Letter from the Editor
Letter from the Editor
Mar 2010Nearly six months ago, when our daughter Cami was ready to start sampling solid foods, I made it my personal mission to ensure that, before her first birthday, she tasted her way through all the edible plant groups, more than 20 in all. So, here we are, 11 months of age and counting, and I can look proudly at that list and say with confidence that my little pea-pod really has tasted the full rainbow of fruits and vegetables (along with some legumes, spices and the entire contents of her toy box).
Cami’s expressions ranged from delight (hummus) to disgust (peas) as each new food was introduced. Taking recipe cues from store-bought baby food, I made my own concoct Read More...
Letter from the Editor
Feb 2010It’s true what they say about couples; opposites really do attract. In my marriage, for example, it’s those polar-opposite personality traits that interlock with surprising ease, complementing one another to form a whole. Brian is the classic “Type B” artist, dreamer, philosopher—unwilling to wear a watch much less conform to “the rules.” Then there’s me—the “Type A,” the natural-born planner. I manage our work and social calendars, pay our bills, keep a system of files for everything and remind Brian of what he’s most likely to forget. And like most moms, I stay on top of Cami’s bedtime, naptime, eating and childcare schedules Read More...
Letter from the Editor
Jan 2010Notice anything new about this page? Or maybe this month’s cover caught your eye. Here at The Health Journal we’ve spent the last several weeks redesigning the magazine to better serve our readers and offer new advertising options to local businesses. And here it is—our first issue of 2010—ready for your review. But don’t worry: Your favorite departments are still here, from Snapshots—your community bulletin-board for health-related photos—to our monthly Profile, which this month features a widow who counsels local families affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
The Health Journal is here to give your new year a shotgun start to better heal Read More...
Letter from the Editor
Dec 2009Can you believe that another year is coming to a close? Why is it that the older we get, the faster the years seem to come and go? While our bodies gradually slow down, time inevitably gains speed. If only we could reverse that paradox!
This being my last column of the calendar year, I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our loyal readers for sticking with us for yet another 12 issues. Midway through our fifth year of publishing, our reach is still growing. Today, a circulation of nearly 80,000 copies make The Health Journal Hampton Roads’ largest monthly magazine.
Our staff (and hopefully, you) would agree that 2009 has reflected some of our best Read More...
Letter from the Editor
Nov 2009Every day I pause to remind myself of how fortunate Brian and I are to be surrounded by family and friends, whose love and support guide us through this new phase of life known as parenthood. We’ve found comfort in a circle of fellow first-timers who, from the trenches, offer their advice and reassurance.
One such couple lives just three doors down from us. At first glance, our lives seem on a parallel track. Four busy, thirty-something professionals, all first-time parents with like interests. Jen and I learned last winter that we were both expecting. Coincidentally, we had been given the same due date. Last spring we both delivered healthy babies—they had a Read More...
Letter from the Editor
Oct 2009With the holidays just around the corner, I’m looking forward to two things: spending time with family and enjoying good food. Even though our family traditions have changed since I was a kid—we typically spend Thanksgiving with Brian’s family in Chicago and Christmas in Williamsburg—I always think back to childhood holidays spent in Norfolk with my paternal grandmother, Natalie, who, as you may recall from an earlier column, passed away in June just before her 90th birthday.
Grandma Natalie, a graduate of Maury High School and longtime member of Talbot Park Baptist Church, was a wife, mother, grandmother and finally, just in time to hear the joyous news, Read More...
Letter from the Editor
Sep 2009We may be in the midst of hurricane season here in Hampton Roads, but this month’s cover story reflects a much different type of storm. Chances are you’ve heard the phrase “silver tsunami.” The baby boom generation (those born between 1946 and 1964) has, over recent decades, affected nearly every corner of American society. Now this enormous flock is poised to overwhelm yet another major social system—and no, I am not talking about Facebook.
Medicare, the government-run health insurance program that currently insures about 40 million Americans, most of them seniors, faces a perilous future. Today, those 65-and-olders make up about 12 percent of the U.S. Read More...
Letter from the Editor
Aug 2009Dear Readers,
In my last column I shared the story of how I struck a truce with my brother after three years’ distance. Since then we’ve stayed in touch, and he plans to pay us a visit and meet our baby early this month. The reunion sparked in me a desire to reach out to a few old friends as well, and those overtures seem promising so far.
I owe a lot of this to Cami; she’s only three months old, but already she has taught me an important lesson: as humans, we are born to love and trust, but also to forgive. Once, when I was clipping her fingernails, I accidentally nicked her skin and she bled a little bit. She cried at the pain, but she eventually forga Read More...