Talking to a co-worker at the hospital, I noticed a perplexed Hispanic woman who was obviously lost. We rushed to the woman and stated “Can we help you?” However, the woman, who was out of breath, could only speak to us in Spanish. Neither my co-worker nor I could speak any Spanish; however, somehow my friend asked, “You need to go to the Eye Center?” and the woman nodded yes.

We were so happy. We thought we had communicated with the woman in distress. (In reality, we should have known that the Hispanic woman could not have understood “You need to go to the Eye Center” as it was obvious to us from the beginning that she could not communicate in English.) I volunteered to take her to the Eye Clinic, located about 200 yards away on a different level.

As we were walking to the Eye Center, the woman was trying vehemently to tell me something. I thought she was trying to thank me for helping her; however, as we got into the elevator I quickly knew tha...

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There is a famous saying: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” At times, human beings are not satisfied with what they “have.” People seem to do well until, unfortunately, they experience a loss. Then, usually, they want to be “better”--to experience the “green grass.” It’s human nature--to always want to be “better,” to “have more.” Isn’t that what is meant by the phrase “dream big”? At times, dreaming big might be great; however, at other times one should be thankful for what one has.

Consider the story of the 85 year old grandmother taking her 5 year old grandson, Johnny, to the beach for the first time. She was so excited. She bought Johnny a brand new complete outfit for his first time at the beach: new cap, new swimsuit, new t-shirt, new shoes and a new sand bucket with a shovel.

They walked to the beach holding hands. As they got to the sand, Johnny said, “Grandma, because I can’t swim I won’t go near the water; so I’ll just dig ...

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Nobody wanted to be there, not even one person. However, they were all there, and in a strange way, glad that they were.

It was the waiting room of the Neuro Trauma Intensive Care Unit (NTICU) at Memorial Hermann Hospital, one of only two "Level OneTrauma Hospitals" in Houston, Texas. When a person is critically injured, when one's life is hanging in the balance due to some traumatic event, the family should always attempt to see to it that its injured loved one goes to a "Level One Trauma Unit", if that is possible.

The families in the waiting room of the NTICU almost always appear to be petrified as they know that at any moment a physician might enter the unit and tell them, "I am very sorry. We tried everything possible, however...".

The first few days, as a rule, the families keep to themselves. However, as time passes by, the families usually get to know each other. Further, as a group, they share the joy when there is good news for a family and they also s...

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"I love my job!"  Rather I should say, "I love my jobs."

I am a Social Worker at Memorial Hermann Hospital, working with
families in the Neuro Trauma Intensive Care Unit (NTICU). I also work as a motivational speaker and lecturer, as well as writing inspirational stories for publication in books and on the Internet. I enjoy and love everything I do.

If someone would have told me over 20 years ago that I would have made that statement, I would have laughed. I thought, and knew, that I was going to be an Orthopedic Surgeon.  I was making high grades in college at the University of Texas. However, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time in February of 1981.

I was studying with my girlfriend, Sharon, for an Organic Chemistry
exam that I was supposed to take the following evening.  However, Sharon stated that it was getting quite late and she had to go back to her dormitory. 

Being a ...

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