grandmother with a camera and a quote

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.”
- J.K. Rowling

grandmother with a camera and a quote

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”

- J.M. Barrie

grandmother with a camera and a quote

“Promise me you’ll remember, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think.”

- A.A. Milne

grandmother with a camera and a quote

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.” 

Theodor Seuss Geisel

grandmother with a camera and a quote

"If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely."

Raold Dahl

day three

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

- Antoine de Saint-Expuery

day two

"The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places."

- Roald Dahl

grandmother with a camera: day one

The first day of twelve with the grandchildren was today. I'm hoping to post a photo a day, along with a quote from a children's book.

The first one was taken during nap time. Luckily this grandchild sleeps like a rock... didn't even budge during the loud Hasselblad shutter. Thunk.

"Sometimes," said Pooh; "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart." 
- A.A. Milne

circling back to say thanks

When my husband was just 26 years old he started to experience some strange health deficits: slurred speech, droopy eyelids, difficulty swallowing and weakness in his extremities. We'd only been married a year. It threw us for a loop, to say the least.

Eddie had previously been very healthy. We didn't know what was happening to him; the doctors we saw weren't sure either. After a couple years of being poked and probed, being told it was "all in his head" and eventually being misdiagnosed, Eddie began taking meds for a disease he didn't have. The meds he took for that disease nearly did him in. At our wit's end, we finally checked into the hospital at the University of Michigan, determined to stay there until we got some answers.

Early on during that hospital stay a young resident walked into the room. His name was Joshua Cohen, and he and Eddie were about the same age. The two guys had a lot in common; they hit it off very well. The young Joshua Cohen seemed to make it his mission to give us a proper diagnosis. Over the course of the next three weeks, Joshua, our new friend, worked overtime to help one of his very first patients. The diagnosis was Myasthenia Gravis. With medication, Eddie has lived a full and active life, and it's really because of a young resident who put his nose to the grindstone and didn't give up until he had successfully solved the puzzle.

Fast forward 40 years. Our son Max is in medical school. Soon enough he will be a resident. Like Joshua Cohen. Eddie recently told Max the story about how important it was for him to get a proper diagnosis.  How it saved his life. As I heard Eddie and Max discuss it, I realized we had never really had a chance to thank Dr. Cohen. I suggested we do that.

Eddie: There are probably a thousand Dr. Joshua Cohens out there.

Me: I bet we'll recognize him.

Thanks to Google, it took about three minutes to find our unsung hero. Eddie wrote him an email, expressing our gratitude and hoping he'd remember us after all these years. Of course he did. Eddie was one of his firsts. How could he forget?

Dr. Cohen wrote back immediately. During their correspondence, Eddie mentioned that Max was in medical school. Now Max and Joshua are in touch. Eddie was not the only one to express appreciation for Joshua's astute investigative skills, tremendous smarts and unwavering dedication; Max said "thank you," too. As the son of the patient - and as an aspiring physician.

It's a feel-good story. I thought it was worth sharing.

Dr. Joshua Cohen

Eddie and Max

PS - I'd like to congratulate Max, who found out yesterday that he is the recipient of a 2016-2017 Fulbright. He will use the grant to do research on antibiotic resistance in Colombia, South America, where he will live for the next year. His dad and I are very proud!

a sunday afternoon

Eddie.

until next time in the big easy

leaving new orleans

Spending ten days in New Orleans has been magical. I feel so grateful to be able to tap into the lives of my grandchildren, even if it only happens every few months or so. 

more from new orleans

These children.

grandma with a camera

The grandkids were in town this past week. And I made some photos, of course.

my family home

I recently spent a few days with my 94-year-old father who still lives in the house my family built when I was four.  I like to find something new about this very familiar place each time I inhabit the space. This time, I found myself paying particular attention to the way the sunlight moved in and out of various  places in the house. Here are a few of the pictures I made.

sports fan

I grew up in Kentucky and was a Cincinnati Red Legs superfan

A lot of people are surprised when they find out how much I love baseball, football and basketball. "Where did that come from?" they want to know.

My parents.

My two older brothers.

And the fact that I was a "tomboy" extraordinaire.

Everyone in Kansas City is a Royals fan these days, especially now that we're on the edge of being in the World Series again. It's a glorious time to be a sports fan in the City of Fountains. And I'm loving every minute of it.

parting shots

only a few more days left

Soon I'll sadly pack up and leave my kids and grandkids for a while. We are having such a wonderful time being together. I'm grateful to these young kids for inspiring me to be creative and curious and brave and kind and silly and thoughtful and adventuresome every single day.