My paternal grandmother, Rosalyn Saunders Featherston, died this morning.  She will be missed by all of us, but we are glad to see her join her husband of 52 years (he died 13 years ago).

Jack & Rosalyn Featherston

Granny, as we called her, was the epitome of unconditional love.  I remember sitting in her lap and talking about bible verses.  I fondly recall the smell of breakfast cooking and the sound of the percolator coffee maker in the background.  My favorite memory is the gift she sent while we lived in Italy in the mid-1970’s – a tape cassette of her reading the story “Jack, the Giant Killer”.

Granny, you were a rock and a true leader.  You will be missed.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace. Amen.

Today is the first day of Lent in the Catholic Church.  We begin our journey of repentance in preparation for the Easter season.

As a convert to Catholicism, I found it a bit odd to “give something up” during the 40 days prior to Easter.  I’d known friends that gave up chocolate, soda, beer, etc and  I wondered what sort of spiritual conditioning could be achieved by doing such things.  However, over the 20+ years since my entrance into the Church, I’ve seen how such small sacrifices can have an impact on spiritual growth – especially if the thing given up is something akin to an addiction.

One year, during medical school, I gave up coffee – a source of caffeine that helped me stay awake during the many long hours of lectures and studying.  Whenever I craved for the coffee, I would remind myself why I couldn’t have it and “offer it up” – a phrase uttered by older generations, referring to offering the situation as a sacrifice to God.

As a former Protestant, I have always been more drawn to the concept of adding something to my daily routine that would enhance my spiritual growth.  In past years, I have said a daily rosary, read the daily mass readings (as seen here) along with commentaries on the daily readings (e.g., Word Among Us), read spiritual devotionals (e.g., In Conversation with God, by Francis Fernandez), and listened only to Christian music.  The payoff for this sort of activity is that it has often become part of my daily routine, even after Lent ended.  If you’d like to join me in my 2012 Lenten journey, I will be reading “The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life” by Michael Dubruiel.  This is written in such a format that is read daily; you can download the free pdf here.

Whatever you choose to give up or add this year – I wish you great success in your Lenten journey.

Linda showed me a hilarious tongue-in-cheek video of a newscast from the fake news site, The Onion, about a set of parents seeking to have the courts declare their 13-year old daughter brain-dead because all she is able to do is roll her eyes and grunt while texting on her phone.  Too funny not to share.

http://youtu.be/yuH3_0jOBZI

Working in the ER can be very depressing at times.  ER doctors and nurses often see people at their worse.  It’s usually not the fault of the patient – it’s just the nature of being ill or injured and not being in the best frame of mind.  Additionally, there are the very tragic cases that most only read about in the newspaper or see on the news – we actually see it up close and very personal.

It’s no wonder that ER staff develop a very dark sense of humor.  Again, it’s not really their fault, but becomes a coping mechanism.

So, enjoy a little medical humor courtesy Ameriquest and YouTube.

Anyone that follows my Facebook or Twitter accounts will tell you that I regularly take pictures of my libations and cigars.  In fact, the nurses I work with find it quite odd that my pictures are a combination of beer, wine, cigars, and biking.  My answer to the oddity – all in moderation.

I enjoy taking pictures of the different beer, wine, and cigars because it gives me a record of what I’ve tried.  I also enjoy some of the artistry and beauty in some of the pictures.  Instagram has helped me take it to the next level with the ability to process the pictures in such an artistic manner.  But in the end, I just like the way it looks and it gives me something to remember what was consumed.

Those that know me can tell you I don’t do anything half way; I dive in headfirst and enjoy each of my hobbies to the fullest.  Linda playfully teases me about all of my addictions, but it’s all in moderation – always in moderation.

This past weekend, the four of us were among the millions that attended the opening weekend of the new movie, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”.

The trailer above will give you an idea what the movie is about, but it only gives a peak into the whole story.  The movie, based on a 2005 novel, follows the journey of Oskar Schell after his father dies in the collapse of the World Trade Center.  My initial thoughts about having the 9/11 tragedy as a movie plot was “it’s too soon”, but I am quickly reminded that it’s been over 10 years.  In addition, the movie isn’t so much preoccupied with the events of 9/11 as it is with Oskar struggling to keep the memory of his father alive.  Finding a key that belonged to his father gives him a mission to search out more information about his father.  Along the journey, we are introduced to numerous colorful characters (my favorite being The Renter).  I couldn’t begin to count how many times I alternated between smiling and tearing throughout the 2 hour movie.

The acting of Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow and others are amazing.  However, the performance by the young Thomas Horn was fabulous.  I anticipate seeing more from this new actor.

This was the first time that we’ve taken the girls with us dramatic movie.  There were moments I was concerned that it might have been too much drama for them.  However, I was proven wrong because they were riveted throughout and loved the story and the movie.  We had long discussions afterwards about our experiences the day of 9/11 and what it would be like to lose a parent.

If you haven’t seen the movie, please go.  If you have seen it, let me know what you thought about it.