Autumn in the North Cemetery.

Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?



These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.


Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...

...seems to be working so far

Thursday, July 1, 2010

I Just Haven't Met You Yet, And I Don't Want To. Not Like This.

So, here's the deal.  I am not working this weekend.  This year Mary and I will be enjoying the Feast and Fire  Celebration in town on the third, and on the Fourth, while the rest of the family enjoys Old Sturbridge Village during the day, and the fireworks later that evening, we will be with Michael Buble.

Monday we will be concluding our weekend with old friends James Taylor and Carole King at Tanglewood.

Now, I'm not name dropping to be, well, a name dropper.  No.  I am sharing with everyone just how wonderful the weekend is going to be.

Reality will set in on Tuesday when I return to work.  I may see some of you there, and I really don't want to.

I work at Shriners Burn Hospital for Children in Boston, and over my years as a registered nurse I have cared for children that have suffered injuries from fireworks both  here at SBH, and elsewhere. I have cared for injured adults in the past as well, and with the exception of the family of kids that got blown up in Nicaragua when a fireworks factory exploded, I can't think of one incident when the injuries weren't the result of stupidity.

Blown off thumbs, fingers, scratched corneas, severe burns, lost sight, lost  hearing, horrible scars, incredible pain, surgeries, skin grafts, and once, loss of life.

Uncle Billy Bob will inevitably come to town after a "run" to New Hampshire for fireworks.  The whole family will gather around the bon fire in the back yard, or along the water for the annual cookout.

Then it happens, and if it involves a child, I will most likely be seeing them after the weekend.

Stuff happens, I know.  House fires, accidents around the bon fire, scalds from hot tea. Accidents are just that, accidents.  Injuries caused by stupidity are different, and accidents involving children caused by stupid adults are criminal.

Be careful this weekend.  I like you, but I really don't want to meet you on Tuesday.  Not like this.
Scribbled by on

1 comment:

  1. Monique MannaSaturday, July 03, 2010

    Good Post! I do hope whomever reads this thinks about what you say if they are considering buying fireworks! Someone I work with tried selling me some Friday...no way! I do know how dangerous they are...only professionals should be handling these!

    ReplyDelete



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