valley views Every day is a special occasion A
friend of mine recently lost his grandmother and came to inherit her fancy copper pots and pans. Beautiful, gleaming cookware … once he had cleaned the dust from them, as they’d hung up in her kitchen like a chandelier, unused, since the day they’d been purchased. He shared that his grandmother had bought them years ago with the intention of using them for special occasions. However, as the years went on, no occasion seemed quite special enough. His grandmother continued to wait, and wait, and wait to use them, until one day she no longer had the opportunity.
how more worthy of that It’s not uncommon to have something set aside thing than another. But how special is for special occasions. It’s special enough? Life is likely safe to say most unpredictof us have able, and something often far or other too short. tucked Every day away, maywe get to be a bottle wake up is of wine, an achievemaybe a ment and special outA Taylor’d Approach an opporfit or nice Taylor Davison tunity, and cologne, Editor, Valley Journal something marked to we ofuse when tentimes some undon’t take the time to be known special event comes along in our lives. grateful for. There is, obviously, something to be We may not even be said for planning for the that deliberate about it; future, but the purchase maybe just putting off having a favorite meal or of something for only specific food until a later big, bombastic special date, one we deem some- occasions seems like a
Help prevent a surge S
pring is often about the renewal of life. This “spring feeling” is even more robust as the cases of COVID-19 receded, and our lives around Lake County are moving back to their regular pace. Still, as physicians, we cannot forget what we have gone through over the last two years. We have taken care of some of our sickest residents throughout this pandemic. And while we feel a sense of 10 - April 13, 2022
relief with the pandemic vaccinations. subsiding in Montana, The providers at St. we have trepidations Luke’s Communiseeing the COVID-19 ty Healthcare believe strongly in case numbers rising again in the value and safety of Europe with Billings et al Local Healthcare Providers vaccines, and this newest variant. we feel the Of course, same about we don’t want our famithe COVID-19 vaccine that has gone through lies, neighbors, or friends the same research process to go through any more suffering due to COVID. as other vaccines. Since And, we do have a great the vaccines have been option now to prevent released, they have had another significant surge: greater oversight and
Valley Views
great way to accidentally undervalue the little celebrations in each day. My best friend and her husband cook themselves a Thanksgiving meal nearly every other month, or whenever the urge arises, simply because they see no reason to wait all year for their favorite holiday meal. My friend with the like-new copper pots and pans now uses them daily to make meals for the joy of feeding the people he loves. I’ve made a point to wear my favorite dress whenever the mood strikes me, even when it’s just for an evening at home, because I like it just as much in my living room as I do during a fancy outing
and seeing it in the mirror makes me smile. If you have a particularly special event on the horizon, there’s no shame in going out and getting something to mark the occasion. But if the event doesn’t come to pass, I hope you’ll mark an occasion anyway. Crack open that bottle of wine to celebrate being with people you care about, even if you see them every day. Put on the fancy perfume because you like the way it smells. Eat the caviar for breakfast because it’s the most important meal of the day. Use the pots and pans because you want to. Celebrate the small things and try to rec-
safety monitoring than any previous vaccine. Plus, over 10.5 billion vaccine doses have already been given worldwide. We understand that community members have important questions about the vaccine. At the same time, there has been significant misinformation and disinformation, which has made it hard to get a straight answer when one is only trying to do what is best for
themselves, their families and their community. We appreciate that and want the community to know we are available to answer questions. We also recommend individuals review reputable health websites to get the best-known information. Websites like Mayo Clinic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, YourBestShotMT, and - an excellent website for pediatric questions -
Valley Journal
see page 11
ognize that every day is its own special occasion. Don’t put off the things that bring you joy. Experience the special things you’ve been looking forward to. Otherwise, one day, you might not get the chance.
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