Shirley Belk
Bio
Mother, Nana, Sister, Cousin, & Aunt who recently retired. RN (Nursing Instructor) who loves to write stories to heal herself and reflect on all the silver linings she has been blessed with
Stories (152/0)
- Top Story - December 2023
The Bridges We MeetTop Story - December 2023
I worked as a Registered Nurse for close to thirty years. Over those years, I cannot begin to enumerate or even remember every patient I had. But there are a few that I will never be able to forget. And I don't want their memory to be forgotten either. Even today, I have a smile on my face or a tear in my eye when I think back on them. You see, even though I was the one that was supposed to help them, they are the ones that impacted me, instead.
By Shirley Belk5 months ago in Journal
Getting to the Heart of the Matter
I try to stay abreast of the news (local, state, national, and international.) I do this mainly from the headlines I glance over. Anything beyond that, can lead me to depression, anger, and despair. I guess, I believed by just grazing, this would suffice my need for civic duty and keep me from becoming emotionally charged. But...
By Shirley Belk5 months ago in Criminal
Mother Combs, You Asked for It
Okay, then, so here goes, Mother Combs, from your: A Christmas Visit With Mother Combs A Getting to Know me Article 1) I think Christmas is mainly for kids. Don't get me wrong, it's nice when families come together, but when there is no Santa to anticipate or prepare for; the appeal for me, is gone. Honestly, no bah humbug here, though.
By Shirley Belk5 months ago in Wander
Fibromyalgia
Ok, so I've got it. Not that I wanted it. But it explains a lot. And once a medical doctor diagnosed me with it almost two years ago, I could relax a little. At least I knew I wasn't going crazy. And I could stop drinking those Jack Daniels & Coke just to make the pain lessen and to help me sleep. (Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a big drinker and anything carbonated flares up the old interstitial cystitis that I'm also blessed to have...so I couldn't win.) Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a relatively uncommon and enigmatic disorder characterized by pain in the bladder and pelvic region, typically accompanied by urinary urgency and frequency. Fibromyalgia is a more common disorder, with the prominent symptoms being diffuse musculoskeletal pain and fatigue,... IC patients display diffusely increased peripheral nociception, as is seen in fibromyalgia. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9201654/
By Shirley Belk5 months ago in Longevity
Wrapped Up Again
Humans must transform themselves to progress. At times in the lifespan, we are in the cocoon, so comfortable and so hidden from the world around us. But then we get the urge to escape and we scratch and claw to get out of that womb. We want our wings and our beauty and our freedom, not giving thought to the safety we left, but we go flitting about, happily interacting with the new environment we have placed ourselves in.
By Shirley Belk5 months ago in Poets
- Top Story - December 2023
Frederic Fletcher Webb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Early Life ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ His name was Frederic Fletcher Webb. You probably have never heard of his name before. I hadn't learned of him too long ago, either. But why would we? He wasn't found by name in any history books. He was found in the hidden pages of ancestry and of American history events. Mine to be precise. He was my 2 times great-grandfather, my grandmother's grandfather. And American history became very real to me as his story unfolded.
By Shirley Belk5 months ago in History