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Responding to grief
I wrote this letter recently for a dear friend who is heading to the Philippines to train as a midwife and who asked for “read me when” letters. I had no intention of sharing it with anyone else at the time. But there are two reasons I’ve decided to do so: Last night I learned […]
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Medical insurance, pre-existing conditions and Obama care
When I went back to school to finish my Bachelor’s degree several years ago, my COBRA payment was somewhere around $450 per month. Due to a pre-existing condition I didn’t qualify for any less expensive options. After graduation I worked as a freelancer. Taxes alone required saving approximately 50% of my income, which meant I […]
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Why Midwifery?
I’ve had a nagging feeling that something was coming; that I wanted, no needed, to do something different with my life. I’ve been counting the days until the big 3-0; reflecting on the future and the past. During my 20’s I discovered so many things that I’m passionate about. Many of these revolve around being […]
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Blank contracts and the faithfulness of God
Wesley Covenant Prayer: I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, […]
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A voice cries out
I wrote this initial part of a blog in October 2012: I’ve thought about blogging for years. In 2008, I was asked to write a guest blog for Renee Fisher, and I loved it. I wanted to do more of it. But something always got in the way. That something was the belief that what […]
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Overcoming roadblocks
I’m an independent, let me “do it myself” and “I’ll make it happen” kind of person. I tend to intuitively “get” what needs to get done and identify the most efficient way to get there. So when I hit an impediment that I can’t get around I get stuck. Really stuck. Like when there’s a scratch on a […]
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Giving out of poverty
What is it like to give everything you have left? Have I ever truly done that? I’ve been asking myself this question for a few days. And not really about money but about my time and energy because that is the “currency” that I really value and when it’s running low I conserve instead of […]
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Two steps to making decisions on projects
In project management decision-making is inevitable. In fact, I have come to think that project management is primarily about making sure the necessary decisions get made at the right point in time. Recent my co-worker Nathan R Elson, wrote a blog about the decision parallax. (I’ll be the first to admit I had to look […]
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Confessions from failure
To wrap up my reflection on my short time in the Army, here’s a short piece I wrote a few years ago: Reminders There are many things that remind me Of the failure in my past. The smell of gunpowder in the air which follows the crack, crack, burst of the rifle. The burning in […]
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The one thing that never fails… emergencies
In Army basic training, drill sergeants launch CS gas (AKA tear gas, pepper spray) grenades into formations of recruits. There is a set procedure: close your eyes hold your breath pull down your glasses (if applicable). If you’re wondering: they stay around your neck because of the geek strap! open gas mask pocket pull it […]