A Second Exodus
1956, Alexandria, Egypt The wave was bigger than he had anticipated, knocking him off his feet and pushing him down under for a few seconds before carrying him quickly to the shore and spitting him out onto the sand. At nine years old, Sami wasn’t the tallest...
Arya Grace
My baby is turning five tomorrow! Facebook memory from five years ago today.. Every morning for about the last month, I have woken up half surprised that my water didn't break during the night and that instead I'm still pregnant! (I have a double uterus, so the baby...
Moving Along the Illness-Wellness Continuum over a Lifetime
This is not my typical blog post, but a paper I had to write for my GCU nursing class. Since much of my creative juices are currently being directed toward nursing school, I figured I might as well publish some of my work here on my blog! Moving Along the...
Believe
Believe. That one little word has always been a powerful and important one in my life. But it took on a whole new level the Monday before Christmas 2003, when I silently asked God if a little Jewish girl from Scottsdale, Arizona could suddenly start believing in Jesus...
Final Breaths and Other Small Things
His breaths had slowed to such an interval that by the time they stopped, I stood there for several minutes with my hand on his chest to be sure that it was no longer rising and falling. I wasn’t entirely sure he really was gone until the nurse came in with her...
The Real Reason I Bust my Butt Wiping Butts for a Living
It’s hard to believe it was only just over a year ago that I went from cushy and clean office jobs to the messy manual labor of patient care in order to get some experience as I become a nurse. There have been many moments when I wondered what the hell I was thinking...
I’m Almost Positive my Covid-19 Test Will be Negative, but…
I got tested for Covid-19 on Tuesday. And now I wait for results. At home, quietly. Without going out and about or even seeing extended family. Though I haven’t quarantined from my immediate family, I did have my ex-husband keep the older girls an extra few days until...
Dealing with the Death in “Coronavirus Time”
My precious four-year-old refers to this time as Coronavirus Time. To her it’s a happy time with lots of snuggles and baking. Even when my Uncle died of Covid-19 last month, I don’t think the dots connected for her. And I’m OK with that. Frankly, I don’t think the...
Inside Dolphin 406 – How a Luxury Cruise turned into a Covid-19 Prison for a Scottsdale Medical Couple
When Sommer and Steve Gunia left Arizona on January 16 and traveled across the world to Tokyo to board the fated Diamond Princess cruise on January 20, they had never even heard of the Novel Coronavirus that was already sweeping across China. Sommer is a doctor (and...
How Do You Do Spring Cleaning During a Pandemic?
5 Timeless Tips to Refresh and Renew Your Home for Spring, plus a bonus 2020 quarantine tip. Spring Break has been extended indefinitely, and we are suddenly spending a lot more time at home. Perfect time to tackle all those home improvement projects we never have...