Emily Guimaraes led today’s morning devotional with a focus on gratitude. “One of the most helpful spiritual disciplines that I have ever undertaken comes from that admonition of Fred Rogers,” Guimaraes says to the group, “look for the helpers.”
The compassionate and kind Mr. Rogers, as he’s known to the world, sat down with Karen Herman in 1999 for a four-hour oral history interview for the Television Academy. It was there that he shared something his mother Karen Rogers would tell him as a young child. In moments of tragedy, look for the helpers. In other words, look for the light in the darkness, for it’s there you’ll find hope.
“In a situation where things are going wrong, look for the people who are trying to make a difference,” Guimaraes continues, “once we begin to open our eyes to the things that are right, we can’t stop seeing them. And this is not an exhausting habit of mind. This is a restorative habit of mind, to shift our mindset, to look around for all the ways that we are provided for.”
Once one develops this practice, Guimaraes says one’s eyes become aware of the abundance that surrounds us. The bells of the churches here in Antigua, the two hundred species of birds that sing each morning, the beautiful weather, the awesome power of the Volcan de Fuego.
“One of the things that I encourage our patients,” Guimaraes continues, “is to experience the miracles of healing that happen in their bodies after surgery. Our bodies naturally move themselves back towards health. All the time.
All those surgical incisions close. All of these are gifts.”
Over the course of the day, we see another forty patients. It’s a wonder to witness our team collaborate with the team at Las Obras—working together in such harmony. Our nurses greet Las Obras nurses with hugs, we share meals together at lunch, and thanks to founding Faith In Practice Board Member Ivonne Anzueto, have a basket of fresh cookies waiting for us on our breaks.
Guimaraes asks the group to share their reflections on this trip, what we are grateful for, what we experience as abundance. Post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) nurse Jessie Schray says, “There’s an abundance of joy. Everyone is so relieved and so grateful and has a really beautiful way of waking up. I definitely see this joy in my colleagues as well.”
Take note of everyday gifts you didn’t fully appreciate. The bird and plant life.
The profusion of knowledge, and language. The gifts of both sunshine and rain. The gift we have in one another.
