Well, healthcare legislation has passed...so far Armeggedon hasn't reared it's ugly head. I know it's not over but it just blows my mind the lengths that people are going to to stop this process. Admittedly, I lean to the left, but the tactics that are being used to confuse people about this are out of control. The thing that just kills me is how the Republican's have appealed to the fears of the crazy far right and the elderly to stop passage of a bill that they themselves tried to get passed just a few years ago.

I work in healthcare and have seen on an almost daily basis the effects of our current system of healthcare. Hardworking people, who might have had insurance, who get dropped when they actually start to use it. Hardworking people, who are employed but can't afford insurance who become ill and end up bankrupt from the medical bills. As a result, so many people don't seek primary care to help them avoid the need for high cost care. When they do get sick there are so many things going south it becomes an avalanche.

For me, at the very least, a basic level of healthcare is a right. I do think that all people need to pay something for this coverage for a sense of ownership. But at our most basic community level, the family, it is certainly not in anyone's best interest for members to be ill and unable to contribute. This problem compounds as the problem moves from the family to the larger community. Productivity suffers, family units suffer, business suffers, needs for social service intervention increases and ultimately we all pay, both financially and as a society.

Ok.. here I go....

Thought it might be fun to have a place to collect some thoughts and pics. My Grandma, known as Mom Ellen, has always been a source of inspiration for me. She loved to garden and always had a yard full of flowers. I have an image of her as sort of a matriarch in our family and her flower and vegetable gardens have become sort of a visual metaphor for me in life.

I am grateful for the upbringing and values demonstrated by my parents and grandparents. It was my good fortune to grow up in a home filled with love. Like any family we have had challenges (that I visualize as the weeds in the garden), but have solid roots that have helped us overcome. I won't overwork the garden metaphor beyond this .... take time to smell the flowers....