My daily gratitude for:

1. Longing and yearning for Gods goodness around me and in those I meet at the hospital.
2. Simplicity and its sacredness and call.
3. Liz’s return today.
4. Shooting one of my best disc golf rounds ever today, regardless of course, and seeing growth across my game today. Really fun!
5. Mandey Zúñiga, a wonderfully energetic and bubbly and engaging PICU RN. Happy birthday Mandey!
6. My parents enjoying their trip and having time to recover and connect.
7. My APC Certification Committee members- Jeanne, Sabine, and Jon, and their welcoming gentle engagement.
8. Ryan sharing about his favorite TV shows and games. They are simple and trivial, but they tell me so much about his mind and soul and desires.
9. The enneagram as a tool for growth and not just identification.
10. The joy of exploring new wines.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Tim Burdett, a good friend and a good father and someone whose faith and friendship has meant a lot over the last 20 years.
2. Paulette Hofstetter, a phenomenal CICU RN whose laughter, encouragement, affirmation, and broad skill set are second to none and help her be a glue and rock for the CICU.
3. Kim Najito, my favorite SW who has been one of the best friends I have had at Texas Childrens. Happy birthday Kim!
4. Paul and Maria’s ability to come help me with the dogs during my long days at work while Liz is out of town.
5. The new podcast I listened to call Legacy of Speed from Malcolm Gladwell. Really intriguing.
6. The health of my family.
7. The rosebushes that have bloomed in our backyard and the wisdom from Paul and Maria that helped me get them blooming.
8. The smell of fresh herbs.
9. A good rye bread.

My daily gratitude for:

1. The spiritual practice of tending to a garden and herbs and the reflection on life it offers me.
2. Facilitating a wonderful video visit with parents and their twins today!
3. Sarah Montgomery, a fantastic colleague and wise and gentle chaplain.
4. Daniel Marolf, a friend who lives so genuinely and in principle to his faith and love for God. Happy birthday Daniel!
5. Jordan Grimes, an excellent former CICU RN who always was a great friend, a good listener, and an avid nurse. Happy birthday Jordan!
6. Texas Childrens getting to number 2 in the rankings this week! I love working here!
7. Beatrice Chestnuts books and wisdom about the Enneagram.
8. Quiet and calm.

My daily gratitude for:

1. My dad, John, whose consistent love, appreciation for jokes and laughter and levity, and whose strength of service and kindness and work ethic are second to none. Happy birthday Dad!
2. Grief tears. They are sacred and special in so many ways.
3. Karen Geiger Behm, a phenomenal pediatric chaplain whose personality is bold and inviting, centered and collected, and full of energy for good. Happy birthday Karen!
4. Building a tinker crate with Ryan and making an automaton! I love the opportunity to teach him engineering and science and watch his pride and learning.
5. Playing soccer with Ryan, and building his skills and confidence.
6. Liz’s love for exploring and trying new places.
7. Having friends in many places.
8. Cold refreshing water.
9. A really good margarita.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Gods peace, so needed in this world and all around.
2. Our fun evening as a family watching Dynamo soccer.
3. Ryan and Alex’s lasting friendship and their many shared interests like soccer, swimming, Pokémon, beyblades, and donuts!
4. Liz’s opportunity to participate in a fantastic continuing ed this summer.
5. Ryan coming with me to soccer and being so interested. It opens up Sunday mornings in the future.
6. Heather Gorman, a theologian, minister, and woman of God whose love for Jamey and brilliant mind and down to earth personality make her quite special. Happy birthday Heather!
7. Alvina Odu’s whose energy and playfulness have an appreciated place in Liz and I’d story. Happy birthday Alvina!
8. Forming good relationships through my soccer friends.
9. Our utility folks that take our neighborhood and home- workers who help provide and measure our electricity and water and trash and mail and more.
10. The summer breeze and a hot summer day.
11. The relief of leg stretches.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Sunshine and the growth it brings.
2. My Mom feeling a bit better.
3. Devin Costa, a CICU RN who handled the chaos of yesterday and the ups and downs and challenging case with integrity and grit.
4. Helping Ryan to make cake donuts with strawberry glaze. He enjoyed them and loved the experience.
5. Crafting some wine corks trivets with Ryan this morning.
6. The Houston Dynamo improvement in play this season to this point.
7. Bougainvilleas- they are just beautiful.
8. The Rose wines from Lost Draw Cellars. They know how to make beautiful rose from the Texas grapes.
9. Lazy mornings.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Having a job and having a family.
2. Family group hugs.
3. Leading a memorial service that was helpful and meaningful to our IS group yesterday and being affirmed for the way I facilitated that discussion.
4. Earning the respect of physicians here at TCH.
5. Sarah Coppin, a fantastic nurse who has reflected gentle spirit and hard nosed work ethic in her PICU care. Happy birthday Sarah!
6. Dr Hari Tonunguntla, a wonderful Heart Failure doc who leads conversations and Care with impeccable skill, acumen, and pace, while carrying every interaction with a deeply engaging compassion.
7. The way my body (as an Ennegrsm 9) alerts me to anxiety and fear. It helps me to address things, even though I can be slow in doing so.
8. Any prayers and reflections of John O Donohue.
9. The mystery and wonder of the heart, it’s rhythms, it’s statistics, it’s flows, it’s valves, and it’s strength.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Feeling breath and heartbeats.
2. Pursuing Gods justice with access to health and nutrition and safety for children and families in the US and the world.
3. Matt Wisniewski, a CICU NP who brings levity, understanding, medical curiosity, and a passion for good quality care. Happy birthday Matt!
4. Ryan’s love of his summer camp.
5. Providing grief support to staff groups at TCH, and being a vessel of Gods comfort and light to them.
6. Alexis Johnson, Gabby Kraynik, Lauren McCoy, and Teresa Sandlin, Morgan Sullivan, and Ashley Hendrick, 6 awesome PICU CLS’s i got the opportunity to work with during my time here.
7. The kombucha trips I used to take with Mike Bell, whose wisdom in using that time during bible class or after church, during my immediate grief, made all the difference for me.
8. The organization Living Water and the wells they bring to desperate communities.
9. My comfy tennis shoes that I use for work and play that help me feel good on my feet.
10. Our coming vacation to Playa del Carmen.
11. Craisins, as a snack and in chicken salad!

My daily gratitude for:

1. Hope. Beginning again.
2. Catching my mom and dad for a video call last night. It was good to see them with my mom not feeling well lately.
3. Sharing love of wine with my partner Liz.
4. Ryan’s joy with his growth in height over the school year (2” and change), his growth in reading, and his pride in himself through the last year.
5. The Grand Tour show in Mongolia that we watched last night, which stunned us with amazing scenery, great storytelling, and fantastic humor.
6. Norma Salinas, a fun family advocate I have had the joy of working with over the years.
7. My fellow students and travelers during the Pepperdine Florence study abroad program, who made that year spectacular and fun and the experience I needed.
8. All the windows and views I get around the TCH Legacy Tower.
9. Feeling a good stretch in legs.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Gods gift of longings and yearnings.
2. Ryan’s completion of a great year of 1st grade, and all of those who helped him have a great year- Liz’s help with homework and scheduling, Elanas support, his grandparents encouragement, the school teachers and staff…
3. Cale Ownby, an awesome friend and fellow enneagram 9. He is a pursuer of Gods heart, a practicioner of giving great attention to those in front of him, and a really fun guy. I long to learn from him. Happy birthday Cale!
4. Laura Boehm and Lauren Salinas, nurse managers who are so present, engaging, protective of their team, advocates, and extremely knowledgeable.
5. Will Seward, a friend with my neighborhood soccer who has been a good guide and teacher for soccer and a man of principle and commitment to others as a husband, friend, and teacher.
6. Grant Matsushita, a friend from Pepperdine whose love for sharing Jesus helped me long to see with Gods eyes.
7. The simple wonder of tasting a wine after some initial tastes and seeing it change as it opens up through air.
8. Peppers. Love them.