Just try new things. Don’t be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar, all right?
Michelle Obama
SOAR Learning how to soar above the problems that beset my life and the lives of others require some effort. I want to take the steps I need in order to keep things in perspective. Sometimes this will mean I have to fly above the problems. Like a bird that can move to pinnacles above the dusty streets, I want to learn to fly above the concerns to places where I can give myself the space to let the answers come. Helping those I care for to soar above the difficulties they are encountering is not an easy task. First, I have to care about them and get to know them. Finding the way to assist them to take flight above their anxieties can be tricky. I know I have to be realistic yet, as their care provider, I also know sometimes I’ll have to help them find some peace and interior calm that can only be found above the health issue. Gliding through the heights like an airplane, I can get above the clouds for a while. It’s beautiful to see the sun when things are dark and cloudy below. Soaring above the clouds is temporary but sometimes it provides just enough time to get my bearings again. It’s good to get a reprieve from the intensity of life every now and then for my patients and for me personally. Heights of the Heavens, help me to soar toward your light. Lift those I care for and myself above the darkness that can fill the stories of life. Show me the lofty mountains where I can hover in peace and find the strength to continue healing the world. AMEN. ACTION: How do you soar above daily challenges and keep your perspective on things? Where do you find hope? Take flight sometime during this week. Plan an escape!
Dale and Rich with a new addition in their family, great-niece Berkeley!
About the Photographer Dale Swartos is a Senior Speech and Language Pathologist at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore. Recently, Dale earned Certified Neonatal Therapist status. He and his husband, Rich, are busy with their extended family and working at their new home in Baltimore. Rich has just finished his tenure on the Board of Nursing Heart. Dale writes, “I’ve noticed that a lot of photos I’ve taken lately are of doors, widows, stairs. I find myself curious about what is behind that door, where does that stair lead, who may be inside that window? It’s not unlike the questions Rich and I ask each other as we get older; ‘What’s around the next corner, what’s the next adventure?'” It also seems an appropriate time for Nursing Heart to ask these questions especially in light of the transition we are entering. One step at a time is a good philosophy. We will see what’s waiting at the top of these “Steps” which is the name of this series as we start the New Year. THIS WEEK’S PHOTO: Sutone Pyae Monastery in Mandalay, Myanmar.
NP Students and Faculty from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the NHI/ACE team at the clinic site at the base of Fuego Volcano in Alotenango.
Nursing Heart Friends, We welcomed into our hearts for the first time this week a cordial group of talented nurse practitioner students from theUniversity of Missouri-St Louis. They were led by their professors, Dr. Natalie Murphy and Dr. Lisa Merritt. They brought their expertise and care to the communities of El Quimal La Joya in the municipality of San Martín Jilotepeque and Alotenango, a 25-minute drive from Antigua. They offered with our team a cervical cancer screening clinic and a primary care clinic offering screens and consults to over 550 members of these communities. The official report from our Clinical Director César is: Totals in general clinics: 403 Patients. Totals in women’s clinics: 148 Patients. These underserved communities provided warm hospitality, beautiful smiles and words of gratitude all week. It became a very moving experience for all of us involved in the clinical care. We worked under the licenses of Guatemalan doctors: Dra. Patricia Castro de Baiza, Dra. Alexa Gonzalez and Dra. Astrid Victoria Godinez Bravo. We are grateful for their guidance and support. The cervical cancer screenings alone saved the members of these communities more than $2000. We inducted these NP students into our alumni enrolling them in our Nursing Heart family and invited them to become part of our team by becoming monthly donors to our work. You can too! Just go to our website,NursingHeart.org/donate. These nurse practitioners deserve our support as they bring the tremendous gift of healing to many. Now we turn our sights to preparing for a building project withHombres y Mujeres en Acciónin the San Martín community of Chigonzales in the week of January 25th. This will also be the week of our annual NHI Board meeting in Guatemala. Peace,
This was the stage for the community farewell in Alotenango!
Quote of the Week “When I teach my patients how to take control of their reproductive health, I empower them to soar.” Gina Hand-Eoloff, BSN, RN DNP Student University of Missouri St. Louis, Missouri
