The local library is a great institution. When I was a child my parents brought us to the public library regularly. I have always enjoyed reading stories. Now I read widely to be informed, to learn and for enjoyment. I read to become a better writer. Today I picked up…
On July 27ththe Wall Street Journal published an article titled China’s Vaccine Scandal. Parents in China have led protests on behalf of their children. I read through the article noting several paragraphs. Over the past couple of weeks parents in China have learned that a compulsory public-health program…
From spring to fall the garden is a place of wonder, amusement and challenge. Here are thirteen examples. The tulips are one of the first blooms in my yard. The scent of the lily of the valley is pleasing. I love how the little bells peek out from the green…
In the introduction to the book, Modern Mothers in the Heartland, a speech by Dr. Caroline Hedger is referenced. In 1920 Dr. Caroline Hedger gave a speech entitled, “The Relation of Health to Progress”. Like reformers of the time she was calling attention to the health of women and children.…
Parents have differing opinions about childhood vaccines. That is okay. I am a nurse and my children received the recommended vaccines in the 1980s and 1990s. But my daughter had vaccine reactions and eventually developed fibromyalgia. Because of my family’s experience with vaccine reactions I support informed consent and parent…
During the second half of the 19thcentury many immigrants came to the United States to work in textile mills, copper mines, factories and quarries. Often the Church was the center of their community life. Between 1886 -1888 a Finnish Lutheran Church was built in Jacobsville, Michigan. The bell tower…
If you plant a cherry tree the birds will come. The robins love my cherry tree. One year a group of cedar waxwings came and perched on a branch passing cherries to each other. And little birds that I haven’t identified come. I don’t mind sharing some of the cherries—but…
We spent one family vacation on the Delaware beach. It was restful to walk the beach listening to the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing on the beach. The ocean is God’s grand creation. More often we spend time near the Great Lakes of Michigan. Lake Superior in Upper…
Childbirth practices had changed since I began my career as a labor and delivery nurse. The use of pitocin to hasten birth had become common. The rate of cesarean section had risen from 15% to 30%. I saw a full term infant die after inappropriate use of pitocin. I didn’t…
In July of last year my husband and I flew to Finland to visit my grandmother’s birthplace and to attend a family reunion. We had a nonstop flight on Finnair from Chicago to Helsinki Finland. Relatives met us at the airport. My grandmother’s travel to the United States was much…