Happy 4th of July

Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active. 

I made cheesecake for the family cookout.  On the healthier side, I am also roasting corn-on-the-cob to contribute.
 

I would encourage you all to remember your sunscreen as you get up out of your chairs and head outside.   Watch out for the heat.  Be safe as you enjoy the fireworks.

……………….

I wish you all could read this wonderful essay in its entirety:  Sleepless by Joshua Alley, MD in the June 22 issue of JAMA (full reference below).  It is an essay that speaks of how we treat our enemies

I thought about our enemies tonight, and why and how we physicians care for them.  ….

…, but the reason I went nearly sleepless that night is so that I can sleep all the other nights. It's essentially the same reason I take extra care with each patient at home. A common phrase in my operating room is “I do it this way so I can sleep at night.” I can go to bed knowing I cut no corners, I gave each patient the best possible chance at a good outcome. There are still bad outcomes, and I agonize over those, replaying each decision in my head afterward. But I did the best I could by each one.  ….

One mark of a civilized people is our response to wounded enemies. …… Yes, caring for our enemies consumes resources: helicopter flight time, ICU days, operating room hours, sleepless nights, expensive medications and equipment. Because we ought to. Because I’ll have to live with my actions. “Do good to those who hate you,” we read in Matthew's gospel. And tonight, I can sleep, because last night I didn’t.

 Happy 4th of July!  Thanks to all our military (active and retired) and their families.

REFERENCE

Sleepless; Joshua B. Alley; JAMA, 2011;305(24):2501-2502.doi:10.1001/jama.2011.863