Blog - Kitchen Table Devotions

Body Bags & Billionaires

by Rita Macdonald

When you tear open the plastic that body bags come in, they smell like a fresh liner of an old-fashioned above-the-ground swimming pool. Every time I open one, I take a big whiff and say that out loud to whoever I'm working with. I can't help it! It reminds me of my childhood days swimming in the Russell family pool. I spent a lot of time in that pool and I remember what a pool lining smells like. Every time I put a deceased person's body in a body bag, I remember a patient who told me how filthy rich he was. Those were his words - not mine. "Filthy" rich he called himself. He was a billionaire. That filthy rich patient had his meals delivered on china instead of paper plates. He had Egyptian cotton sheets delivered daily to his room. He was visited every shift by men in ... View Post

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Dirt Roads, Dinky The Duck, & Bologna & Pickle Sandwiches

by Rita Macdonald

My friend and I recently took a road trip just a little north of where we live to look at some property, and I gotta tell ya..... There's just something really cool about driving down dirt roads. When the dust kicks up, and folks can hear someone coming from a ways away, people lift up their heads to wave even if they don't know you - it just has a way of taking me back in time. Back in time - to my good old days......... I grew up in Redford Township, and one of mine and my siblings' favorite things to do was was "go out to the farm." When we'd get up on a Saturday morning and find out we would be making the long trip out to St. Clair, we'd get so excited! Aunt Iris and Uncle Ed lived on what to me seemed like a farm straight out of a storybook, complete with horses, ... View Post

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Taking A Look Around Me

by Rita Macdonald

There's a really sweet walking path at a beautiful park near my home. It borders Lake St. Clair, and just across the water is Canada. Every time that I've gone there, I've taken photos and sent them to people to share the magnificent views of the sunrise, a fishing boat quietly passing by, or a storm cloud approaching. But when I began seeing out-of-area text message charges on my phone bill, I realized that with Canada being so close, I was being charged as though I was in a different country. So I stopped taking photos, and instead, began to bring my headphones and listen to music. But one morning I was taken by surprise when three police officers and a pretty big dog appeared suddenly from behind me, and decided that I needed to be more aware of what was happening around me. ... View Post

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Carrie’s Shoes

by Rita Macdonald

I have a very predictable routine. You could even say it's quite boring. I get up at the same time every morning. I hit snooze the same number of times. Two back-up alarms go off. I get up, brush my teeth, shower, and I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but it's the same every single day. I take the same roads, drive in the same lane, and always hit 15 Mile and John R at 6:06 a.m. I park in the same garage, on the same floor, in the same spot each shift, and I look at the time clock on the way in and get a chuckle. It's always 6:18 a.m. My lunch goes in the fridge, I head to my locker, change my shoes, put my badge on and my necessities in my pockets, and head to the kitchen. I make a pot of coffee and have a conversation with Sherry or Denise from dietary. We ... View Post

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“Crafty” Coconut Custard Pie

by Rita Macdonald

Ingredients: 1-1/3 cup of sugar 3 eggs 1/3 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 stick melted butter or margarine 1 cup coconut Directions: Mix together the first 5 ingredients. Add the coconut. Pour into an unbaked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven - until golden brown. This recipe is one handed down from my dear friend Sue Craft, and I simply cannot publish this until in true Sue Craft style, I add a little riddle. So here goes: Q: What’s the best thing to put into Sue Craft's Coconut Custard Pie? A: Your teeth! ... View Post

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Humbled By A Hamster

by Rita Macdonald

I'm divorced, but jokingly often refer to myself as "recycled - recovered, stronger, even better"..... I'm also fiercely independent (although I can think of at least ONE friend who will beg to differ). Maybe what I view as independent has now been clearly identified in the past 24 hours as just plain prideful. Yeah - that's it. I'm really just full of pride and stubbornness. You see, I'd rather fork out $500 to get a room painted than let someone do it for free. Why? Because I don't want to feel indebted to someone for a favor. If I choose to do something nice for someone, I don't want it to be because I now feel obligated because they did something for me. The problem with that is this - I am actually ROBBING someone of doing something nice just for me because of the ... View Post

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Hey Nurses – Let’s Talk Moral Injury

by Rita Macdonald

There isn't a day that goes by I don't know of something I'd just love to write about. The shifts in what I like to refer to as my "school shoes and scrubs" at the hospital definitely give me the most material with which to work. Often, especially lately though, I come home and my mind just goes blank. Over the past year I haven't decided if that's because I'm simply too exhausted after a 12-hour shift, or I'm just getting better at keeping my mouth shut (or in this case, my laptop). Maybe I worry that what I'd love to get out of my head, off of my heart, or off of my CHEST just might offend someone. Maybe what I think is just irrelevant or inappropriate - even if it IS true. Maybe as a Christian I'm worried about offending those who aren't because I'm supposed to live ... View Post

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The eye doctor and the Eye Doctor

by Rita Macdonald

Readers. They come in packages of four at my favorite store for $9.99. My first pair was 1.0 strength. I bought them after my friend Jean at work pointed out that I was unknowingly squinting while on the computer. I didn't believe her because I'd never worn glasses in my life, so I began paying attention to myself, and sure enough - the day I couldn't read a tiny little bottle at work in the middle of doing a procedure at work in the ICU, the physician told me to put on my glasses. Glasses? I don't wear glasses. I've never worn glasses. Guess what. That night? I stopped at TJ Max and bought a four-pack. That was the year I turned 50. Now I'm 56 and have graduated from 1.0 all the way up to 3.0, and am now on the verge of not finding the next strength in the ... View Post

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