RETREAT — Monday Motivational Meditation #365 — 2018-08-06

We all face crossroads in our lives where we can retreat into ourselves,
or we can hit the dance floor.

Sebastián Lelio, 1974-

Chilean film director, screenwriter, film producer and editor. In 2018 he won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, “A Fantastic Woman.”

RETREAT

There are many ways to retreat. Stepping back from the intensity of the challenges of helping myself or others face adversity can be healing. Taking a big breath and finding some safety in the midst of friends or places that nurture my soul can be sustaining. It doesn’t always have to be intense. I can have some fun as a way to retreat.

I help my patients take little retreats during their time with me. I invite them to tell me about their lives and all the things that have influenced them through the years. They seem to appreciate it when I am willing to chat with them about things not directly related to their care. Giving them two minutes of undivided attention to listen to a story of a time when they felt deeply loved and cared for is good medicine.

I need moments of retreat during my days as well. That’s where all the work I’ve done to be respectful and honest with colleagues and build trust that is deep and time-tested comes into play. Through many small acts of care, the faith that has been nurtured with others sustains me. I’m accountable and keep clear boundaries. Others can place their confidence in me because they have learned they can trust me and they become a retreat for me.

Eternal Safety, help me to retreat into your care often to find the heart to maintain my belief that love will cure the ills of the world. Retreating often into the center of my being, fill me with a sense of peace that can sustain those to whom I bring healing. AMEN.

ACTION: Think about the ways you retreat into a safe place? Where do you go? Why do you go there? Plan a retreat today.

Calla Kessler

Nursing Heart is pleased to introduce you to Calla’s work. See more of her work at CallaKessler.com. We are excited to share her human connections with you. I would like to thank Calla for allowing us to share her great photos.

This series is called, “Safety.” Once again this month’s themes are inspired by a book entitled, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan and Switzler. In health care we all know how important communication is to protect those to whom we offer care.

Nursing Heart Friends,

One of the exciting developments at Nursing Heart in Guatemala is our ability to offer more direct and on-going service to the communities that our groups are visiting. Our hoped for vision that NHI would be more present is beginning to take shape.

For example, César, our Clinical Director, and Blanqui, our Pharmacist, visited the Puesto de Salud in Ciudad Vieja to meet with Dr. Mena and Ana González, the district manager. They worked on plans for how a Club for Diabéticos and Hipertensos in San Antonio Aguas Calientes might be developed. Dr. Mena and the district chief are willing to support us. But they want us to support them with strips, glucometers, and two manual sphygmomanometers with stethoscopes. They also need to develop a way to obtain medications when they do not have any in the San Antonio Aguas Calientes Health Center. One of Nursing Heart’s principles is never to distribute chronic medications without a plan for how those medications and diagnoses will be maintained after the medical group leaves. These are Guatemalans helping Guatemalans and we are happy to be supporting this work.

In two weeks, we will be launching a general campaign to you, our members, to help us sustain these efforts. We are making a special request for individuals to become monthly donors of $20 or $40 to help efforts like the above keep moving forward. We will not be able to do these things without your help. I hope I can count on your support.

Peace,