a different kind of Christmas tree

Susan Myrland

Ginny had an echocardiogram and a checkup with the doctor today. All is well. But it made me think about how much I associate this time of year with health concerns. There are flu shots to get and appointments to schedule while insurance will still pay for it. Winter is hard on the elderly. Being a caregiver feels like being on a boat out in the ocean during a storm. We try to protect our fragile cargo while we move them from the coast of autumn to the shores of spring. We bundle them up and worry about every sniffle and cough. In the hallways at her facility, staff and family members speak in quiet tones about what bug is going around, who's fallen ill and which ones we've lost. We lose a few every winter, and that always hurts.

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