My Brother Visits

I'm very fortunate to have a great older brother. Thanks to him I'm very fortunate to have a great sister in law. Thanks to them I'm very fortunate to have very remarkable and interesting nephews. Part of the fun of family is watching their adventures like one might watch movie stars in the very best of theatre. My brother Ron was my hero when I was a child and he's always confirmed my high esteem through his life of work and service and creativity. He really shone helping my aging parents. It's always been a privilege to visit his and Adell's home in Ottawa. I was really thankful when they agreed to take me up on my offer to lend my beloved Mazda Miata for the great Pacific Coast Drive to San Francisco and back. Ron's a photographer and Adell's a sports car enthusiast.

When they arrived I only had time to show them my sailboat, SV GIRI out on the hard, Tom fixing the prop and rudder damaged on our trip home together by sail from Hawaii. We think all of the wear and tear has finally been addressed and the SV Giri is ready for off shore cruising once again. Not that I have any immediate plans. It's just nice to know the boat is back to what it's meant to be.

 At the Miata I was amazed Ron and Adell had actually brought just the right amount for the very limited storage. My friend, Laura, had travelled with me on my Harley limited to one saddlebag so when she toured with me in the Miata she was stepping up in what she could carry. Ron and Adell are quite the travellers. I'd put them up in the new north short Pinnacle Hotel by Lonsdale Quay.

We had lunch at the great North Vancouver Greek Restaurant, Anatoli Souvlaki. Their country lamb is a fabulous. Tom and I had dinner there last night and I'd forgotten my Irish cap. I hadn't even noticed it missing but the young male server, seeing me there again for lunch suddenly reappeared with my hat. The service and staff are another reason for loving this restaurant. Ron and Adell and I had great meals, with Gilbert get tidbits through the railing as he sat outside on the sidewalk visiting with passing dogs. Great to chat.

We're have more time on the return but they needed a rest and after the flight and I needed to get to the Turning Point Gala. They were planning a 7 am departure to miss traffic and get over the border.

Turning Point Recovery Society Gala

www.turningpointrecovery.com. I heard Fred Lee exuberantly announce the Turning Point Recovery Society Gala on CBC radio early this week. I was glad I had tickets. The event was sold out. In the past the speakers have been mesmerizing. This year's Ashley Judd, famous for acting and writing,  had been preceded by  John Larroquette, Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Katey Sagal.

It was an honour then to sit at the table with the Turning Point Board Member Malcolm Summersby and the lovely Marlene with friends Ganesh Nanda and his beautiful wife Anita. My able young assistant Hannah had come with her sister Sharisse. This was their first Turning Point Gala. They loved it. Sharisse works for the Baptist Geriatric Housing Services and said she learned a lot at this remarkable evening.
Brenda Plant, Turning Point's major driving 'force' has a true compassion for recovery that is unsurpassed. Global TV's Randene Neil was again a terrific, sensitive and entertaining host.
There were many dignitaries. The room was awash with successful handsome men and successful gorgeous women. The men's clothing was unremarkable but their jewelry from watch and pen bling to diamond earrings was as telling as their calm command of themselves. The women were equally impressive at this event, though their clothing, especially their shoes appeared to cost more than my wardrobe. Their voices carried that assurance and understatement that only the truly powerful possess. We all laughed when Randene said we were there to raise money for Turning Point. She declared we'd all be so generous that we'd leave without taxi fare.
The highly accomplished and sincere Dr. MacDiarmid, the BC  Minister of Health, gave the most inspirational opening remarks. Again, testimony from Turning Point alumni spoke to the remarkable work of the society.

I loved the silent auction. I go to several Galas but Turning Points sponsors and gift givers are the most generous. Every year I look forward competing for the very best of the best. Some very sly fellow beat me out of the Puccini Opera Tickets this year but I was glad to get the Pan Pacific Brunch and Opera I'd only learned about by winning one year at an earlier Turning Point Gala. I was disappointed yet again though that I didn't win the door prize Westjet flight for 2. The Fleetwood Mac Tickets with haut cuisine dinner limos and other enticements were a show stopper. Whistler getaways and helicopter rides and whale watching events were there too. Thousands and thousands were raised by the amazing professional auctioneer who had a glorious sense of humour. The food was all that the Four Seasons is renowned for.

 But Ashley Judd was the night's event. What a truly beautiful young woman. I don't know why she lied about her age, saying she was past 40. She couldn't possibly be out of her twenties. She really does look that young. Her wisdom is a wholly different matter. Her journey was an epic of the heart and soul. I choked back tears of profound admiration listening to her share her love and experience. She so touched my heart that all loneliness seemed to be lifted sitting with all these others who had come out this night to help the homeless and addicted. Thanks to Ashley Judd I found again that place where I can identify deeply with those who deal with their own loneliness and separation with the illusions of drugs and alcohol, trapped in the despair of their addictive disease and mental illness. It was all over too soon. I must read Ashley Judd's memoir, "All that is Bitter and Sweet."

My guests Hannah and Sharisse had to take the coffee and seafood platters I'd succeeded in winning, forgetting I'd come on motorcycle. I was thankful though for the RCMP Bomber Jacket. The beautiful red siege wearing RCMP member from Richmond comes every year. In years past the black RCMP bomber jacket offering had obviously been made for active members. This year they had a "larger" offering, obviously for the more senior desk jockeys.
Thank you Turning Point for all the fine work you do for the addicted. You are a great non profit society. I wish your new home in North Vancouver as great success as your Richmond homes. It was terrific, too,  to see North Vancouver's mayor there.

At the Airport

I 'm at the airport, Vancouver Internationa; sitting in the Tim Hortons. As usual their coffee is too hot to drink. Taking bites of the glorious apple fritter I hold it by the bag. As tasteful as it is, it's a bad choice for a typist.

Apple Fritters always take me back to University of Manitoba Medical School. They sold them at the kiosk outside the main lecture hall, where we used to play ping pong between classes. Sometimes the thought of those apple fritters and that coffee was all that got me out of bed and to the lecture. These Tim Horton's are just as good. Delicious.

I'm begun to doubt myself. Was the kiosk at the University of Winnipeg where I did pre med or was it at University of Manitoba. Did we play ping pong at the University of Winnipeg or University of Manitoba. I know I played racket ball at the University of Winnipeg.

Their flight should be landing soon. Gilbert is outside in the truck. When we arrived he thought we were going on a flight, got all excited then disappointed when I put him back into the truck after a short walk. He'll be glad to see my brother and sister in law. He loves family.

I told him Andrew and Tanya were engaged and to watch his expression last night you'd think he knew exactly who I was talking about. He loves the nephews almost as much as he loved my father before he passed away.

Last time I was in this airport I was returning from Greece. It was late at night and I was exhausted after several stop overs and missed connections. I want to travel to more places in the world, especially return to Scotland, India and Israel but I'm becoming like an older friend who only goes where trains go because he sees airports as too much of an ordeal.

My next trip will be on my Harley. It's not likely they'll have a tunnel under the Atlantic or Pacific like they do between England and Europe, so I'll not be able to drive all the places I want to go any time soon. There's no beating the planes for speed too. But really I can't wait for teletransportation. Now they can make guns and kidneys with 3D photocopy machines, it won't belong before someone figures out how to get me transported across the the internet.




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Another day

It's another day and I'm still alive. Any day above the grass is a good day. I'm still praying for heaven and hoping for a chance at the Rapture. It's not like I'm that enamoured with this life not to want to get off the planet. The Virgin Billionaire's space plane would be a hoot. What to do till the Messiah Comes includes that option though the price is more than closet space in Vancouver real estate. I enjoyed all of the CBC programming on morality and ethics and political discussions regarding Syria's chemical weapons today. Any day that driving to and from work I can enjoy CBC is a good day. The evening program was Ideas. I shared with a friend how I'd enjoyed Tapestry and he listened to it too. Reminded me of the old days when I enjoyed most of CBC programming, especially Barbara Fromm. We all talked about it back then. Now it's often just 'group think' and the politics is so often irritating. Politics is happening now with the local elections and continued economic crisis that has so many suffering in my practice. I think at times I hear Nero fiddling but then convince myself of the need to remain positive. Life continues to improve. I'm tired though. More aches and pains. More limitations. I did enjoy work. I'm thankful for work. I'm thankful for the opportunity to help others with all the training my mentors and teachers gave me. I'm thankful for the cutting edge research that continues to amaze me. I just wish I wasn't always so busy and could have the time to learn more of the latest. But if I did I'd not know as I do now what really is an important breakthrough. I liked the STD virus vaccine which would make cervical and prostatic cancer essentially obsolete. I love the research on alcohol's effects on brain proteins too. Was glad though to diagnose the tender enlarged liver today on exam and send the fellow for an ultrasound. I correctly confirmed a patella bursitis which showed up on ultrasound and I was right to recommend conservative treatment. Keep hearing of others with foot pain and wonder if it's a response to some new viral flu like illness or just good ole rheumatism. All the money that came into the office went out on maintenance and overhead. I'm always surprised at how ignorant people are of business when they are protected by salaried or union jobs where they don't have to pay for things like phones, computers, staff, and don't have pensions or extra health care benefits if they don't pay for them. I think of all the people on disabilities and vacations and know they don't know that business people generally can't do that without enormous cost. Enjoyed discussing the overhead issues with a couple of patients who are struggling with all the increasing costs of government, the higher taxes and the burden of responsibility carrying the weight without any increase in income. I've got to really consider evaluating what I'm doing. I've done so much charity work and pro bono work for so many years and increasingly realize that others so often just consider you a 'mark'. Generosity to the cannibals is just weakness. I'm enjoying Gilbert. He's such a happy enjoyable little fellow who makes me laugh. I'm praying a lot. I need to pray more. Thank you God for this day and all the blessings. Help me serve you and help me to overcome my fears.

Evolutionary Love

Evolution isn't so much a thing of eternity
It's a man theory about the macrocosm
The microcosm is an individual life
Where child moves from baby to adult
And as an adult creates another child
Or being an adult cares for other children

Evolution is difficult for children
It's hard for a caterpillar to see
It will become a butterfly
Children think only of themselves in general
So many adult children today
So little evolution

Evolution is God's plan
God loves man and butterflies
Jesus loved children
Jesus loves a man or woman no less
Especially adults

There is no evolution in the perpetual princess
Or King Baby
There is no evolution in the bitter old man
Or carping old woman

It is better to love your enemy
Than to kill him
Unless of course he is a dangerous child adult
Intent on killing you and yours
Then whack the son of a bitch
Evolution demands it

Love your neighbour as yourself
Who wants to be a dead lover?

Morning Enchantment

I climbed out of bed,
Acknowledged the tail wagging dog
On the way to the toilet
Where I sat and read a "morning reflection",
Reminding myself that all humans
Are Gods that shit.

I again acknowledged the tail wagging dog,
As I departed the bathroom
And entered the kitchen.
Created the miracle of the blue gas stove flame,
Then opened the enchanting freezer door
Taking out the wondrous coffee container.
I scooped just enough deep brown coffee grounds
To make the Expresso maker very happy indeed.

I saw that the dog climbed back on the bed, curled up,
For a nap, after the hard work of morning greetings.
I sat at the table looking at this computer screen
Reading mail from the internet,
Smiling at the inspirational quotes from Facebook friends,
Waiting for the characteristic morning coffee music to begin.
Listening as the symphony symphony crescendoed
Then gurlgled to a rich conclusion.

I rose on cue and turned off the stove,
Lifted the expresso pot and poured the aromatic creation
Into my orange Harley Davidson mug.

I then drank the "said" coffee.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

My morning has begun.

Sensuous spirituality incarnate.

Afraid (poem)

I am tough and strong
I am David before Goliath
I am the Rock of Gibralter
 I am the steel that is true
 I have fought for righteousness
Defended the truth
Given my health and wealth
For all the right causes
I have carried my burden
And carried yours
And been carried by the Lord
And known grace

But still I am afraid
When you threaten me
 With armies of lawyers
And legions of bureaucrats
And threaten to take years
Of my valuable time
I once thought would be mine
After years of service

There is no real reward in this world
I have known the various distractions
The brief R&R that is given to men
So they will forget for a moment
And return to the battlefield
Where others profit from the service

There are many battlefields
And many wars
 But always there is death, old age, and taxes
And yes I am afraid

Please God give me strength to carry on
And face yet again your enemies and mine
For the darkness is all around
Only you and yours are the light
Help me be more and more with you
In you and surrounded by you
Thank you, Jesus.