Ordinary Treasures

My daily gratitude for:

1. Seeing kids in the hospital feel comfortable.
2. Parents of kids in the hospital who cope with humor.
3. Our ACHD nurses and the ways they work with ease and smiles and calm.
4. Gustavo Urbina, a truly wonderful interpreter whose interactions and positivity and engagement are a true gift to the Heart Center.
5. Michael Breeden and Jenn Carrizales, and the hilarity they create as bedside nurse partners.
6. The sunshine after 4 days of wind and clouds.

My daily gratitude for:

1. God as felt in gentle, simple, soft, subtle, and quiet moments.
2. Relief that comes with good news of health.
3. Sarah Montgomery, and her calm as a chaplain and life as a mother now.
4. Ashish Ankola and Dalia Bashir, two attendings in the heart center who have led well and with insightfulness and strength this week.
5. All the Maddie nurses in the Heart Center and the ways they bring blessing, healing, and community.
6. Ms Walter’s response for Ryan’s ups and downs this week, full of kindness and nurture.
7. The feeling of wind and movement of air across my face.
8. Walking to and from elementary as a kid- we lived close enough!
9. Having goals to set up in our street and at practice.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Inner peace.
2. The beautiful truths that nature preaches and reveals, truths of death and rebirth and beauty and sustainability and awe and cycles etc.
3. Dr Danny Gil, one of the best physicians I know because of his fearlessness, honesty, transparency, compassionate conversations, appreciation for stories, and approachability even with great intelligence.
4. Debbie Elizondo, one of our night chaplains who I always feel cares deeply for me and my family.
5. ***
6. Ryans love for his grandparents and family.
7. Aiden growing up and now driving lol. It’s cool to consider how he has become a young man.
8. David and Nugget Skates as a ministering couple and nurturing friends.
9. Having a window at my desk.
10. The opportunity to have attended college at Pepperdine and all that came with it.
11. When blue sky peeks through on cloudy days, even for moments.
12. Unique wines made from very small production unique grapes. Always cool finds.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Having a quiet place of solitude regularly, which is where Nouwen teaches we find value in being and not doing.
2. Merry, Josh, and Tim- some of our wonderful neighbors.
3. Megan Austin, Danielle Kimbrough, Jane Yun, and Shelby- all PT and OT’s who were quite attentive and supportive for the families we served today.
4. Teaching honesty by being honest and authentic.
5. Providing shadowing and spirituality exploration with 3 residents, Brock, Mariana, and Bella, and helping them to deepen their medical practice and care.
6. The green leaves on our Houston trees.
7. The Hot Bastard burger at Rodeo Goat! Delightfully and fiery spicy!
8. The Leicester City win on Tuesday which was a joy to watch and gets us very close to promotion.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Bering Drives announcement and desire to live as fully affirming of our LGBTQ friends, as images of God in this world as everyone else.
2. Paul Riddles faithful participation and being the voice in Berings announcement.
3. Autumn Hendon, a fantastic peds and women’s services chaplain.
4. Anna, Tim, Alec, and Cale as A team colleagues who message and think compassionately.
5. Those serving the homeless population and finding ways to not just house them well but help them live and find them good resources.
6. ***
7. The Houston Food Bank.
8. Lightheartedness.
9. The power of transparency.
10. My arteries and veins.
11. Good fitting soccer cleats.

My daily gratitude for:

1. The sacred felt through natures mystery and depth.
2. The health and work of my liver and kidneys.
3. Lindsay Bona, one of my favorite pediatric chaplains and colleagues and friends.
4. Sarah Bostick, a former PIcU RN whose honesty and reflectiveness were a gift supporting her respect as a skilled nurse.
5. Stephanie Burbage, a pediatric RN who advocates and speaks truth always.
6. Steve and Chelsie Sargents love for Gods people and beautiful relationship together.
7. ***
8. Having a stable housing situation.
9. Fiery spice in food.
10. The breath before an important disc golf throw.

My daily gratitude:

1. The concept of faith as trust that we are loved by God versus faith as hope in something future.
2. Reflections, in water or mirrors or other people.
3. ***
4. The EC physicians I know and with whom I have earned rapport and professional respect.
5. The opportunity to attend a patients funeral this week and celebrate her life.
6. The affirmation that is given when people are allowed to be themselves and claim their identities.
7. Ryans teachers work in making the STAAR test approachable and less stressful for the class.
8. ***
9. Joe Stabile, a pastor and part of the Enneagram Journey podcast whom I have greatly respected for his wisdom and ministry and love for Gods people.
10. A beautiful layered white wine.

My daily gratitude for:

1. The experience of friendship. Truly sacred.
2. Boundaries well understood and well expressed.
3. Tuba Alpat, a colleague TCH chaplain whose heart is so beautiful and her compassion and spirituality so deep.
4. Sharing in the Ramadan Iftar at the Turkish Community Center, and the participation in the call to prayer and prayers. What a gift!
5. Sharing laughter and out of hospital experiences with my colleagues.
6. Being a soother of grief for Heart Center staff when we lose a child.
7. The taste of fresh fruit and veggies.
8. Playing soccer.
9. The science and beauty of blood.
10. Margaritas.
11. Unique white wines.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Forgiveness, for myself from others and giving it to others. Perhaps the greatest of all Easter traditions.
2. My wife Liz and her love and care for others.
3. Easter traditions, like family gathering and Easter egg hunts with kids and church services with bright colors and he is risens!
4. Having guests at our holiday gatherings and practicing hospitality.
5. The privilege of functioning legs and knees and tendons and muscles so that I can move.
6. Doctor’s Day and working with some of the best in our PICU and CICU
7. ***
8. A dynamo win this weekend with a great comeback..
9. ***
10. Ryans creativity and wondering.
11. Chili lime peanuts or pistachios.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Humor in critical moments.
2. Disconnecting from the world for moments of meditation or true connection with others.
3. Having family living so close.
4. Rusty Pipes, and his friendship over years and commitment to faith and family above all else.
5. Sharing in a work environment full of diversity of cultures and religions, and how that can become a beautiful mix of support of each other and celebration of the other.
6. Journalists that are telling the stories of the marginalized, poor, disenfranchised, helpless, diminished, and vulnerable in the world rather than the stories of those in power or relative comfort.