Each year holds the hope and promise of a new beginning, a fresh start, a chance to once again look with expectation and say, “What Will the Year Behold?” Like the Christmas story that
Read moreAuthor: Debbie Simler-Goff
The Gift of Mental Illness
I am grateful for the gift of mental illness that upended my life 15 years ago. Why? Because of what I went through, I am more grateful, more apt to refrain from judging others, and
Read moreWe Thank-You
“George Mercer*, for your service in the U.S. Army,on behalf of a grateful nation, we thank-you.” I said those words to George last year on Veteran’s Day, as he sat stoically in his wheelchair,
Read moreOil In My Lamp
In my work in hospice, I am periodically in nursing facilities of varying degrees of accommodations. Some are lavish, with plush carpet, mahogany banisters, and the scent of fresh flowers. And others, have chipped tiled
Read moreCounting The Cost
When I became an instant mother at the age of 20, I had in no way counted the cost of motherhood. I was young, wide-eyed, infatuated, and profoundly in love. And my heart was captured
Read moreThe Dream
The dream is always the same. I am walking down a long, shadowed corridor lined with lockers. The kind of old, metal lockers you might see in a middle school, circa 1970. There
Read moreThe Hope Of The 4th Of July
Ahhh, the 4th of July. The pomp, the circumstance, the jamboree of red, white and blue; mom, baseball, and apple pie; hot dogs, hamburgers, and parades; swimming pools, lawn chairs, and fireworks; Popsicles, watermelons, and
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