Month: October 2006

“I really needed that conversation,” the young woman said as we pushed our chairs back at the end of the meal. None of us had said anything particularly insightful. We had simply shared our experiences and concerns in dealing with family members with a serious brain disorder. The gathering had not been planned. We just…

Welcome to the beginning of National Chemistry Week. It kicks off this week on Mole Day. As in Avogadro’s Number … the number of molecules or atoms in a substance … the number equal to its atomic weight. The number is 6.022 X 10(to the 23rd power) That is 6022 with 20 zeros after it.That’s…

I looked at my daughter skeptically when she said she wanted me in the delivery room. I had heard about these “birthday parties.” She didn’t want one, she just wanted me and her husband to be there encouraging her through a natural childbirth. They took the classes – and learned a lot – then they…

With 90 years life behind him – no one expected the old man to live forever. Nonetheless when his Austrian landlord discovered the nonagenarian dead in his bed, it made headlines around the world. The former university professor had not suffered a dramatic death. He had simply died in his sleep – at least three…

As a young bride-to-be, I listened with wide eyes as the older ladies at the cheerleader sewing factory chatted around me. The young married women talked about adapting recipes, preparing meals and finding babysitters. The older women’s conversations focused on grandchildren, community projects and activities. Each reflected a different phase of married life. The first…