Jennifer

March 17, 2024

‘Not Very Lady-Like’

“Dr. Hartwell…”, he said. “Your behavior yesterday was not very ‘lady-like'”. I heard those words nearly 15 years ago as a chief resident, from a senior (male) surgeon, the patriarch of the program, who had pulled me aside after an educational conference, specifically to reprimand me for comments I made the day prior, in defense of a junior resident who had been asked to perform duties outside of her scope of training. I admit that my frustration about the situation...

February 24, 2024

There Has to be a Better Way

Last week in Kansas City, what was supposed to be the celebration of the year for the Kansas City Chief’s Super Bowl win, turned deadly when gunfire erupted in a crowd estimated to be near one million revelers. One woman died and nearly two dozen people were injured, many of them children. Our city, indeed our nation and the world, were shocked and horrified. 800 armed officers on the scene couldn’t stop this tragedy. Lives will forever be changed by...

December 31, 2023

Based On Your Depression

“Our decision is based on your depression.” I can’t say I was surprised, but I was disappointed and saddened to read these words in a rejection letter for the supplemental disability insurance policy I applied for through my workplace. In January of 2023, I went for a routine physical exam with my new primary care doctor, and I screened positive for depression. After discussing my options with her, we decided that a low-dose SSRI in combination with high-quality therapy would...

December 22, 2023

Eye Level

I recently took care of a patient who went out of his way to thank for me crouching next to his bedside to speak to him. “I like you,” he said. “Actually, I don’t just like you, I trust you. You didn’t stand over me like some ‘lord’ like most people do. You got down and looked me in the eye.” It’s true. I did. His bed seemed to be extra low to the ground and for some reason my...

November 5, 2023

A Christian Nation?

So here’s my hot take: As a Christian, I don’t believe America is a Christian nation, nor do I want it to be one. Christian Nationalism is a threat to democracy and is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. There is a lot to unpack here! So let’s take it one bite at a time. “As a Christian” What does it even mean to be a Christian? This is a question I have been significantly wrestling with recently. The term...

October 18, 2023

Angsty

“You ok?”, my husband asked. “You said you’ve felt a little…angsty…lately.” Yeah. I’m ok. And yeah, angsty is probably the right word. I’m a Gen X girl. Angst is the stamp of my life. Let’s see…we have Russia still pummeling Ukraine; Hamas killing innocent Israelis and Israel creating a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We have firearm violence as the number one killer of children in the United States and a House so divided they cannot even complete a simple junior...

September 24, 2023

Tell Me a Story

As a very young child, my dad would lie next to me as I was falling asleep, and I would say to him, “Daddy, tell me a story.” It was in those twilight moments when I learned about my dad’s childhood, my grandfather’s bakery, and my aunts and uncles. I believe most of those stories were true, but from time to time, I am sure there were embellishments or made-up stories to intrigue yet soothe me as I found peaceful...

August 21, 2023

Detangle: Part 10: Listen to What They DON’T Say

I am trying to be open minded, and humble enough to listen to disparate views, but if I am honest, I am just plain curious. So, I have been tuning into the sermons from the church we left in Indiana; left partly because we found ourselves questioning, frustrated, and even hurt by what we were hearing, and partly because I took a new job hundreds of miles away. Anyway, I’m in the midst of listening to a series on “deconstruction“....

July 2, 2023

SCOTUS Wrote a Blank Check

This week, The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) handed down two decisions that synergistically amount to a blank check to legalize discrimination and embolden divisiveness and hatred in the name of religion. In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis the court ruled in favor of a Christian woman who claimed her religious convictions would be violated if she had to develop a website for a gay couple. Of note, this case was based on a hypothetical gay couple. This...

July 2, 2023

Detangle: Part 9: Rest For Weary Souls (quick read!)

Matthew 11:28-30 (AMP) 28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.” For years I have read these verses and considered them as some kind of personal promise...