It's been a while since I've posted on this blog. Coincidentally the last post was also on Easter Sunday in 2017. This weekend I have been watching the general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Many of the talks referred to the current global pandemic we are all experiencing. Some of the speakers shared stories and a few pictures of those that had lost their lives to this pandemic virus. Seeing these pictures put a face to this tragedy and took me back to my time in New York in April 2020. 

For those of you that don't know, I am an anesthesiologist and volunteered to go to New York and work in the Mount Sinai hospital system. For about a month I worked in a Covid ICU with the sickest of the covid victims who were, for the most part, on ventilators. At that time, globally, approximately 89% of patients with covid pneumonia on ventilators died and our team experienced similar mortality rates. What made this worse is that for most of the month families were not allowed to come into the hospital to be with or say goodbye to their loved ones. It was heartbreaking to watch this human tragedy unfold. I wept with family members as they mourned the loss of their loved ones and said goodbye using technology. The anguish I witnessed broke my heart. This was a life changing experience for me.

As I watched the conference this weekend and saw the pictures of those that had died not only did it take me back to my time in New York but it put a new face on the devastation caused by this pandemic. Many of the speakers testified of the truth that through the Atonement of Christ we will all be resurrected. 

Resurrection means that after we die the time will come when our perfected bodies and our spirits will be reunited never to die again. 

The speakers taught that these people that had died from covid will some-day live again and their loved ones will see them again. This ultimate hope comes because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Because He lives (the real reason we celebrate Easter) we will all live again after we die. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the basis for our hope. 

As I listened an idea came into my mind: What if there was a place online where we could post pictures of those that have died due to Covid – to put a face on this pandemic and to remind us that we will see these loved ones again. It’s one thing to hear the number of lives lost on the news, (still nearly 1,000 individuals/ day in the USA; 554,000 in the USA and 2,850,000 world-wide to date) it’s another thing to see the faces of those who didn’t survive. This human tragedy described above doesn’t include all those who have lived but have been severely disabled and who will never regain their former strength and health, not to mention all those that morn and suffer in the wake of this tragedy. 

I struggle with this technology and want to get ideas regarding the best way to go about this and to get the word out encouraging people as part of their grieving process to send a picture of their loved ones who died as a result of the Covid pandemic. This is an ambitious project, and I realize that we will not be able to obtain a picture of every person that has died of Covid but I think putting faces to one of the most significant events in our lifetimes would be valuable for our posterity. Perhaps this has already been done, if so please direct me to the location of that site or blog. I thought perhaps that I could just post a weekly post with all the pictures received that week. Interested in your ideas. 

You can reach me at mrandrews2007@gmail.com with any suggestions. 

Happy Easter!

PS:

I also found this collection of quotes and pictures very inspiring. It’s called: 

The Savior’s Invitation: A Collection of Insights from Modern Apostles and Ancient Scripture.

Here is the link to it:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/ldsorg/content/pdf/comeuntochrist/Saviors-Invitation-booklet-eng.pdf

I also loved this video about Easter. 

https://youtu.be/gf_Diac7Mb8 

If the link doesn’t play from here just copy and paste it into your browser. You’ll like it.

Have a great Easter.

Hope Springs Eternal

My first statement on this blog was:

“The purpose of this blog is to help bring peace and hope into the lives of those who may be suffering emotionally and/or physically, to those who are feeling alone or neglected, and to those who are looking for greater meaning in life.”

I have tried to hold true to this purpose, trying to not push my deeply held Christian religious beliefs on readers. But, I believe in Jesus Christ, He is the source of my HOPE. I know that He is my redeemer, and without Him there is no true HOPE. Without Him there is no lasting personal peace. Without Him death wins. Without Christ there is no one to calm our troubled hearts. Truly Jesus Christ is THE source of our HOPE.  It is impossible for me to continue this blog without testifying of these things.

Today we celebrate Easter, a day we commemorate Christ’s victory over death and sin. He is the living Son of the living God. Because He was resurrected and lives, so will I; so will you. Through Jesus’ suffering in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary, I know that you and I can be cleansed of our sins.

For, “ Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

That joy referred to by the psalmist is made possible through Jesus Christ. 

As you may have noticed, it’s been a long time since I posted on this blog, the 29^th of March 2015 to be exact. The following month my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She suffered intense pain for the next six months, until she died in early November. I know better now what it means to suffer. But I also know what it means to be comforted. In this post I would like to share a few of the thoughts I shared at my Mother’s funeral:

“When I first heard early Sunday morning that Mom had died, my first thoughts were; we lost the fight, it's over, we are not going to get that miracle that we've been praying for. But as quickly as those thoughts came and went, the spirit seemed to speak comfort to my heart saying NO! NOT SO! This is not the end, this is a new beginning, the victory was won in a garden and on a hill nearly 2000 years ago, and through Christ has come the greatest of all miracles…

In the meridian of time, the Savior Jesus Christ was born as a helpless babe, in humble circumstances. “He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2: 52) He walked the dusty roads of Palestine. He taught His gospel in His perfect way. He set the perfect example and lived a perfect life. He healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, and raised the dead; gave sight to the blind, and made the deaf to hear. But the greatest miracle of all is what He did for you and me in a garden and on a hill.

When we sin, we become unclean, we are not worthy to return and live with Heavenly Father in His Kingdom. In order to be cleansed from our sins a price must be paid, a price that we are incapable of paying. Because Christ is the literal Son of God and lived a life without sin, He possessed the ability to pay the price for our sins, and willingly did so because He loves our Heavenly Father and He loves us... In a way incomprehensible to us, the Son of God “was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed.”  (Isaiah 53: 5)

In a garden called Gethsemane the Son of God suffered for us, which suffering caused Him to bleed from every pore. On a hill called Calvary He voluntarily died for us. Not only did he pay the price of our sins, but He suffered pains, afflictions, temptations, and infirmities of every kind, “that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.” (Alma 7: 11-12)

As David A Bednar, a modern day Apostle expressed; “The Savior has suffered not just for our sins and iniquities—but also for our physical pains and anguish, our weaknesses and shortcomings, our fears and frustrations, our disappointments and discouragement, our regrets and remorse, our despair and desperation, the injustices and inequities we experience, and the emotional distresses that beset us.  There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, “No one knows what it is like. No one understands.” But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only upon our own power. Indeed, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.”

Three days after Christ voluntarily gave up His life, on that first Easter morning, He rose from the dead, a resurrected being. He conquered death, making the resurrection possible for all mankind. As Paul expressed “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor. 15: 54-55)  The greatest miracle wrought by Jesus Christ the Son of God is His rescue of each of us from the grip of death; both physical death and spiritual death.

In the scriptures we learn that the resurrection is the reuniting of the spirit and the body again in its perfect form; both limb and joint, … even there shall not so much as a hair of [our] heads shall be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame… Furthermore, we are taught that this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; (Alma 11: 43-44) The resurrection is a free gift to all. As the apostle Paul taught; “For as in Adam all die, in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22) …

I find great comfort as I read the promise made by John in the book of Revelations; “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Revelations 7:17)

Have faith and remember the victory has already been won; in a garden and on a hill.  “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. These things I… [speak] unto you, that in Christ ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; Christ has overcome the world. (John 14:27; 15:33)”

I know that I will see my Mother again. 

The source of this HOPE is Jesus Christ, made possible by His sacrifice nearly 2000 years ago. He can be the source of your HOPE too.

Truly, HOPE springs eternal through Jesus Christ, the living Son of the living God.

HAPPY EASTER!

For a great Easter video go to this link: #Prince of Peace

Being Kind!

As I mentioned in my post from last week I really loved the new movie version of Cinderella. Again the quote that caught my attention was this – “I want to tell you a secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer - have courage and be kind!”  I thought the movie illustrated these two attributes well. My post last week was about Courage and this post is about Kindness.

Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Synonyms for kindness include compassion, gentleness, benevolence, thoughtfulness, consideration, and helpfulness. These words don’t describe something that requires a herculean effort does it? But it is easier to say and harder to put into consistent practice.

Our happiness, peace and HOPE are inextricably related to the quality of our relationships, most especially our family relationships. Researchers Dave and Cindy Settle Sandberg have found five strategies that help families thrive; they are kindness, forgiveness, commitment, self-sacrifice, and avoidance of relational aggression.  (see Strategies For Sacred Living, BYU Magazine, Summer 2011)  I hope to focus future blogs on the other four strategies in future blog posts. On kindness, the researchers commented: “being kind is a choice we make to interpret others’ motives in a benevolent way. If one spouse breaks a dish, for example, the other spouse has options about how to explain that event: “She’s so careless” or “She must be tired; maybe I can help.”… Behaving kindly shows that we think others are valuable. Unkindness usually reflects an idea that we think others are stupid, careless, annoying, or unimportant. It’s important to make a distinction between being “nice,” which covers for unkind feelings, and being kind, which comes from a deeper place. Kindness requires much more of a transformed heart…”

Our words can be the weapons that inflict deep wounds or the salve that soothes them. Why is it that those we love are often the target of our unkind words? There are many answers to this question but in general we are unkind because it’s easier.  Energy flows in the path of least resistance. Water follows the path of least resistance by flowing down hill. People, like water, often follow the path of least resistance – meaning that often our first inclination is to do that which is easiest. It is easy to find fault, to be critical, and to be negative. It is easy to be silent when our words could soothe, or do nothing when our acts could lift another.

What can we do to be more kind?  How can we change our inclinations?  A few ideas come to mind:

Listen! Strive to follow the 90/10 rule. Listen 90% of the time and talk 10% of the time.  “Learn to listen and listen to learn.”   “Listening is not a passive activity. To actively listen to another person requires willpower, concentration, and great mental effort. Its rewards are many, because only then do we really learn to understand…” (Thomas S Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

Be quick to observe and to give praise!  Open your eyes, there are people suffering all around us. Getting involved in your neighborhood and community will help you see that there are people all around you starving for a little kindness to be shown them. Dale Carnegie, a well-known American author and lecturer, believed that “each person has within himself or herself the power to increase the sum total of [the] world’s happiness … by giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged… Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.” 

Give others the benefit of the doubt! Don’t judge others harshly! “You can find good in everyone if you will but look for it.” (George Albert Smith) I love the story told by the late Stephen R Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People about judging others. In his own words:

“I remember a mini-Paradigm Shift I experienced one Sunday morning on a subway in New York. People were sitting quietly -- some reading newspapers, some lost in thought, some resting with their eyes closed. It was a calm, peaceful scene. Then suddenly, a man and his children entered the subway car. The children were so loud and rambunctious that instantly the whole climate changed.

The man sat down next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to the situation. The children were yelling back and forth, throwing things, even grabbing people's papers. It was very disturbing. And yet, the man sitting next to me did nothing.

It was difficult not to feel irritated. I could not believe that he could be so insensitive to let his children run wild like that and do nothing about it, taking no responsibility at all. It was easy to see that everyone else on the subway felt irritated, too. So finally, with what I felt was unusual patience and restraint, I turned to him and said, “Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn't control them a little more?”

The man lifted his gaze as if to come to a consciousness of the situation for the first time and said softly, “Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either.”

Can you imagine what I felt at that moment? My paradigm shifted. Suddenly I saw things differently, I felt differently, I behaved differently. My irritation vanished. I didn't have to worry about controlling my attitude or my behavior; my heart was filled with the man's pain. Feelings of sympathy and compassion flowed freely. “Your wife just died? Oh, I'm so sorry. Can you tell me about it? What can I do to help?” Everything changed in an instant.

A wise man once said, “When you meet someone assume that they are in serious trouble and you will be right more than half the time.” We don’t know what’s going on inside others lives – let’s be quick to give them the benefit of the doubt – and don’t judge them harshly!

And finally, in as much as our words can be turned into weapons of unkindness, before you speak ask yourself these three questions:

Is it true?

Is it kind?

Is it necessary?

These suggestions are not exhaustive and I am sure that many of you have great suggestions to help us be more kind.  I’m very interested to add them to the blog so feel free to comment.

“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1)  What goes around comes around. I firmly believe that as we are kind to others, we will receive more kindness in return.  Out of this wellspring of kindness will blossom increased HOPE!

Till next time, keep your head up! 

Got Courage?

I am back after a week hiatus for spring break.  While on spring break I went to see the new Cinderella movie with my family.  I have to admit that the story of Cinderella is one of my favorites and I never tire of the new versions that are released from time to time. Some I enjoy more than others … but this one I really enjoyed a lot because it emphasized two timeless principles that I would like to make the focus of my next two blog posts.  The line from the movie that caught my attention was this – “I want to tell you a secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer - have courage and be kind!”  I think these two attributes will bring HOPE into our lives if practiced faithfully and consistently. I will talk about courage in this post and about kindness in my post next week.

The word Courage comes from the latin word cor meaning the heart and is defined as the ability to do something that frightens one or strength in the face of pain or grief. A Middle English definition denotes the heart as the seat or source of this ability or strength.

Often we think of Courage as an attribute of soldiers and others that put themselves in harms way or risk their lives to help or protect others. The men and women in the military, law enforcement, and other public service professions including members of fire departments etc. are very courageous and do provide a very honorable and valuable service to our communities and each of us – for this they deserve our loyalty and admiration.

But there are others who manifest what I call quite courage.  These are they who without fanfare face ravaging disease or devote a significant time to care for a loved one with health challenges or a terminal illness. Quite courage is manifested by others that go beyond the call of duty to minister to the needs of others; that put service to others above comfort of self.  For these individuals – courage is a way of life not a trite platitude. "Scottish poet and novelist Robert Louis Stevenson declared, “Everyday courage has few witnesses. But yours is no less noble because no drum beats for you and no crowds shout your name.”  “Courage … is … not only … a willingness to die manfully but also … the determination to live decently.” (Thomas S Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

“Courage comes in many forms. Wrote the Christian author Charles Swindoll: “Courage is not limited to the battlefield … or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are inner tests, like remaining faithful when no one’s looking, … like standing alone when you’re misunderstood.” I would add that this inner courage also includes doing the right thing even though we may be afraid, defending our beliefs at the risk of being ridiculed, and maintaining those beliefs even when threatened with a loss of friends or of social status. He who stands steadfastly for that which is right must risk becoming at times disapproved and unpopular.” (Thomas S Monson)

President Ronald Reagan affirmed; “There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.”

There are many that live quite; moral lives that do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason even, (and especially) when it’s inconvenient or awkward.  Quite courage sometimes means doing hard or unpleasant tasks and often requires that we act. Dale Carnegie opined; “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Courage sometimes requires, as Winston Churchill taught, that we stand up and speak and at other times mandates that we sit down and listen.

Lynn G Robbins wisely taught, “While it certainly takes courage to face perils, the true badge of courage is overcoming the fear of men. For example, Daniel’s prayers helped him face lions, but what made him lionhearted was defying King Darius (see Daniel 6). That kind of courage is a gift of the Spirit to the God-fearing who have said their prayers. Queen Esther’s prayers also gave her that same courage to confront her husband, King Ahasuerus, knowing that she risked her life in doing so (see Esther 4:8–16).”

Click on this link and watch this short meaningful video about Ester and three modern women who faced adversity with courage!

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-03-004-courage?lang=eng

It is easy to become discouraged when faced with trials and adversity but, “discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage.” (Neal A Maxwell)  When we face the challenges of life with courage rather than fear we are able to boldly go forward with renewed hope and faith. Therefore, “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)

Till next time, keep your head up!

Faith, Failure, and Lifting Others

I was pretty timid as a young medical student doing a six-week obstetrics clerkship. In order to get opportunities to deliver babies I had to compete with other students, interns and residents.  I was worried about doing things wrong – I was full of fear, which caused me to miss out on several opportunities to deliver babies. In short I wasn’t doing well and it showed. One of my professors, Dr. James Maciulla, sat down with me in private and we talked things over for a long time.  This little heart to heart altered my academic path and trajectory. Dr Maciulla taught me that we learn by doing, and that it’s ok to fail, that failure is part of the learning process. He promised me that if I would plow forward and try hard that my self-confidence would increase, and it did.

I learned a few things from this experience:

First:

Fear is paralyzing! Living a productive life requires that we ACT! We learn by doing! We must be doers not just dreamers. In a collection of poems Rabindranath Tagore exclaimed, “The song that I came to sing remains unsung to this day. I have spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my instrument.”  Many die with their proverbial music still in them because they were either too afraid to act or too lazy to try.  For me, I was watching valuable opportunities, (once in a lifetime opportunities as it turned out); pass me by because I was paralyzed by fear. I overcame this by forcing myself to act, as painful as it was. 

The antidote for fear is faith. Faith and fear cannot exist in the same person at the same time; one will cast out the other. In order for faith to have power in our lives we must have more than faith in ourselves, we must have faith in God.  Faith that He exists, faith that He loves us, faith that He has all power and that “he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)  As we seek, we will surely find, then we will be able to exclaim as did the apostle Paul to the Philippians; “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  (Philippians 4:13)  Faith in God leads us to the well of self worth, self respect and self confidence.

Second:

Failure is part of learning. Success is not in never stumbling but in getting up every time you fall. I saw this acted out recently at my son’s high school track meet. The girls were running the hurdles. Long after the fastest runners crossed the finish line, our eyes were riveted on a young runner who tripped over every hurdle near the end of the course. Each time she fell it took longer for her to get up.  At one point her fall looked so painful that I wondered if she would get up and finish the race. To her credit she did. As she crossed the finish line the crowd applauded, to me she had won the race.

Kevin J Worthen, president of Brigham Young University taught, “We should not be so fearful of failing that we avoid trying new and hard things… how we respond when we fail will ultimately determine how well we will succeed… Finally, we can be assured that however we have failed, it can, from an eternal perspective, be changed…. Because of the Atonement, all failures are changeable and temporary, except the one that occurs when we give up. So whatever you do, don’t you dare give up.”

Third:

One person can make a difference. At that time in my life so many years ago, Dr. Maciulla made a lasting difference in my life. He took time out of his busy day to help me, and I have never been the same. We can make time in our lives to serve others.

One of my favorite stories in all sports occurred at Olympic Park, in Melbourne, Australia on March 11 1956, during the Australian mile championship. “While running the 1500 meters a runner named Ron Clarke crashed down after clipping another competitor’s heel, John Landy, who was very close behind, leaped desperately to clear his body. He didn’t quite manage that, his spikes landing on the inside of Clarke’s arm.  Landy pulled up, and with other runners streaming past him, took the time to trot back to Clarke – who was still on the ground – and check how badly hurt he was. And yes, he also apologized.

           

Assured that the injury wasn’t too serious, Landy looked up, then did something that astonished most of the 22,000 spectators. With Clarke on his feet now, and urging him on, he began to chase a field of runners that had gone a long way past him.

He had about a lap and a half to go. And amazingly, he won the race. His act of chivalry had cost him perhaps up to seven seconds, and there is no doubt he sacrificed the chance of a world record. John Landy did not just win a championship that day. He took a footrace into folklore.

His was a classic sporting gesture. It was a senseless piece of chivalry --- but it will be remembered as one of the finest actions in the history of sport. In a nutshell, he sacrificed his chance of a world record to go to the aid of a fallen rival. And in pulling up, trotting back to Ron Clarke, muttering ‘Sorry’ and deciding to chase the field, he achieved much more than any world record …”

A lot of people wondered why he pulled up. The truth is, of course, that he didn’t think about it. It was the instinctive action of a man whose mate is in trouble.”  As we run the race of life let us take time to lift others. We can all think back to a time when we have been lifted by the kindness of another. The injunction to each of us is “go and do thou likewise.”  (Luke 10:37)

As we go forward in faith, unafraid of failing, and looking for opportunities to lift others our lives will be blessed, we will be filled with peace, joy and HOPE and we will bring the same into the lives of others.

Till next time, keep your head up!