This week I got my annual mammogram which happened to fall, coincidentally, on the 46 th  anniversary of my mother’s death from the disease at age 58. My results were normal, thanks be to God, but I couldn’t help but think of her and how the world of healthcare has changed since she was diagnosed. I am proactive about my health and keep up with appointments, vaccines, and testing, but damn, mammograms make me so anxious. Because of my history, I have had my share of call-back

Photo by Jorge Fernandez Salas on Unsplash I’ve attended beautiful funerals in the last month honoring the lives of two special women who were not only good and faithful servants, but moms to everyone who came into their orbit. They were salt of the earth, do-anything-for-you kinds of people. The first was my godmother, the mother of one of my closest childhood friends and a long-time school nurse, and the other, someone I came to know in the last 30 years. In both cases, th

Our neighbors and their families joined us last weekend for an informal, taco night Christmas gathering. I believe a great time was had by all. The kids banged on the piano and one crawled into the dog’s bed to curl up with Stella and there were impromptu trombone duets and noise and board games at the dining room table and conversations about college planning with the high school senior. I suspect the Moms and Dads put the fear of God into the kids about going to the one hou