Search Results for: blog one friday in the hospital waiting room

Tip of the Day- Visit Someone in the Hospital

Its’ a sure-fire cure for whatever ails you. Spend some time with someone who needs you. Go visit a hospital, or a nursing home. It doesn’t matter if you know someone in the hospital or not. Call your friends, or your clergy, ask them if they know someone you could visit or help. If that fails, just pick up and go. If you feel a little awkward, take a small gift with you: some daisies, a balloon, or a stuffed animal your kids don’t use anymore. Even better, take a friend. When you get to where you’re going, stop at … Continue reading →

One Friday in the Hospital Waiting Room…

Yesterday I was sitting in the Children’s Hospital waiting room while my son had some lab work done. As I watched the clock (along with some obnoxious kids program on TV), a family entered the room. They could have been any family in the United States. There was nothing terribly unusual about them–a balding bespectacled father, a slightly heavyset mom, a teenage daughter with an Ipod hanging around her neck, and a red-headed, freckled son who looked like a young Ron Howard. They were the kind of family you might picture living next door, or appearing on a sit com. … Continue reading →

Did You Have to Get Sick on a Sunday?

Does it ever seem like your child gets sick more often on a Saturday or Sunday than any other day of the week? It has seemed like that at our house lately. Two Saturdays ago, I was sure our daughter had an ear infection, so I made an appointment for her. Luckily, despite the fact that it was Saturday, a pediatrician was available to see her. We entered the nearly empty waiting room, and I questioned whether it was a good idea for us to be there. The only other people in there were a mother and teenage daughter, who … Continue reading →

Tabby: The Continuing Saga

I continue to be a foster mom to the little stray cat we’ve named Tabby. Life with Tabby continues to be interesting: Friday, February 16 At 2 p.m. she had her check up appointment at Banfield Pet Hospital. The Friday before she was so out of it that putting her in the carrier I bought at PetSmart to transport her home was no trouble. And she simply slept during the car ride, so there was no muss or fuss. She fussed considerably about me putting her in her cardboard carrier this go around. She did the whole splayed leg routine … Continue reading →

Couple Who Caged Their Special Needs Children Get Two Years in Prison

Finally, we have a wrap-up (at least temporarily) in this very sad and bizarre case. Sentencing was handed down today for two Ohio adoptive parents who were discovered to be keeping many of their 11 special needs children in cages at night. Michael and Sharon Gravelle were each given two years in prison for child endangerment. Sharon Gravelle gave a 26-minute statement to the court, where she explained that social services had failed her and her husband. She said they did not offer any help to the couple, despite the very difficult behaviors that the children had. Gravelle described how … Continue reading →