Author: veronicasquires

By Veronica Squires The Good Samaritan by Rembrandt The other day I was thumbing through the Bible looking for a passage to meditate on and I landed on the famous story of the Good Samaritan. I have always loved this story, but since I started working for The Good Samaritan Health Center five years ago … Continue reading Spare No Expense

I (Veronica) was recently up at 1 am the morning before my oldest daughter, Aubrey, started kindergarten. I had a hard time falling asleep so when I awoke to the loud banging sound, I had only been asleep for a couple of hours. Now I was wide awake from the noise and walked downstairs to … Continue reading Bad Dog

Recently I (Veronica) traveled to Memphis to visit Church Health, an incredible faith-based charitable clinic providing a holistic “model for healthy living” for their community. I was inspired and encouraged. Despite the bickering and pettiness we see in the news media, real people on the ground are working tirelessly for those who are marginalized. Quality … Continue reading Idolatry: what God actually hates about it

My (Veronica) lived experience over the last twelve years confirms what studies repeatedly show: trauma disproportionately impacts low-income, minority communities. When my family lived in southwest Atlanta, we were struck early on by the frequency of heartache, and the way it seemed to happen at a higher, more intense frequency for our neighbors than the … Continue reading Concentrated Trauma

A wall of memories from our years in southwest Atlanta In many homes people like to hang photos of their loved ones. It's a way to honor and celebrate the people who matter to us. One of my (Veronica) favorite things about our home is that no matter where I turn, I can see a … Continue reading The Wall in our House

I (Veronica) live in a neighborhood on the Westside of Atlanta that at some point was identified as a “mission field” by major church denominations. In my small community there are four different churches, one of which sits on the property across the street from my home. It’s an older, historic church building surrounded by … Continue reading Sometimes we need a good neighbor more than we need another church.

By Veronica Squires Yesterday I led a retreat with my administrative team at the Good Sam clinic that took a deep dive into social determinants of health and community asset mapping. I found myself needing to articulate how and why the lifespan gaps that exist in our city (and many other major cities across the … Continue reading The Accelerated Weathering is the Injustice

Veronica's Family at the 2018 DragonCon Parade in Atlanta. We want to be like the Incredibles saving the world, but sometimes we just... aren't. When I (Veronica) was on maternity leave with Emma last year, I was introduced to a podcast (Failed Missionary with Corey Pigg) and a book (The Very Worst Missionary by Jamie … Continue reading When Missions Fail

Working at the Good Samaritan Health Center (Good Sam) has dramatically changed the way I (Veronica) think about healthcare. Good Sam offers a holistic Full Circle of Health model and through strategic partnerships we address social determinants of health (SDOH). It’s a special place, unrivaled in the southeast and on par with much larger clinics … Continue reading From “What’s Wrong with You?” to “What’s Strong with You?”