Being a God Father

Last week, I was asked to be the god father to my friend Stacey's daughter, Isabella Michelle. The baptism was held at Saint Ignatius church last Sunday after mass for Isabella and her older brother Kaileb. Today I finished writing a letter for Isabella to include with an activity bible (small activities as you read along) for Christmas. Here's my letter to her:

November 29,2008

Dear Isabella Michelle,

This year your mom asked something very special of me – to become your god parent. This was such a great honor and I gladly accepted her request. Your mom and I have become close friends over the past year, and I have had the privilege of knowing you and watching you grow up.

You were baptized on November 23rd, 2008 into the eyes of god as Isabella Michelle. We celebrated that day, the mystery of God’s grace by welcoming you into his heart. No one can fully understand why God extends his love to us, but we know that God is love and loves all his children equally.

Being your god parents makes me feel so proud and loving of you. I will always be there for you to help you in life and along your spiritual journey. God intended the water used during your baptism to wash away your sins and unite you with Christ. Your baptism signifies God’s claim on you as his own—a child of his covenant with all men and an extension of his grace.

I hope you are able to see and embrace life with the same passion your mom does. She has a great and uplifting view of the world. Together, we have pushed each other to become better people – to do more, be more, and strive for more in order to experience life to its fullness. I hope I can be there to help you along your life’s journey.

Your mom talks of parents as “choosing feathers” for you and your brother, so that one day you will have a full set of wings and be able to fly on your own. I hope to be able to add my strongest and most colorful feathers to your wings.

When Jesus was on Earth, he blessed the little children. The afternoon of your baptism, I ask that this same Jesus would bless you and keep you, that he would make his face shine upon you, and that he would give you peace in your life, forever and ever.

With love and affection,

Alex


Thanks for reading,

Alex

Bring Your XO to School or Work Day

Today, Nov 17^th 2008, was dimed “Bring Your XO to School or Work Day” by the One Laptop Per Child initiative, and I did just that.

The Downtown Cincinnati Kiwanis club had its regularly scheduled lunch/invited guest speaker meeting at the Banker’s Club today. Our guest speakers were fellow Kiwanian Bill Burwinkel and Kathy from the Adopt A Class program, focusing on local businesses and community groups to adopt a classroom of children to be their mentors and supporters as positive role models and to help these children develop practical and social skills.

Before our speakers began I was able to bring my XO (purchased last year during their buy one for a child, buy one for you campaign) for show and tell to Kiwanis group. The XO initially billed to be the $100 laptop is a small, light weight, nearly indestructible laptop running a Linux based operating system that works great in classroom setting for educating, sharing ideas, and exploring the internet in third world counties. While the XO isn’t a robust computer designed to be an everyday computer for most Americans, I think it has a great role as a tool for educating those in classrooms which lack resources such as books and paper. Watch the video from Amazon.com to learn more about the One Laptop Per Child philosophy.

I LOVE my XO,

Thanks for reading,

Alex

2008 CINCINNATI HILL CLIMB SERIES

Today I had the hardest 4:13 minutes of my life when I decided that it would be a good idea to a run a 0.47 mile race, all up hill, in 35 degree weather, after work a 10 hr ED shift at Children's. The Cincinnati Hill Climb Series is a set of 4 races starting at the lower ends of 4 major street paved hills in Cincinnati and ending at their crust.

Per the Hill Climb Series's web site: "...the most he most grueling sub-mile runs on the planet, returns to Cincinnati’s racing calendar on Sunday Nov. 2. Begun over 30 years ago by the Clifton Track Club, the oxygen-depleting sprints up the city’s steepest inclines are back for 2008."

Further it goes on to say that the climb series is "two minutes of self-inflicted torture." How true, how true, how true.

During my first 30 seconds of the climb I was feeling well. Not winded, no lactic acid pain in my thighs, but soon after and for the rest of the run that's all I felt. Even after a good solid 5 hr nap my lungs are still on fire!

We'll see how the Straight St. run on the 23rd goes!

Alex

First Post

Welcome to the Medicine Man of Norwood blog!

This is an appropriately titled blog in that I live in Norwood, OH and I'm a medicine man of sorts - a pediatrician completing my training at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

I moved to Norwood in June of 2006 and have come to love Norwood and it's people. I've been heavily active in volunteer groups in the region such as Give Back Cincinnati and Cincinnati Kiwanis, but when my friend Virginia Patterson (of Norwood) told me of a a grand discovery I was sold on the Norwood Young Professional's organization, and have been all the rage since!

After never having a blog (or one that I really cared for), this will be my initial post on my infant blog. Maybe it will grow some day, maybe not... I cannot promise how often or if ever this blog will be updated. The creation of this blog and subsequent post has been influenced by the Citizens for a Better Norwood blog and so that I could feel secure in posting a reply to the latest post about the housing strategy of Norwood.

Thanks for reading,

Alex