Thank you to all of you who helped during our kick-a-thon to raise money for the AED (automated external defibrillator) that we now have on site at MIMA!  We have a trainer who will come on site on January 31 to certify staff and any additional member who is interested obtaining CPR and AED certification.  This is…

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My final two heroes are my Mom and my Dad.  As routine as it may seem for a person to say that their parents are their heroes, I don't think there is anything average about my parents.

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My patients and their families



I see a whole host of heroes in my job everyday. I feel lucky about that. Having a front row seat on life is not something that everyone is fortunate enough to experience, and I feel lucky to experience it everyday. I can't mention names or exact situations without breaking a number of privacy laws, so I broadly tribute the lovely and brave patients and their families that stick with me even after they are gone.



They face the most dire of… Continue

I sat recently at a small group at work for a focused discussion on the practice of mindfulness.



“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way

-on purpose

-in the present moment

-nonjudgementally

-as if your life depended on it.”



I realize that martial arts is one of my 'mindfulness practices'. When I am working on forms,…

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I have what can be a very exhausting job. I spend much of my time as a palliative medicine physician helping the sickest patients cope with their illnesses, support their families through their illness, and balance the delicate line between hope and reality. I see a lot of patients transition though the last days of their lives. I see reconciliations, lives well lived, peace; I also see mourning of lost time, regrets of things not done, and fear of the unknown. All of these things give me…

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"A sense of personal responsibility and a commitment to honesty is characteristic of this generation.  Those were values bred into the young men and women coming of age at the time the war broke out.  Its how they were raised." Tom Brokaw, The Greatest Generation  



Grandma is a member of the Greatest Generation.  A Southern, farm-raised, educated, beautiful, kind, and stubborn woman; she spoke to me often about the values of kindness and giving.  She worked hard, had great faith, and… Continue