Edit below!!


When I retired, I didn't anticipate doing flowers on my own again.  Sometimes you get
a request you can't refuse. My doctor's wife asked me to do this party. She had a great
idea; to place all his ties on the tables, pinwheeled out from the center. I knew his ties 
were all very colorful, so I chose to do multicolored arrangements. And then I decided to write
about him. What I wrote is below. I heard that it was read to the dinner guests last night. 
"My first appointment with Dr. P.  was sometime in the mid-1970’s, when his office 
was on St. Mary’s Street across from the old Rex Hospital. I was dressed in the 
skimpy gown and sitting on the edge of the table shivering, and at 5’10” and 118 
pounds, I was almost skeletal. 


A tall, trim, very nice-looking man came into the room, took one look at me, and speaking 
in low tones, he asked….”How long have you been this fat?”


I, who haven’t been speechless since I began talking at nine months old, 
finally found enough of my voice to say “all my life.” I fell in serious ‘like’ with him 
that day and it hasn’t changed over the years. 


I had been his patient for nearly twenty years when I got a call to do the 
flowers for the first of his daughter’s weddings. On that day, as I delivered 
bouquets to the room where the family was dressing, I saw him standing 
nearby. I told him how great he looked in a tux (but every man looks great in a tux, 
don’t they?) and then I mumbled something about how it was nice it was for the 
money we exchange to be heading in the opposite direction this time. Luckily, 
he has a great sense of humor, so I didn’t have to duck, and I got paid, too!


After my last colonoscopy, I said “I’ll see you in ten years” and he shook 
his head and said “I will probably be retired by then.” I told him he couldn’t do 
that until I died. Since I’m still alive enough to write this – you see he didn’t 
listen to me. I’m trying to get over it. 


In my opinion, Dr. P. is the quintessential medical man. He oozes a 
calm serenity, laced with just enough self-assurance to put a patient at ease. 
He never made me feel as though he was watching the clock, or hoping to 
sneak out to play golf or some other past-time. All medical staff can take a 
very good lesson from him, and I hope they have.

In closing, I wish you and S.  all the health, wealth, happiness and 
grandchildren you can muster, and lots of time to enjoy it all." 

January 16th is my blog anniversary!  I started blogging on this day in 2005, although a few of the early posts have been deleted now.