Oxygen

Just finished reading this book, the old fashioned way-a real paperback book!  This past summer, I challenged my sisters to a book club.  My real reason was so we could have an excuse to get together and we all share a passion for reading and between the four of us have a pretty eclectic taste in books.  This was our first "assignment"!  It was pretty appropriate for us to read because we all have doctor's for fathers and three of the four have doctor's for husbands so fictional book with medical threads throughout was probably inevitable for us to read.  We haven't set our date to review Carol Cassella's book "Oxygen" yet, but I have my list of questions and comments so you can get a sneak preview.  The book follows a specific case of Dr. Marie Heaton that had an undesirable outcome.  As a nurse, I have to say a red flag went up for me early on in the book when another anesthesiologist was helping draw up the medication for the case-something nurses, and I assume doctors are taught is not in the standard operating procedures manual!  So in spite of the outcome of the operation, we get to share the insight into Dr. Heaton's life-away from the surgery suite. 

The things that struck me the most, and maybe it is because I knew I would be sharing this book with my family, were her extended family dynamics.   At one point, we are privy to a discussion between Marie and her sister Lori.  Lori's teenage daughter has taken to confiding in her Aunt Marie and Marie is wondering if it bothers Lori that Elsa shares her life with her aunt instead of her mother.  I love Lori's response, "It's the best, Marie.  We hardly even had one mom at her age.  She has two".  I have replayed that phase in my head because with my sisters our mom was always there and we were blessed but I pray that as each of us has some impact on our nieces and nephew's lives, they will know that we love them as deeply as their own mothers do. 

As Marie begins to find her life and her purpose, she is drawn into her sister, Lori's letters. Near the end of the book, Marie states, "Her letters are like movies, television, computer and radio.  They have all those things here, in sputtering and intermittently transmitted, but I prefer the peace of pen and ink for a while"  That phrase reminds me of the power of pen and ink in the words of a book.  I find, I too prefer the peace of pen and ink for a while"  I just can't wait to take that pen and ink and write to my sisters to get that book club date on the calendar!  We've got lots to discuss besides the book, we've got a lifetime of memories to build and share!