Blog of the Swirly-eyed Sister
My cousin’s husband, Gid, was the kind of person who always made you laugh. If you spent any time at all with him, you’d leave the encounter with a smile on your face. He knew the importance of community. A Continue reading Gid’s Neighborhood
From Connections, Chronic Pain Support Group newsletter, Summer/Fall 2004 I have learned much about community from my daughter-in-law. She was only 10 when her mother died suddenly from an aneurysm. With no chance even to say goodbye, this grieving family Continue reading Community Ties
Shock, outrage, and sadness overwhelmed me on Jan. 6, 2021, as I watched a mob of thugs, incited by the President of the United States, storm our U.S. Capitol and disrupt Congress’s constitutional duty to count and certify America’s election Continue reading After the Insurrection . . .
When I was a little girl, our family friends took me and my brother and sister on annual camping trips to the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick. It became the highlight of our year and a trip we anticipated Continue reading Dear Canada
Five months ago, four anonymous strangers saved my life. After falling and breaking my hip, after successful hip replacement surgery, after three weeks of walking and exercising, I began to feel like my normal self again. Then, unexpectedly, a wave Continue reading How Four Anonymous Strangers Saved My Life
We all must stand up for ourselves as chronic pain survivors. Sometimes that means using precious time and energy to write letters, call legislators, vote for candidates sympathetic to our cause and supportive of money for research, and argue our Continue reading One “thank you” can go a long way
Banishing those insidious if onlys You’ve all heard people say, “If only I could win the lottery,” or “If only I had a fancy car,” or “If only I were younger (or thinner or richer).” This phenomenon—which I call the Continue reading Banish those insidious if-onlys
I hadn’t noticed the man on the sidewalk until he spoke. His thin coat and ripped sneakers offered little protection against the chill November wind. He carried a dirty duffle bag on his shoulders, and untamed gray hair escaped from Continue reading Finding Joy
I don’t give a #@%& about swear words—terms that parents respond to with a warning “Language” when such oaths are uttered by or in front of their children. What I consider truly “foul language” is the kind that obfuscates communication. Continue reading A check and its loving family
My friends Ernie and Gail and I recently spoke with students in the local university’s health professions classes as part of a series to put them in touch with real patients and caregivers. In discussing the importance of connecting her Continue reading Becoming Real