For years, many of my readers have asked me when I planned to put my columns into a book. My answer has always been the same. . .soon.      However, my delay over the past nine years since my twice-a-month Op Ed column "Healing Words" appeared in The Tennessean, has been in my determining what direction my book should take. After several renditions, I concluded that what my readers wanted are stories that deal with the emotional and personal issues surrounding health care and physicians.      In putting this book together I have selected essays that have been some of my readers' favorites. They include those dealing with everyday happenings in my life, how I reacted, and what I thought about events such as, a son going off to college, taking a vacation, coping with grief, the birth of my granddaughter, or a parent dying. I have also included essays that give insight into my own personal philosophy on life, religion, health and dying. By gaining insight into one physicians' opinion on such matters, it is my hope the reader will gain some insight into the lives of all physicians.