mission,  providing spiritual hope, food, clothing and shelter to the needy in New York City.

 

Things got much worse during the Great Depression of the 1930s with a devastating epidemic of poverty, homelessness, hunger, and mental illness.  Many needy people, mostly men, would hop freight trains and go from town to town looking for help.

 

Shelters have sprung up over the years, mostly in larger cities, but these are usually nighttime shelters that require their guests to leave in the morning with nowhere to go.  How can you look for a job wearing the same dirty clothes you had on yesterday and with no place to be contacted?

 

In San Francisco, where I used to live, the health department created Project Homeless Connect sixteen years ago, as a way to bring services to the homeless.  It continues to reshape its outreach strategy and improve available services with clients being exposed to HIV testing, medical care, addiction services, legal advice, dental care, mental health services, and so much more.

 

There are organizations all over the world that help the homeless populations in their areas.  Some programs are wildly successful.  No program has brought an end to homelessness.  It isn't new.  It isn't gone.  It probably will be with us for some time.  We all can help though.  Check out the two places I mentioned (the New York City Rescue Mission HERE or Project Homeless Connect HERE) for a couple of excellent places to start.

In times of personal crisis

One of the most rewarding things I do is volunteer at a local hospital.  I know this blog is NOT about me, but I simply must share how good the volunteer experience is.  I see men and women from their teen years up into their senior years (there was actually a women in her mid 90s volunteering until recently) doing all sorts of tasks around the hospital.

 

Occasionally I have encountered visitors or patients crying in the hospital hallways.  The other day I saw a familiar face, a lady I have run into several times.  The very first time I saw her she asked for a hug.  Now she tells people I'm a good hugger.  This time she had tears.  Her husband is nearing the end of his life.  I listened.  I wish I could have done more.  Sometimes just quietly listening is helpful.  I saw her again a few hours later.  She was smiling,  Her husband was going home that day and the doctor had referred them to a hospice program.  I listened to her news and then we hugged again.

 

There are happy moments, like when someone is healed from injury or when a new baby is born, but all too often I meet people in times of personal crisis.  I try to help as best I can, but there are times when I don't think I have done enough.  We have a small gift shop that is staffed by volunteers.  Information is given to visitors at the front desk and at other locations by volunteers.  The other day a doctor stopped me in a hall just to say thanks.  He told me he is grateful for volunteers and all the things we do.  It's true that we do many tasks all around the hospital, but I really like being in the hallways, whether transporting a patient to be discharged, hearing a compliment from a physician, or giving a hug to a worried wife.

 

Hospitals can be difficult places, but I will keep volunteering.  I think volunteers make a difference.  It's not just what we give.  We also get such a good feeling back!

Still much to give us hope

When I began writing this daily blog eleven years ago, I had no idea I would continue it for this long.  It was always my intention to write about things I find inspiring, especially about people who are making a difference in this world.  It's easy to be discouraged when we read the negative stories that show up in the newspaper, but there is an awful lot of good too and so much more I can write about.

This week I was saddened to learn that longtime television personality Alex Trebek has been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, but was encouraged by the brave way he made the announcement himself, as he vowed to fight, and win.  Sometimes, even in moments of darkness, celebrities can shine some light.

 

There is a non-celebrity who has been getting a lot of attention lately.  His name is Seth Owen, and he has done some pretty remarkable things.  I KNOW I will have a lot more to say about him and I'm so happy to see such generosity.

 

There are stories that circulate on the internet that are uplifting and filled with hope.  I'm always glad to share these here as well.  Yesterday's International Women's Day was also a great reminder that so many of our heroes are women.  Oh and I love sharing comments that come from you who read this blog too.  There is a lot of good out there.  That is certainly something to give us all hope.

 

So, as I continue to write this, share you thoughts too.  As always, I would love to know what is on your mind.  I would live to hear about your heroes and about the things that inspire you.