…The Council of Three Fires were an alliance of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi (Anishinaabe) nations. They traded with the French explorers, intermarried, and found shelter at Fort Pontchartrain. They fought along side of the French Military battling the Sioux Indians who were both their enemies. I would see the same camaraderie some 200 years later at the Detroit Medical Center as our nation celebrated its bicentennial. The Detroit Medical Center was a city within a city. That is the best way I could describe it. The hospitals and clinics that made up the medical center were also connected by tunnels underground. In inclement weather, patients and staff could utilize them to traverse the medical complex.
…..I got very familiar with the medical center and all of its buildings. I would pick up specimens and deliver lab reports to all of the clinics, hospital nursing stations, and laboratories. I got to meet so many different people and couldn’t believe how friendly they were. They were mostly scientists, doctors, nurses, and students. Also, some were administrators, managers, and supervisors. The freedom I experienced while working as a messenger for the laboratories enabled me to see how the hospital system worked, and who was directing the everyday operations. There was a very rich history here and I was very glad to be a part of it. Everyone I came in contact with wanted to know all about me .These were the questions they primarily asked: Where I was studying? What was I studying? What subjects of study was I interested in?
…I had to laugh because they all seemed to give me advice on their particular field of study and hoped I would find that particular field as interesting as they did. I became quite the politician as I didn’t want to offend anyone by picking a particular area. I would point out I was still completing my first two years, Liberal Arts, and hadn’t picked a major yet. I also couldn’t believe all the different nationalities of people I was meeting.
… The Detroit Medical Center was definitely a melting pot. I met scientists from the Eastern Block who fled communism, the middle east who fled persecution from dictatorships, Europeans who had dual citizenships but preferred working in the USA because of lower taxes. America, Africa, India, Japan, Korea, Philippines, and many other countries were represented by the employees working here as well. Finally, the students who were enrolled in the schools of nursing, and Wayne State University made the melting pot complete. All seeking the same thing: wisdom and opportunity. My Life’s Journey TO BE CONTINUED Ephesians 2:1-9
MJ-Way 