This chronicle was written during my first exposure to narrative medicine. The prompt for this piece unwittingly directed me to a sadness-suppressed Christmas memory from my first year of marriage. The act of participation in the narrative medicine process pulled these words from the deep and reminded me of the beautiful little one that I cared for in his last moments on earth. The pen in my hand transformed this memory into a raw story of appreciation and provided a peaceful resting place for that sweet child in my heart.
He complained that nothing was turning out right from the oven.
He forgot some of the key ingredients. The bread was burnt. The steak too fatty.
Everything was a mess. All he wanted to do was make a nice Christmas Eve dinner
to celebrate his first Christmas with his new, young wife, me.
I had come in the door, a bit glazed over, and he didn’t notice.
He complained for a while longer.
Finally, he asked, “How was your day at work?”
“I put a toe tag on a 4 year old. His name was Dylan.”
My husband has stopped complaining. He learned.
Every Christmas Eve, we celebrate all aspects of living,
which includes burning the bread.
James Dunstan, MD
Jyoti Rau MD, PhD
William (Bill) Hunter, MD
J. Richard Gaskill
Peggy Latare
Quentin Eichbaum, MD, PhD, MPH, MFA, FCAP
Kenneth Gould, MD
David Godley, MD
Cindy Lopez, RN
Joanie Aasen, MSN, RN
Manfred Hauben, MD, MPH
Cook’s Meadow Early Morning Yosemite National Park
Jorge A Ramirez, MD
David True, MD
Crash Cesarean: Poetry in Motion
Shane Geffe
Louise Glaser, MD, FAAP
David True, MD
Samuel K Williams, III, MD, CPG
Quentin Eichbaum, MD, PhD, MPH, MFA, FCAP
Jennifer Phillips, MD
Imanni Sheppard, PhD
Usha Tatini, MD
Brad Christian McDowell, MD, FACS
Mara Saulitis, MD
Abdalla Mallouk, MD
Abdalla Mallouk, MD
FDR Drive / Homage to the Photon
Manfred Hauben, MD, MPH
Alana Castens Yalom
Talha H Imam, MD
Pamela Lemke, CNM, MS
Ghosts of the Northern Plains: Abandoned Farmhouse
Stephen Henry, MD
Ghosts of the Northern Plains: Outbuildings
Stephen Henry, MD
Maranda Herner
Heritage Irises at Filoli Gardens
Sarah Beekley, MD
Abdalla Mallouk, MD
Hope—Redwood National Forest, California
Sapna Reddy, MD
Paul Rousseau, MD
Jo Paluzzi, PhD
Shenshen Dou
David True, MD
Shenshen Dou
Shenshen Dou
Shenshen Dou
David Clarke, MD
Mount Ansel Adams and Lyell Ford of the Merced River, Yosemite National Park
J. Richard Gaskill
Quentin Eichbaum, MD, PhD, MPH, MFA, FCAP
Ariel Scott, MD
Gail Wright, MD
Pistils and Stamens with Shades of Lavender
Michael House, LCSW
Imanni Sheppard, PhD
Gail Wright, MD
Kenneth Gould, MD
Quentin Eichbaum, MD, PhD, MPH, MFA, FCAP
James Dunstan, MD
Manfred Hauben, MD, MPH
Mihal Emberton, MD, MPH, MS
Kevin Dueck MD MSc
Brad Christian McDowell, MD, FACS
Kelly Chen
Sunset at Yellowstone National Park
Jorge A Ramirez, MD
Sunset in Taos: Simple, Serene, Stunning
Usha Tatini, MD
Rebecca Chasnovitz, MD
Taos Mountain Over High Grass Meadow
Usha Tatini, MD
Shenshen Dou
Usha Tatini, MD
The Bells of San Juan Capistrano Mission
Ira J Levy, MD
Jyoti Rau MD, PhD
Megan Bostic
The Hanging Gardens of Suburbia
Belinda Torres Mary, MHS, MFA, MLS
William Lynes, MD
Andy Runkle, MD
Alana Castens Yalom
The Professor of Medicine Demonstrates …
Ron Louie, MD
Today, I Feel My Age. Or, Small triumph: I made it home!
Margaret Fortsch, RN
Belinda Torres Mary, MHS, MFA, MLS
Deborah Chiarucci, MD
What Happens After Pediatrics?
Louise Glaser, MD, FAAP
Usha Tatini, MD