I’ve heard the call from the deep ocean of my soul many times. The first call to which I responded sounded when I was 16 years old, when...

I pay attention to what people are watching around the hospital. Nearly every patient has their own TV. There are the tiny TV’s we keep...

My job is to listen and to speak. When I do my job well, the words come easily, from my heart to the listener’s ears. It’s not easy to...

Per my last post, I feel that each of us possesses a Pearl of Great Value within ourselves, which is our story. Our personal narratives...

The parable of the Pearl of Great Value (Matthew 13:45-46) asks the reader for what would they sell everything. What would you give up...

As this Holy Week proceeds to Easter Sunday, people of the Christian persuasion make their plans for church services, Easter egg hunts,...

I know that I have built rapport with a patient when they share their pet photos with me. The invention of the camera phone makes this...

I believe that our lived experiences can be deeply symbolic and meaningful. Our physical actions can reveal a hidden reverence for or...

It was a revelation to find my voice when I was a girl and young woman. This voice expressed itself in the language of art and writing. I...

The reason earthly life is so precious is because it ends. It just does. And I don’t think our culture has a proper understanding and...

I just finished streaming The Mandalorian, which includes baby Yoda and a cast of characters whose names I have trouble recalling.  I am...

No one wants the call from the doctor that the biopsy shows cancer. I go that call in October, but it was softened by the fact that this...

Many times, I’ve visited with a patient who simply needed a kind word and a warm blanket. A couple weeks ago, while chatting with a...

Some folks touch our hearts. They have a special quality…it can be their amazing talent, generous heart, mental tranquility, or an...

I decided a few months ago to reclaim my maiden name on this journey to honor Spirit. My path is my own and my name should be my own. And...

“If you are in a hospital bed, then you are likely experiencing a crisis,” I often tell patients that are struggling with anxiety. The...

An unexpected and amazing part of my residency experience has been coordinating a research project for Mayo Clinic. The topic is the...

One of the rituals hospital chaplains can have the opportunity to provide is the baptism of a baby. Typically, a family waits to pursue...

When I was a little girl, my sister and I played dolls. We had a menagerie of Barbies, trolls, wooden animals, and Cabbage Patch dolls....

It was thirty years ago that I got my first tattoo. A little yellow moon with a blue heart. I designed it myself. My poor mom had a fit...