REFLECTION — Monday Motivational Meditation #379 — 2018-11-12

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves,
and not to twist them to fit our own image.
Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.

Thomas Merton, 1915-1968

American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist,
and scholar of comparative religion.

REFLECTION

When confronted by my own mortality, ill health or difficulty, I need time for reflection. Giving the situation some careful consideration without letting it consume me is necessary. There are options, there are ways of looking at things that need time to develop. Moving into the last weeks of the year, it seems a good time to sit back and do some processing.

The holidays are fast approaching, and though there will be some demands, I want to carve spaces for “being” time. The end of year days needs some reflection built into them. Being in a place that will provide some solace to consider all that has happened in the past year and the possibilities for the future, is a luxury worth seeking. Good reflection requires the right time and place.
I want to share some good spaces with those I love. Not just areas for fun and games but quiet time with them as well. And in those moments with others, I want to be a reflection of hope in life. I will work to keep a sparkle in my eye that others can lean on.

Divine Light, let your rays of love fall on me and encourage me to know the presence of goodness around me. Aware that there are contrary voices that can scare me, give me the courage to reflect upon the strength I bring to my healing work. May I be an invitation to peace. AMEN.

ACTION: Consider the plans already being pulled together for end of year activities. How might reflection time be made part of the planning? Where will you give yourself space and quiet just to be. Talk it through this week with your loved ones.

Fred was born in Montpellier in southern France and, since early childhood, has had a fascination with nature and wild places around the world. He was a jewelry maker in France for a few years and that too stemmed from his fascination with all beautiful things. But, tired of sitting at a bench, he finally heeded the call of the wilderness. Traveling to Australia he followed the light with nothing else than a recent gift, his first professional camera given by one of his uncle’s friends, and boundless dedication day after day. Then, life connected him with both researchers and amateurs that needed high-quality photos of tropical wildlife and plants. He has been fulfilling his dream in Guatemala since his arrival there in 2007 after spending five years as staff photographer at the botanical garden in Lyon, France.

Fred’s extraordinary photographs of Central American orchids flowering in nature have appeared in the annual calendars of the American Orchid Society as well as on several well-known webpages that showcase tropical nature, including David Scherberich’s amazing online aroid plant image base and Exotica Esoterica where he is a collaborating author.

You can see samples of Fred’s amazing photographic work here. Or, better yet, feel free to contact us to connect with Fred and schedule a custom-made tour through the fascinating ecosystems and Pre-Columbian archaeological sites of southern Mexico, Guatemala and other countries in Central America.

Nursing Heart is grateful to Fred for permitting the use of his photos in this series called, “Peace.”

Nursing Heart Friends,

This was a powerhouse of a group; yes, small, but as Dr. Dian said about them, “This group was all in!” They made an impact in the two communities they served. They were our first nurse practitioner group for the season from Florida Atlantic University led by our colleague, Dr. Rhonda Goodman, PhD.

The team visited San Bartolomé in San Martín Jilotepeque on Monday and Tuesday. This clinic was done in conjunction with our friends at Hombres y Mujeres en Acción. And, on Thursday and Friday, we initiated another in San Felipe de Jesús just outside of Antigua. Here are the stats:

General clinic: Totals: 315 patients in the general clinic.

Women’s clinic: Totals: 123 women. Totals: 4 cryos in the clinic.

Though we like to offer services as many people as we can, numbers are not everything. What I really liked is that these nurses took their time with the patient and the patients left feeling that they had been cared for very well.
Take a look at a video summary of their work.

Both of these clinics were new and because they were new, they took extra attention. We can’t just walk into a clinical site. We had to first develop working respectful relationships in both communities. Our ACE team worked hard to establish those partnerships. We now turn to putting the finishing touches for the December FAU BSN group.

We are also looking forward as we turn to 2019 to moving ahead with a new initiative that we will be doing with the Health Committee in Pacoxpón. We will be assisted by nursing students from the School of Nursing at Johns Hopkins. More on all of this soon. Immediately following, we will have a new NP group from the University of Missouri at St. Louis under the direction of Dr. Natalie Murphy.

Please follow our activities on Facebook, Instagram and at our website NursingHeart.org.

Peace,

As I reflect on my week in Guatemala,
I see the lasting impact that it will have on my nursing practice.
I have experienced the ability to connect with people of vastly different cultures and different languages
through a smile, a listening ear,
an open heart and
the power of human touch.

Heather Ruppel, RN
Worked as ICU Nurse
Family Nurse Practitioner Student
Florida Atlantic University