Author: tomstellawebsite

     “By and large, our world has lost its sense of wonder. We have grown up. We no longer catch our breath at the sight of a rainbow or the scent of a rose, as we once did. We have grown bigger and everything else smaller, less impressive. We get blasé and worldly-wise and sophisticated. … Continue reading Wonder-full

“In Germany, under the law, everything is prohibited, except that which is permitted. In France, under the law, everything is permitted, except that which is prohibited. In the Soviet Union, everything is prohibited, including that which is permitted. And in Italy, everything is permitted, especially that which is prohibited.”      It may be because I’m … Continue reading A Higher Law

     When I was in medical school, I worked for two months at Yale New Haven Hospital, where I helped take care of an elderly man with chronic pancreatitis. I made the mistake of assigning him a regular diet, not the very-low-fat diet his condition required. When he was served pork chops, he ate them … Continue reading Mistakes and Forgiveness

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found was blind but now I see. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.  How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.                   Through many dangers toils and … Continue reading Grace Bats Last

Awaken, you buried seeds asleep in your earthen tombs. Rise up with joy to break forth the hard coffins of your shells. Your Easter time has come; the song of the dove is heard over the softening land. Winter has hidden, and spring now dances on your graves to waken the dead. Awaken, seeds of … Continue reading Easter – History and Mystery

Things to Do on an Elevator *Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside, ask, “Got enough air in there?” Meow occasionally.Wear a puppet on one of your hands and use it to talk to the other passengers.Listen to the elevator walls with a stethoscope.Say “ding” at each floor.Make noises like an explosion … Continue reading Holy Fools

     Here’s a fact of life: Nobody gets away scot-free. In every life, we are destined to find some disappointment, dissatisfaction, pain, and illness. We are bound to feel confused, insecure, and anxious.     Regularly contemplating the travails of our journey helps us to stay realistic about what life is and isn’t… Every dip and rise, … Continue reading Airbrushed-Airheads

     There is a great deal of lore surrounding the day when we traditionally acknowledge those we love with flowers, cards, candy, and the like. It is not the mythological Cupid who is the central figure of this occasion, but St. Valentine about whom little is known, but much is speculated.      One story claims … Continue reading Valentine’s Day

Take the whole kit with the caboodle Experience life don’t deplore it Shake hands with time don’t kill it Open a lookout Dance on a brink Run with your wildfire You are closer to glory Leaping an abyss than upholstering a rut      Poet James Broughton encourages us to take the whole kit with the … Continue reading Take the Whole Kit

We are all just a car crash, a diagnosis, an unexpected phone call, a newfound love or a broken heart away from becoming a completely different person. How beautifully fragile are we that so many things can take but a moment to alter who we are for forever.      We don’t like to think about it, … Continue reading Beautifully Fragile