The Cab Driver and His only Passenger

This is a beautiful story!The Cab RideI arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a fewminutesI walked to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail,elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stoodbefore me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veilpinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if noone had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered withsheets.There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on thecounters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos andglassware.'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcaseto the cab, then returned to assist the woman.She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'Ijust try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gaveme an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?''It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to ahospice'.I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don'thave any family left,' she continued in a soft voice.. 'The doctor saysI don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me thebuilding where she had once worked as an elevator operator.We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had livedwhen they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniturewarehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as agirl.Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building orcorner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said,'I'm tired. Let's go now'.We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a lowbuilding, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passedunder a portico.Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They weresolicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have beenexpecting her.I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The womanwas already seated in a wheelchair.'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.'Nothing,' I said'You have to make a living,' she answered.'There are other passengers,' I responded.Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto metightly.'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.'Thank you.'I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behindme, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life..I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lostin thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if thatwoman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end hisshift?What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then drivenaway?On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything moreimportant in my life.We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in whatothers may consider a small one.PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEYWILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.You won't get any big surprise in 10 days if you send this to tenpeople. But, you might help make the world a little kinder and morecompassionate by sending.it on and reminding us that often it is the random acts of kindness thatmost benefit all of us.

I Can't Wait!!

"And I saw a new heaven and new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I, John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and He shall be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and their shall be no more death, neither sorrow,nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.
And He that sat upon the throne said Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write for these words are true and faithful".
Revelation 21: 1-5
Man, this is exciting stuff and a promise straight from God who NEVER breaks a promise. I'll be there....will you?

Our New Baby

This is a picture of our beloved Maggie Mae who left us on May 1, 2009. She is and will be sorely missed and she is irreplaceable. During a period of mourning which is ongoing we have decided to get another Scottie puppy. She will be born sometime in November and her name Will be Kenzy McKenna. We both just realized that we cannot live without a Scottie and started looking for reputable breeders. Our new Scottie will come from Brigadoon Kennels in Danielsville, Georgia. They show Scotties as well as sell them for puppies and they have had some champions (3). We know who the mother and father are and who the grandmother and grandfather are. They have all been genetically tested for some typical Scottie diseases and NONE of their pups have had any genetically induced illness. Von Wildebrand's disease is a disease Scotties can have but they usually don't live more than a day or two. All the bloodlines are free of genetic
defect ( as per the University of Georgia Veterinary dept. ).
We will go visit Kenzy when she is born in November and bring her home in early February. We can hardly wait. It will be extra special for me because I'll get to be home with her all day!!

O.K. you guys......bye for now, Joe and Paula

A Movie You Have Got to See

Tonight we watched the movie "Taken" and I must say I was riveted and entertained for one and one half hours. Liam Neeson was wonderful and he made a great movie out of a very simple plot. His propensity for dodging bullets was a little over the top perhaps and his Irish brogue slipped through in a couple spots but it didn't distract from the movie itself. If you want to be entertained for an evening either rent it or download it on you computer from Amazon.com.. If I'm wrong, let me know.

20 Years of Darkness Discovered in Darkness

Have you ever thought about what it must be like to be blind? I give tremendous credit to those who are blind for their courage, fortitude and sheer will to overcome this handicap and function day to day. Daytime is darkness for them and darkness is as daytime. I am told that blind people become more attuned to the sense of hearing, vibration and proprioception by accommodation. The other senses are heightened and more keen due to the loss of another.

Image now, if you will, that after 20 years of social and emotional blindness you found out that suddenly now you could see... but the time had been lost and the events that occurred during those years forever forged your indelible stamp on other human beings. You might say to yourself, "Wait a minute, I was kept in the dark, secrets were revealed, and one certainly would have forged a different stamp had he been able to see himself as a select few saw him." "After all, mistakes can be rectified, right?" However, the die was cast, your mold was made and the die destroyed forever. It was too late. It was too late. It is too late.
I always enjoy watching movies about trials and what occurs in a courtroom. The prosecuting attorney may say something very inflammatory about the defendant and immediately the defense council bolts to his feet and says, "move to strike, your honor....inflammatory". The judge says, "sustained; the jury will disregard the prosecutor's last remark". But the fact is.....the jurors ears and mind already heard the inflammatory remark and that was the prosecutors intent all the time. He knows their mind cannot just forget forever what was said. I'd take a hundred " sustained " decisions from the judge just so that people in the jury box could hear what I wanted them to hear. Whatever happens after that is of no consequence because people just can't forget. Here is an example. For the next twenty four hours, do not think about a pink elephant on white roller skates holding an umbrella in its trunk. See what I mean? As hard as you try to not think about it you have to actively think about not thinking about it.....and then you are thinking about it again. Me too!
The person or persons for whom this particular blogs message was intended are not blind and sit behind a prosecutor's table all to themselves. Their closing argument is this: "Your honor, this defendant did irreparable damage to my client and deserves punitive time to think about what he has done and how the past he created in blindness he will now be relived over and over and over again." The jury sits mute, waiting for the defence's closing statement. The defence counsel demands a mistrial on the grounds that his client was unfit for trial because he was blind for the last 20 years and could not possibly have known the consequences of his actions. He was blind since he was six months old and that blindness still prevails today. He also has the constitutional right to face his accusers and he cannot because he is blind and can not see them." The judge tapped his gavel and gave his own decision in lieu of a jury decision. The judge stated," It is not a crime to be physically, socially or emotionally blind or ignorant or unsure unless said person committed actions with malice afore thought. "I don't feel that is the case here". "Let's be careful not to be too demanding and stringent on past mistakes one makes out of inexperience or ignorance or faulty ingrained family values." "If we do, we all are guilty at one time in our lives." "This case is closed"!

Back Again Finally and a Recent Heart Breaking Loss

At times like these, THIS is where I wish I were. I know I haven't been very up to date with my blog but I'll get better. I have a couple things to tell my friends and anyone who cares to listen. By the way, this castle is in Germany at Swan Lake in Bavaria.
On the first of this month we lost our precious Scottie whom we had for almost ten years. Her name was Maggie Mae and her death was of acute onset and shockingly sudden. Upon CT we found she had a glioblastoma of the brain and the damage was already done so she went to the rainbow bridge that day. The rainbow bridge is a place just on this side of heaven where our pets who have left this earth before us go to wait for our arrival. Then we all go across the bridge together into heaven. The story of the rainbow bridge is of Scottish lore and has been told since anyone can remember. I'll have five beloved babies waiting for me: Bonnie, Kelly, MacKenzie, Patrick and Maggie Mae. Maggie was the toughest to lose because she was with me every day since I became disabled and just her presence gave much comfort. I shall miss her a lot.
Hope does help the situation. I WILL get another Scottish Terrier puppy after this grieving process is over. We are just the type of people who have to have a Scottie. I had a room mate for a short time in medical school who had a Husky who was just absolutely beautiful. (the dog was beautiful). I'm sure Ray will know where I am coming from when it is Nanook's time. Unless you've been there you cannot really understand.
In a lot of ways dogs can be better companions than people. They give unconditional love and all they need is some food, water and a little love back. They have no hidden agendas, no ulterior motives and they are loyal. Also, one thing I have noticed about dogs...with the exception of Snoopy...is that dogs don't think absurd thoughts, have paranoid delusions, assume that what other people think about you is more important that what you think about yourself and never need risperdol or seroquel for any delusions that may present. Good thing, I couldn't afford the drugs. Talk to you later.

A City Mourns And Their Sabres Add A Respite

By now everyone has heard of the tragic plane crash of a Continental Airplane into a residential neighborhood in Clarence Center, New York. This little town is a suburb of Buffalo and one in which many of the members of the Sabres NHL hockey team live. Tragedy hit home about 1:30 in the morning on Friday, February 13, 2009 when a jet lost control, went off radar and plummeted into a house like a spear killing all on board the jet and one person living in the house it struck. Miraculously, two other family members, including a child survived the fire. The child crawled out of the house while it was on fire after the roof had caved in around her. Also, the two houses next door to the house were unaffected by the devastation and no other injuries were reported. Last evening at 7:30 p.m. the fire was still so hot it was smoldering and crews could not get in to investigate any further than trying to retrieve the black box data recorder. The city started to mourn and shock had set in like a dark smothering blanket.
There was an NHL game to be played in Buffalo last night between the Buffalo Sabres and the San Jose Sharks. Team members, coaches and all associated with the team decided in unison to play their very best to give the city a brief respite from their shared grief because the community of Buffalo is quite close. The city's nickname is "The City of Good Neighbors" and that was proven on the ice at HSBC Arena last evening.
The Sabres game out with effort and hard work like they were possessed and on a mission. I have watched the Sabres play since their inception in 1970 and I have NEVER seen such an effort. They quickly scored 3 goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. Bear in mind that the team they were playing was THE BEST in the NHL. But, this night was to be Buffalo's night! After falling behind to the Sharks 5-4 with less than 3 minutes left in the game the Sabres saw and felt that sense of urgency to keep the promise they made to the city of Buffalo and its loyal fans. With 3.8 seconds remaining with defeat looming, our captain, Craig Rivet scored to tie the game. The arena went wild and people were hugging people and some of the players had tears in their eyes...but the mission was not yet finished. Overtime came and went with no further scoring and now it was time for a hero to salvage a terrible day in the city's history. Next, the shootout ensued. On the last shot of the shoot out the Sabres took a short, undersized, stocky Derek Roy backhanded the puck into the roof of the net and scored. Again, pandemonium ensued in the stands as the Sabres led but the hero was still a mystery. On the Shark's last opportunity to tie the game, a quiet, reserved and humble man named Ryan Miller - our goaltender - stopped the final shot by the Sharks player and the Sabres had won a miraculous 11Th hour, come from behind game the keep their promise to the city and fulfil their goal of giving a few hours of respite on an otherwise bleak day!!
Anyone watching that game, whether in Buffalo or on national television HAD to give a tip of the hat and kudos to a team that came to its city's rescue. It is fitting to quote Herb Brookes who led the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team to beat the Russians and win the gold medal in the Olympics against seemingly impossible odds. He said," Boys, we could play this team 100 times and lose every time but NOT TONIGHT. TONIGHT IS OUR NIGHT TO SHINE so go out there and take it!!" Amen Herb, Amen!

Some Bad News, folks.

I contacted my rheumatologist last week and send him some rather bleak pictures of my left medial calf so he could take a look and advise me. Several purpuric lesions showed up out of the blue, coalesced and started to ulcerate in several small places. This lesion is about the size of a silver dollar. So, we tripled my dose of steroids, doubled the dose of my two chemotherapies and added another medication. The pictures I took of the leg today showed a worsening of the condition despite our most vigorous efforts. I'm sorry to say that my immune system is starting to fail across the board. The two of you (Californians) that know me quite well and my brother... who knows me best of all...know that I have been through tougher times than this in medical school on three occasions but bounced back and simply refused to give up! I mean, I was studying for exams while in the hospital recovering from a nasty bout of supurrative peritonitis after a botched surgery. Then, these two wonderful, selfless people smuggled in KFC and shared it with me in the hospital and made me laugh and forget my troubles for a while....despite strong objections from the surgeons.....about the KFC that is. It was just too bad for the surgeons. Meanwhile, my brother - who is irreplaceable in my life - was here in S.C. at Clemson studying, playing hockey, making sure my wife was O.K. and caring about me from a distance... I could feel it! I just want to thank you three guys for truly caring about me through this Wegener's stuff (which may not turn out so well) and all my other "battles" I have endured and won since you have respectively all have gotten to know me. In closing, there are two photographs that I still have and had them digitally converted. These two photos mean the world to me. One is of me dancing with a beautiful California girl at a wedding and the other is one of my brother with his arm around my shoulder. He flew here to be with me for less than 24 hours, from the pacific northwest; because he cared. He sacrificed his time, effort and money to be with a very sick brother because he knew I needed him. Now, this Sunday, two dear friends and their son (who is also a physician by proxy) are coming to spend some time with me. You guys are the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!! Love to all of you.....Joseph J Palkowski M.D. (aka. Dr. Joe Wegener or just plain joe)

First Visit for Some Dear Friends

We got some great news the other day that made Christmas even more special and will surely brighten the New Year. Two friends of ours and their cool little boy are coming to see us for a weekend in February. I haven't seen these guys (mom and dad) in person in nearly 7 years and I really can't wait. The ironic part of it all is that they only live in the next state but we have never been able to work out a schedule where we could finally get together. It was really fun getting Dr. Wilk Junior his first doctor's bag for Christmas. I hear he loved it and you wouldn't believe how sick people suddenly got after Santa brought him his bag. I am told he was treating everyone and giving injections too. He was a very careing little physician. When he is old enough to understand I will tell him to charge for as many bullets as he can because the reimbursement rates aren't so hot. But for now, taking care of mommy and daddy is one of his priorities. When mommy and daddy come to see us we suddenly will be overcome with the desire to go to either TGIFridays or Copper River Grill and there is no cure little Alex can give for that. I guess we will just have to succumb to that illness. We are looking forward to seeing you. Love you guys...........Joe (aka Santa) and Paula.