A while back I attended my annual international forensic meeting. It was attended by both women and men who work in this highly specialized area of nursing, and included even sub-specialties within our practice. For all, the crux of the focus was the caring and compassion for our patients and their loved ones.

Throughout this meeting I continued to realize, more and more, that in reality, it is not just nurses who should specialize in caring and compassion for others. We all need to. 

Sixteen years. On one hand it seems like yesterday, but on the other hand, there is no place that has ever felt more like home to me.  All the other places we lived in were just “houses.” I love this place so much that it feels like my soul was born here. 

We moved into this 3-story colonial farmhouse 16 years ago.  We knew it was time. We needed more bedrooms, a better school system, a location that was closer to everything, and a place where we were not located barely 15 feet from the street.  We decided to take the phrase “Out with the old, in with the new” literally.  We sold our 1740’s house for a home built in 1831. That counts as newer, right?

Wintertime is almost upon us, my friends! It just dawned on me... There are so many HUGE reasons I adore this season.

The tree branches are undressed, and we see things that we haven't seen in a long while. I love the new nests that have been built in the past year. I love how the leafless branches reveal, like curtains part before a show, a clear view of the twinkling stars. There is just something about winter that sings to my soul, tells it to slow down and take in everything that is before me. A pleasant, heartfelt reminder that winter is finally here, and the magic show commences…