The other day I was asked to explain what spirituality meant to me. Caught off guard by this question I failed to come up with a thoughtful response that truly reflected what spirituality means to me. My standard response is that I am not religious, but I am spiritual. With all due respect to my religious friends, I do not identify with one specific religion. I think of the bible as a book, a collection of stories that are a good reference guide on how to live a good life. Although there may be some historical accuracy to the stories, they are simply stories. Stories reported by average human beings…

The words “we can start tapering you off the Prednisone” were music to my ears. As I danced my way out of my nephrologist’s office, I pictured my life resuming to normal. Excitedly I envisioned the disappearance of my moon face, buffalo hump, and all the excess weight I have gained. I looked forward to the day my skin was more flesh colored than cooked lobster color. More importantly I thought my kidney disease had been pushed into remission. I thought I was good. On the bright side some of the many side effects from taking the high dose Prednisone have started to diminish. I swear I can make out…