Crossings
Memoirs of a Mountain Medical Doctor
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Crossings have been a part of life as long as humankind has existed. History is replete with significant crossings. Israel crossed the Red Sea. Then it took them forty years to cross the wilderness before crossing the Jordan River. Hannibal crossed the Alps. Washington crossed the Delaware. Colonial pioneers crossed America. Crossings enable us to get from one point to another. Crossings then become venues and pathways through which we navigate our journey. We must choose our crossings wisely and with great care for these decisions and choices determine our destination. In the spirit and words of American poet Robert Frost, "I chose the road less travelled and it has made all the difference since." A crossing may be a literal geographical, physical crossing, whether mountain, sea, or desert. In addition, a crossing may be mental, emotional or spiritual in nature. Phases, stages and significant experiences bring these developmental and experiential crossings our way. Crossings, changes and transitions, breed angst and anxiety within us, for they represent unchartered territory in our lives; yet, they also offer the wonderful opportunity for novel exploration, new possibilities, and new growth to become reality. May Crossings: Memoirs Of A Mountain Medical Doctor provide one avenue of encouragement and inspiration for any and all changes, transitions, and crossings that you, the reader, encounter. May you be guided to wise choices and exciting adventures as you navigate life.
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About the Book
DR. ELAM S. KURTZ WAS A MAN OF GREAT VISION, a man of deep faith, and a man of enormous energy. With these qualities, and more, God formed, fashioned, and refined a person, and a medical doctor, who had a profound and pervasive positive influence upon the many people whom his life touched and whom he served.
To his patients he was known as Dr. Kurtz, or “Doc.” To his friends he was referred to as Elam. His family addressed him as Dad, or, in later years he was affectionately referred to as “Pop.”
Pop’s eighty-six years of life yielded numerous transitions and changes in various areas and aspects of his living, or “crossings” as Dad alluded to these transitions. This book attempts to capture and share many of these crossings. Yet, more than relating just the actual crossings, the hope is that readers will discover in these pages inspiration and motivation for their own journey crossings. By reflecting upon how one of God’s children--Elam S. Kurtz--embraced the transitions and crossings of life with great vision, deep faith, and enormous energy, may we also learn, and put into practice, the great lessons of life, seeking to serve God and humankind with our very best.
About the Author
ELAM S. KURTZ, MD (b.1924-d.2010). Dr. Kurtz, or Pop as his family affectionately referred to him, is remembered as a husband, father, grandfather, friend and physician of great vision and enormous passion. As a doctor, Elam served the people in the Appalachian Mountain communities of Ashe County, North Carolina and beyond for more than 47 years.
MICHAEL D. KURTZ, D. MIN. Michael is a pastor, licensed marriage and family therapist, and writer. Prior to these roles he served as a high school English teacher and athletic coach in Ashe County, North Carolina. Michael is the second of four children born to Elam and Orpah Kurtz and the eldest son.