Heroine is becoming an epidemic in our nation. In our local area, the increase in heroine related deaths has risen to levels I would have never guessed would be possible. The drug Naloxone has reverse the effect of heroine if administered in a timely manner. Police and emergency personnel have been trained on the use of this drug for a long while. Now classes have been offered to train non-law enforcement and non-emergency personnel to administer the drug. The goal of course is to save lives be eliminating fatal overdoses of heroine.
While I applaud all the efforts being made to address the heroine epidemic it frustrates me that we even must fight this battle. Since I was high school age I have known heroine is something you avoid. It is harmful to your body in many ways. It creates a dependency that drives many users to crime to support their habit. It destroys trust in families and other relationships. Once trust is destroyed it is difficult to re-build and in some cases impossible to re-build. I long for the day when heroine is not in the news because people have simply stopped using it!
Last night I went to the funeral visitation of a good friend and former member of my Sunday School Class. Bob was a heck of a guy and experienced many sacrifices in his life. What I remember most about him is that no matter what the circumstance he looked for the most useful way to move through and beyond the experience. He loved his wife and was devoted to her until her death several years ago,. Visitations provide us one last opportunity to gather with those people who love the person who has died. We can mark the death by sharing our memories of him with each other. We did that last night and all the memories shared were good memories!
This is the weather alert issued by the National Weather Service that is depicted in the map above for our zip code:
Issuing Office: Baltimore/Washington
Source: National.Weather.Service
4:00am EDT, Mon Mar 13
… WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 2 PM EDT TUESDAY… * PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW. * ACCUMULATIONS… SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 8 INCHES. * TIMING… SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA THIS EVENING AND PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. * IMPACTS… THE HEAVY SNOW WILL CREATE DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS AND MAY PRODUCE SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES. * WINDS… NORTHEAST 5 TO 10 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH. * TEMPERATURES… IN THE UPPER 20S. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL, KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT, FOOD, AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
We have had a mild winter so it is not such a surprise that March would have at least since major snow storm for us to experience. I am not dreading this storm because I know that it won’t last long. By next week, things will be warmer for us again. Just a word of caution to everyone: BE CAREFUL!!!!!
Today for a change of pace I escaped to Washington DC for the day. My destination was the Kennedy Center where I watched a performance of the opera “Champion”. It was a clear day weather-wise and the drive into and out of the city was not congested at all. In the corridor of the Kennedy Center they had posters detailing the “coming out” stories of athletes. Many of them are either in high school or college. I was struck by how hard the judgment in society on the issue of sexual orientation is for individuals who are struggling with their identity in a situation that is often hostile to who they really are at the core of their being.
One athlete’s story documented his thoughts of suicide to escape the conflict of who he knew he was and what his family, school and others expected him to be. I long for the day when the youth of America no longer consider suicide as preferable to speaking out about who they are and the type of person they want to love.
Each Saturday I eat breakfast at Mark’s Café downtown Cumberland. I enter through the back door even when the closed sign is displayed. Mark leave his back door open prior to opening so customers don’t have to stand out in the cold in the winter time. Those of us, like me, who know the practice of how the sign works don’t have to wait until the “magic hour” to enter his Café. This is the relationship of caring that Mark has for his customers that keeps many of us coming back on a regular basis. Good job Mark!
When I was a child there were only 2 ways to deposit a check: take it to the bank or mail it to the bank. Now as an adult I have appreciated the convenience of using my smart phone to deposit paper checks electronically and not have to visit the bank at all. Today the bank computer system was not accepting mobile deposits, so I had to go use the ATM to deposit my check. That took my mind back to my college days when depositing a check in an ATM was something “brand new”.
Banking has continued to evolve just like everything else in our society. I must admit was a little bit indignant that I had to drive to the bank to make a deposit. I guess I should be glad I had a check to deposit. A lesson to learn the hard way.
The package above is pretty and I am sure it contains a gift, probably for Christmas. The gifts I want us to think about today are the gifts of:
Friendship
Discernment
Generosity
When others extend these gifts to us we feel affirmed and valued. Likewise, when we extend these gifts to others they feel affirmed and valued.
I am unable to make anyone a millionaire. I am unable to make anyone famous. But all of us can extend the gifts of friendship, discernment, and generosity to create a feeling of affirmation and value for others. I hope all of us can point to moments in our day where we can think of specific occasions when this has happened.
In my work with people (patients, family members, and other people I encounter in life), I sometimes ask them to tell me how they are feeling. That usually generates them telling a story from their life (past or present). Then I ask them what emotions that event is making them feel. People feel emotions but often are not accurately able to name them. In order to deal effectively with our emotions, we should be able to name them.
The next time you are upset and can’t identify why you are upset try to examine how you are feeling, the event that triggered your feelings, and this list of emotions. It could give you new insight and help you feel better more quickly!
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me– and there was no one left to speak for me. -Martin Niemoller, pastor, initial supporter of Hitler, concentration camp survivor (1892 – 1984)
In school as we studied the events surrounding World War II it seemed impossible to me that one person could take a whole nation in the wrong direction. Having been to several Holocaust Museums I have been further shocked that the atrocities of the Hitler regime were far worse than the text books I read described. I came across the quote from Martin Niemoller who was a pastor and stood by letting Hitler gain power. As I reflect on the quote I am wondering what action it is calling me to in the present day. Maybe that is a good question for all of us to examine.
The picture above captures the joy most patients feel when they hear the words “Go Home”. It is rare to have a patient say they want to stay longer. This week we had some real victories in patients reaching the status where they could go directly home without a detour to a nursing home. I dedicate today’s page to all those people who get to go home and have loving support network there waiting for them!
