Packing my lunch is necessary because my schedule as a hospice chaplain can change quickly. I keep food and drinks in an ice chest in my car because it can get hot here in New Mexico. When I get a call to see a patient whose passing is imminent, time…
Hemophilia 24/7 - a Column by Cazandra Campos-MacDonald
Watching gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Olga Korbut in the 1976 Olympic Games inspired me to do front rolls in my backyard. I knew back flips and aerial twirls weren’t in my reach, so I set my sights on mastering the cartwheel. But it was never to…
In a society where reality television is king, passing judgment is easier than ever. Contestants in competitions such as “Dancing with the Stars” and “American Idol” are eager to hear the judges’ remarks in hopes of advancing to the next round. On shows like “Judge Judy,” litigants demand arbitration to…
Easter Sunday was wonderful. The pipe organ at our church hadn’t worked in four years, but thanks to generous donors, it was finally restored. We revealed it on Easter with a brass quintet and choir, and the music was truly beautiful. As a classically trained oboist, I am deeply…
Every week, I lead the pastoral prayer at church. It’s a moment to share what brings us joy and what weighs on our hearts as a congregation and a community. I always pray for the unhoused, the hungry, the grieving, and our country. But there’s one group I often mention…
Life can change in a moment. Sometimes, all it takes is a phone call — that a loved one has passed away, that you’ve lost your job, or that you are free from cancer. Those moments often create core memories — highly emotional, significant experiences that have a lasting…
The sound of a tape gun gives me anxiety. There’s the quick pull of the tape from the roll, followed by its crinkling as it’s pressed onto the box’s flaps. The serrated blade bites down and tears the tape cleanly, the cardboard often giving a faint, hollow thud beneath the…
My family loves my chocolate chip cookies. I don’t even know where the recipe came from, but it’s written on a card I keep in a flowered index box I got at my wedding shower more than 33 years ago. After years of baking, the card is stained and the…
As a hospice chaplain, I meet people during the hardest moments of their lives. Whether at a deathbed or in a funeral home preparing for a service, these are times of finality. Grief brings people together as they share their loss and honor the person who has died. A recent…
I’ve lived in New Mexico for 20 years, but I only recently visited the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. The chapel is known for its spiral staircase, built in 1878 with wooden pegs only, no nails. The staircase rises 22 feet to the choir loft without any central support.
