"If you could have dinner with a person who has died, who would it be?" My reply to this popular icebreaker is always - Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement. In every photo I have seen of Cicely Saunders, she looks like the church lady from Saturday Night Live. But while Cicely … Continue reading MEET MY GIRL – DAME CICELY SAUNDERS
Category: Blog
Yesterday I saw a meme that said "2022 is like that ex-boyfriend you took back for a third time because he said he changed." I enjoyed a burst of laughter because I relate to that statement in more ways than I choose to get into at this time. This quip was still on my mind … Continue reading CUPCAKE STORY: a personal account of unraveling in a boutique bakery
Silver-linings are defined as "a sign of hope in an unfortunate or gloomy situation." The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly been a long and relentlessly gloomy situation. Many conversations with my community throughout this pandemic have been about experiences that are grievous and weary-making. But I have also shared sweet moments at work and around my … Continue reading PANDEMIC SILVER-LININGS
I wrote this piece a few months ago at the request of my dear friend and colleague. Maamoon is a Muslim, Iraqi who was a teenager living in Baghdad during the wartime conflicts from 2003-2007 when he fled to the United Arab Emirates. He is someone I am fortunate to have met through hospice work, … Continue reading MY LUCKY COUSIN
Godfrey of Bouillon (1060 – July 1100) was a medieval Frankish knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. This stained glass window in the cathedral of Brussels depicts the Siege of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in the 11th Century. This window was created in 1866, no … Continue reading HOSPITALITY IN MEDIEVAL TIMES, aka THE ORIGIN OF HOSPICE CARE