Ordinary Treasures

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.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Play, in all forms.
2. Desperately honest prayers.
3. ***
4. The wildflowers of the Hill country in spring- just stunning and gorgeous.
5. Beth Hawkins, and her love for pediatric chaplaincy and pediatric research.
6. Sara Fudge, and her creation and maintenance of the Bering children’s library.
7. Jun Teruya, and the ways he reflects joy in good food and connects with his patients at the hospital with genuineness and gentleness.
8. Healthy functioning knees.
9. Throwing great drives during disc golf today, and backing them up with good approaches.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Experiencing compassion from God and others.
2. Journeying with families here at TCH through their grief.
3. Opportunities to see patients and families coming back to the hospital for biopsies and check ups and seeing the kids growth and seeing joy and thriving in those families.
4. The Alleman family, and their gift of friendship and open hearted ness with their daughter Anais.
5. The Ramadan Iftar at TCH last night, with great leadership and beautiful faith of Mariam, Dalia, International Services, Med Staff committee, and the beautiful community that was reflected in it all.
6. Molly Garnett, and her wonderfully inviting personality and curiosity for the well being and comfort of others.
7. Matt Schlageter and Ann Heyward Baxter, two pediatric chaplains who showed me immense welcome and belonging at my first conference.
8. Bering Drive CofC’s bingo gathering this past Sunday!
9. Rainbows, in reality and all the art and photos that try to reflect them.
10. Empowering and watching children create, whether their own stories or play or art.
11. Amazing food from Fadis.
12. Dried banana and dried apples. Just good.

My daily gratitude for:

1. Gods gift of knowledge and furthering the extent of what we know, both in the human body and the universe.
2. ***
3. A good hike with Liz at Buescher State Park yesterday.
4. Our Heart center surgeons, including Dr Mackenzie, Dr Adachi, Dr Imamura, Dr Heinle, Dr Orr, among others.
5. Chaplain Mike Patrick, an institution himself in Abilene at Hendrick, who gave me opportunities and mentorship and gentleness always.
6. Physicians whose care includes their own faith and emotions.
7. Scott Lambert, and his leadership of Pepperdine campus ministry and his kindness and encouragement of me going to Japan.
8. ***
9. Constructing something myself and the feeling of pride associated with it.
10. The delight when wine and moment and food and weather all match well.
11. The steakhouse brown bread I make with some butter spread on it.

My daily gratitude for:

1. The sense of embrace offered from sacred things and places.
2. Seeing development and improvement in my soccer play.
3. Tim Sensings support and development of my public speaking.
4. Jamie Andre, a former APP at TCH in the Heart Center who led with her heart and kindness but also a true depth of intelligence and curiosity of others.
5. James Walrath, a good friend and great PT in pediatrics.
6. My ACU friends and colleagues, including Bryan, Jeremy, Jaime, Jaime, Heather, Laura, Ben, Will, David, Travis, Nick, Vadim, David T, among many others.
7. Great A Team colleagues, including Anna, Cale, Alec, and Tim.
8. Quality Indian food and the depth of flavors and spices.
9. Pepper flakes and hot sauce.
10. The geology of islands and mountains.
11. Dreaming.

My daily gratitude for:

1. The gift of life.
2. The moving power of storytelling, for others, and just as much for ourselves.
3. The quote from Khalil Gibran about joy and sorrow, and how they are connected.
4. MB, a patient who endured cancer three times but showed immense resilience, love for prayer, and joy in dance parties in his room.
5. Lauren Oshiro, a wonderful former PICU RN whose gentleness and joy were always so consistently a gift.
6. Alex Hsieh, a friend from Pepperdine who showed integrity and pursuit of understanding and with whom I shared a love of sports.
7. Frank Placencia, a NIcu doc, ethicist, and good dad and someone with whom I enjoy talking pt care and ethics.
8. ***
9. Getting Henri Nouwen meditations in Spanish to help my learning.
10. The sense of hearing.
11. Beautiful Texas sunsets.
12. Even numbers.