August 26, 2020

August 27, 2020, 7:15 am

Texas Children’s discontinues ride-out and Emergency Pay Practices

Weather conditions in and around the Greater Houston area remain calm, so we are discontinuing ride-out activation and Emergency Pay Practices at 7 a.m. this morning.

Although Hurricane Laura did not greatly affect the Greater Houston area, we thoroughly prepared for the worst-case scenario, and are grateful for everyone’s detailed planning. Our neighbors in Beaumont did experience effects of Hurricane Laura, and Health Plan leadership will be working diligently today to ensure the safety of our members in that area.

Return of cots
We need your help in returning cots quickly so we can transition the spaces used for sleep accommodations back to normal operations. For those who stayed overnight in Mark A. Wallace Tower or the Pavilion for Women, please return your cleaned cots to the service elevator lobbies so they may be picked up. For those who stayed overnight at West Campus and Woodlands Medical Office Buildings, please follow instructions from local leadership for returning cots.

Labor Pool shifts
Please connect with your Labor Pool leader to determine needs and schedules for today. All Labor Pool shifts will return to normal schedules tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 28.

Operational updates
Thursday, Aug. 27
Today’s outpatient clinic appointments and elective surgeries at all three hospitals were rescheduled, and Texas Children’s Specialty Care locations in and around the Greater Houston area are closed today.

All Texas Children’s Pediatrics locations in and around the Greater Houston area are closed for in-person appointments today, but video visits via MyChart are available. Texas Children’s Urgent Care locations will open and operate during normal business hours.

Texas Children’s Health Plan The Center for Children and Women locations are closed today.

Friday, Aug. 28
All Texas Children’s locations will be open and return to normal operations tomorrow.

For the most up-to-date information, visit texaschildrens.org/weather.

Parking, screening and shuttle services
All Texas Children’s employees arriving at the Medical Center Campus should continue parking in Garage 19 and take advantage of our shuttle services, which returned to normal operations today. Please continue appropriate social distancing practices while on the shuttles and while at all locations.

Please note, if you stayed the night and will be working a new shift today, you are required to be screened again. Please return to a screening location and receive a new colored wristband before starting a new shift.

Dining options
As a reminder, all Texas Children’s workforce members with a red or blue badge continue to receive a 25% discount on any food, snack or beverage purchase at various hospital locations.

Medical Center Campus
The Bistro is open today from 6:30-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. The Coffee Corner is open today from 6:30-10 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. The Food Court at Wallace Tower is closed today. Additionally, McDonald’s is operating normal business hours today. All dining options at the Medical Center Campus will return to normal operations tomorrow.

West Campus
Dot’s Kitchen is open today with limited options from 7-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. The Coffee Spot is closed today. All dining options at West Campus will return to normal operations tomorrow.

The Woodlands
The Café is open from 7:30-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. The Coffee Shop is closed today. All dining options at The Woodlands campus will return to normal operations tomorrow.

As we resume our business operations, we want you to know how very thankful we are for all you do. Your dedication and commitment to our patients, their families and each other is tremendous and we couldn’t be more proud of our One Amazing Team.

August 26, 2020, 7:15 pm

Texas Children’s ride-out plans updated; contact your leader

Texas Children’s Incident Command has amended our ride-out plans as weather conditions are looking more optimistic for our area. Please connect with your leader for more information.

Updated closures
For the most up-to-date closure information, visit texaschildrens.org/weather.

Wednesday, Aug. 26
Texas Children’s Urgent Care locations at Texas Children’s Hospital’s Medical Center Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus closed at 4 p.m. today. All other Texas Children’s Urgent Care locations in and around the greater Houston area are closed today.

Thursday, Aug. 27
All outpatient clinic appointments and elective surgeries at all three hospitals on Thursday, Aug. 27 are rescheduled. Also, Texas Children’s Specialty Care locations in and around the Greater Houston area tomorrow will be closed.

All Texas Children’s Pediatrics locations in and around the Greater Houston area will be closed for in-person appointments tomorrow, but video visits via MyChart will be an option.

Both Texas Children’s Health Plan The Center for Children and Women locations will be closed tomorrow as well.

Food options
As a reminder, all Texas Children’s workforce members with a red or blue badge continue to receive a 25% discount on any food, snack or beverage purchase at various hospital locations.

Medical Center Campus
All dining locations at the Medical Center Campus today are operating at normal business hours. The Food Court at Wallace Tower is open until 6:30 p.m. The Bistro and Coffee Corner are both open until 8 p.m.

Tomorrow, the Bistro is open from 6:30-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. The Coffee Corner and Food Court at Wallace Tower will be closed tomorrow.

West Campus
Dot’s Kitchen is open today and tomorrow with limited options: 7-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. The Coffee Spot is now closed and will remain closed for the duration of this weather event.

The Woodlands
The Café is open today and tomorrow: 7:30-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. The Coffee Shop is now closed and will remain closed for the duration of this weather event.

Screening and shuttle services
Please continue appropriate social distancing practices while at all locations, and note that screening is required at least every 24 hours throughout this weather event. You will need to return to a screening location and receive a new colored wristband before starting a new shift.

We currently have two shuttles running and additional shuttles will be brought online as soon as possible. Texas Children’s shuttle services will continue until 10 p.m.

Resources
More information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website. For more information about what you should do to prepare for inclement weather events, click here.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will continue to communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

August 26, 2020, 10:30 am

Texas Children’s ride-out plans remain in place

Texas Children’s ride-out plans remain in place as Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall as a category 4 hurricane tonight. As a reminder, staff and employees assigned to the ride-out team or scheduled to work the night shift tonight need to be checked-in and on-site at your assigned location by noon today. All of these individuals, in addition to those working the day shift today, should be prepared to stay for the duration of the storm.

Click here for a helpful list of things to pack and additional ways you can prepare for the storm. If you are unsure of your assignment, please contact your leader.

Weather update

Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate beginning this evening. Hurricane Laura is forecasted to make landfall early Thursday as a powerful hurricane just west of Beaumont. Strong winds and heavy rainfall will likely follow along with possible isolated tornadoes. Heavy rainfall is anticipated, as well as some isolated flooding. Hurricane force winds, upwards of 120 mph, are also expected close to the storm’s center, along with possible tidal surges of 12 to 15 feet.

The Greater Houston area is expected to receive 2-4” of rain, with an isolated 4-6” east of I-45. Isolated flash flooding and tornadoes are also possible. Periods of heavy rain are anticipated tomorrow with 20-30 mph gusty winds across a majority of the area, with 40-50 mph gusts expected in eastern Harris and Montgomery counties. Improving conditions are anticipated by noon tomorrow.

Employee Health

Employee Health will be available throughout this event, including overnight, which is when Hurricane Laura is anticipated to make landfall. For everyone working on-site during the ride-out, if at any time you exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, please contact Employee Health and they will make arrangements for you to be safely isolated until weather conditions improve. During this time, a team will be available to monitor your symptoms, provide medical assistance and assess the need for COVID-19 testing, which may be conducted on-site. Should an employee’s medical condition require a higher level of care, we will have an immediate medical team on standby and our Employee Medical Clinic Physician will also be available.

Contact information for everyone on-site during ride-out, please see below.

  • If I have COVID concerns or questions: 4-2150, option 4
  • If I have an injury: 4-2150, option 2

If you are off-site during this event and either develop symptoms of COVID-19 or experience an exposure, please continue to contact Employee Health or Med Staff Services.  If needed, you will be removed from any future work until a test can be performed.  Our goal is to resume normal testing operations on Friday, Aug. 28, assuming it is safe to do so at our drive through testing site.

Contact information for those who are off-site during the event, please see below.

  • If I have COVID concerns or questions: 4-2150, option 4
  • BCM Employee: Contact Medical Staff Support Services at 832-824-7561

Pay Practices

In preparation for Hurricane Laura, Texas Children’s will be issuing a phased activation of our Emergency Pay Practices beginning today and lasting until this emergency event concludes. Starting at noon, all off-shift employees who are required to be on-site as part of the ride-out team will be asked to clock in at noon using this guidance so they may receive their regular pay. Beginning at 7 p.m., Emergency Pay practices will then activate for all other non-exempt employees who are working on-site at a hospital location. For more information on Emergency Pay, please reference the following documents: Emergency Pay Overview and Frequently Asked Questions.

Parking and screening

All Texas Children’s employees arriving at the Medical Center Campus should park in Garage 19 and take advantage of our shuttle services. As a reminder, employees who are returning to our facilities for work or labor pool shifts must stop at a screening checkpoint upon arrival. You will also receive a mask at these checkpoints. Please continue appropriate social distancing practices while in line for and riding the shuttle, and at all locations.

Please note, screening will be required at least every 24 hours throughout this weather event. You will need to return to a screening location and receive a new colored wristband before starting a new shift.

Beginning today, TMC will be allowing off-peak and remote contract parkers to park in the facilities listed below after noon.

  • Garage 1
  • Garage 2
  • Garage 4
  • Garage 6
  • Garage 7
  • Garage 10
  • Garage 15

Contract parkers arriving after noon should pull a visitor parking ticket from the entry kiosk and proceed with parking. TMC will configure the access card to be valid at the exit, regardless of the departure time. Individuals can simply scan their parking access card at the exit and the gate will vend. Please discard your entry ticket after leaving the facility.

If there are any issues, please tap the “Help” button on the exit kiosk to contact TMC’s 24/7 Operations Center or call 713-791-6161. Individuals with a Smith Land’s, Smith Land’s South, South Extension Lot, or Off-Peak contract are eligible to enter these facilities after noon.

Additionally, TMC is modifying shuttle hours to comply with city and county requests for everyone to shelter in place until Hurricane Laura passes. Shuttles will stop operation at 4 p.m. today, and will resume when conditions have returned to a safe level. Any individual who parked in Smith Land’s, Smith Land’s South, or South Extension Lot should move their vehicle prior to 4 p.m.

Closures

For the most up-to-date closure information, visit texaschildrens.org/weather.

Resources

More information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website. For more information about what you should do to prepare for inclement weather events, click here.

Stay informed

We urge you to pay close attention to local media reports concerning weather conditions and make sure you stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications. These will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. Please make sure to update your personal information in MOLI with your current mobile phone number so you receive all messages in a timely manner. Here are the instructions for updating your information in MOLI.

It’s important we all remain calm, positive and mindful of our obligation to provide uninterrupted care for our patients and their families. We also want you to take care of yourself and remain safe.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will continue to communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

August 25, 2020, 2:42 pm

Texas Children’s standing up ride-out team for storm

Texas Children’s Incident Command is establishing a ride-out team for what is now predicted to be a major hurricane, making landfall in our region overnight Wednesday, into Thursday.

Currently, weather conditions are expected to deteriorate beginning Wednesday evening. Hurricane Laura is forecasted to make landfall early Thursday as a major hurricane just west of Beaumont. It should then move quickly northward into the lower Mississippi Valley. Upon making landfall, strong winds and heavy rainfall will likely occur with isolated tornadoes a possibility. Heavy rainfall is anticipated, as well as some isolated flooding. Hurricane force winds, upwards of 120 mph, are also expected close to the storm’s center, along with possible tidal surges of 12 to 15 feet.

Preparation

For those who are assigned to the ride-out team, or for those scheduled to work the night shift on Wednesday, you need to be checked-in and on-site at your assigned location by noon Wednesday. All of these individuals, in addition to those working the day shift on Wednesday, should be prepared to stay for the duration of the storm. Use today to prepare your family, your home and your ride-out bag. Click here for a helpful list of things to pack and additional ways you can prepare for the storm. If you are unsure of your assignment, please contact your leader.

COVID-19 precautions

Your health and wellbeing is of the utmost importance. As such, to keep our facilities safe, we will adhere to all COVID-19 precautions and protocols, including screening upon arrival and every 24 hours thereafter, socially-distant sleep accommodations, and dedicated areas for employees who begin to experience COVID-19 symptoms. The departments of Organizational Resilience, Infection Control, Facilities and the Incident Command Planning Section have worked on these plans for months and are preparing to implement them prior to everyone’s arrival on Wednesday.

Parking and screening

All Texas Children’s employees arriving at the Medical Center Campus should park in Garage 19 and take advantage of our shuttle services. As a reminder, employees who are returning to our facilities for work or labor pool shifts must stop at a screening checkpoint upon arrival. You will also receive a mask at these checkpoints. Please continue appropriate social distancing practices while in line for and riding the shuttle, and at all locations.

Please note, screening will be required at least every 24 hours throughout this weather event. You will need to return to a screening location and receive a new colored wristband before starting a new shift.

Closures

We are continuing normal operations today across the system.

All outpatient clinic appointments scheduled for Wednesday in Mark A. Wallace Tower will be converted to a video visit or rescheduled to allow for sleeping accommodation preparations. All surgical cases, and all other outpatient appointments at the Pavilion for Women, Legacy Tower, West Campus and The Woodlands, will proceed as scheduled tomorrow. We anticipate outpatient clinic appointments and elective surgeries on Thursday will be rescheduled, but further guidance will be provided as we continue to monitor the storm’s track.

All decisions for community based locations – including Texas Children’s Pediatrics sites, Specialty Care locations and The Centers for Children and Women – will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Resources

More information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website. For more information about what you should do to prepare for inclement weather events, click here.

Stay informed

We urge you to pay close attention to local media reports concerning weather conditions and make sure you stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications. These will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. Please make sure to update your personal information in MOLI with your current mobile phone number so you receive all messages in a timely manner. Here are the instructions for updating your information in MOLI.

It’s important that we all remain calm, positive and mindful of our obligation to be here to provide uninterrupted care for our patients and their families. By the same token, we also want you to be safe. We rely on your judgment in these situations to balance the need for your presence here with our desire to ensure you are not putting yourself in harm’s way.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will continue to communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

August 24, 2020, 5:55 pm

Texas Children’s preparing for storms brewing in Gulf

Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 23 Texas counties, including Harris County, as the state prepares for two storms brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management are closely monitoring Tropical Storms Marco and Laura, both of which have the potential to affect east Texas and the greater Houston area.

Current storm updates

Marco is expected to make landfall in Louisiana later today. Minimal effects from that storm could be felt along the eastern Texas coast early Tuesday. About 1 to 3 inches of rain is expected. The forecast for Laura remains highly variable. Based on current data, the storm is expected to be upgraded to a potentially significant hurricane impacting western Louisiana or eastern Texas. However, the forecast storm path continues to drift westward making Houston a possibility for landfall on Thursday.

Be prepared

Leadership is tracking these weather patterns and is reviewing and updating preparedness plans accordingly to ensure alignment with all COVID-19 procedures and precautions. In the meantime, we urge you to pay close attention to local media reports concerning weather conditions. Staff members should prepare for 1-to-1 replacement if travel conditions are unsafe in and around our Texas Children’s locations. Please plan for additional travel time later this week, identify alternate routes, ensure your personal emergency preparedness bags are ready should we activate our response and our ride-out team is called to stay onsite, and have your personal plans in place.

Stay informed

In addition, make sure you stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications. These will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. Please make sure to update your personal information in MOLI with your current mobile phone number so you receive all messages in a timely manner. Here are the instructions for updating your information in MOLI.

Resources

More information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website. For more information about what you should do to prepare for inclement weather events, click here.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

August 25, 2020

Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Paul Minifee has worked at Texas Children’s for almost three decades. Over the years, one of his primary focuses has become educating and mentoring residents and medical students on rotations in pediatric surgery.

“I have always enjoyed sharing my knowledge and experience with others, especially young people who are early in their medical careers,” Minifee said. “It’s been one of the most fulfilling parts of my career.”

Recently, Minifee got the opportunity to teach and operate with a very special student – his son, Dr. Chris Minifee, a third-year surgical resident at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Chris is spending two and a half months at Texas Children’s on rotation with the Orthopedic Surgery Department.

The day he collaborated with his dad in the operating room he was performing an anterior scoliosis repair with Dr. Brian Smith, Texas Children’s chief of orthopedic surgery. Paul came in at the beginning and the end of the surgery to open and close the patient’s chest. Chris assisted him with the procedure, a common practice for orthopedic surgeons in cases such as the one they were working on.

“I immediately went to the coaching skills I learned in baseball,” Paul said about how he handled guiding his son in the operating room. “They worked back then and they seemed to work that day too.”

Paul said his son did a great job and that he executed his part of the procedure very well. What made him most proud was the positive comments from his colleagues about his son’s work in the operating room that day and on other occasions during his rotation.

“It was truly a joy to be there with him and to hear from others what good work he’s doing for others,” Paul said. He added that the father-son duo was making history that day in that he, the first Black pediatric surgeon trained in Texas and the second to be licensed in the state, was operating with his son, who is one of a small but growing number of Black surgeons in the state and the nation. “We were making history in there,” Paul said. “I’m glad it was at Texas Children’s, a place where I have always felt comfortable, accepted and able to grow in my career.”

Chris said operating with his dad has thus far been the proudest moment of his medical career. The operating lounge they were in after surgery, Chris said, was the same lounge he saw his dad in years ago when he shadowed him during junior college. It was around then that he decided to pursue medicine instead of his first love – baseball.

“I wanted to be a professional baseball player but that didn’t pan out,” Chris said. “I’m glad I had a backup plan (orthopedic medicine) and that I have come to love it as much as or more so than baseball.”

Chris said a lot of what his dad taught him on the ballfield translated over to the classroom and now the OR. Some of those things include team work, persistence, and the desire and drive to be your best.

Throughout his rotation at Texas Children’s and from what he’s seen and heard through his dad over the years, Texas Children’s is a place where people’s best is exhibited across the board. He said that includes diversity among the organization’s workforce.

While operating at Texas Children’s, Chris said, the OR has been filled with people from different ethnicities and walks of life. “You probably didn’t see that 20 years ago, but things have changed, which is refreshing.” he said.

Volunteer Services hosted several events last week for employees to make face buttons. The buttons worn by employees are intended to help put patients at ease, as they give them a glimpse of the smiling Texas Children’s face beneath the ‘ll and other personal protective equipment.

August 24, 2020

2020 has been an unprecedented year filled with many challenges. We’ve engaged in social distancing practices like we have never done before. We are wearing protective face masks, both at work and in public, in an effort to protect ourselves, each other, and prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.

But despite the uncertainty and daily disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this health crisis has prompted our physicians, nurses and other patient care staff to explore innovative, non-traditional approaches to patient care processes – like e-rounding – to enhance the provider/patient experience.

Daily patient rounding has been around for centuries, and is an important part of the patient care process. Before COVID-19, a group of multidisciplinary staff would gather in or outside a patient room to discuss the patient’s condition and plan of care with the patient’s family, taking into account the experience, concerns, questions and needs of the patient. Through this multidisciplinary, family-centered approach, each team member would then contribute their expertise to support the best possible care/outcomes for the patient.

To adapt to COVID-19 and to ensure social distancing practices are followed, our critical care teams began conducting patient e-rounding in April, which has been a beneficial change from the norm.

“E-rounding has been a big change for us,” said Dr. Jordana Goldman, attending physician in Critical Care. “Rounds are as old as time in medicine and so it takes a little bit of practice to get use to it. But once you get the flow of it, it really works well. Our physician and nursing leaders, and the e-Health and IS teams have been very supportive in helping us leverage new technology to make e-rounding possible.”

Through the VidyoConnect platform, virtual “rooms” are created that are then available for all rounding team members to join. During e-rounding, an attending physician, bedside nurse and family member, can be outside the patient’s room in front of a computer screen while maintaining social distancing, and can communicate virtually with remote team members including our consultants, the provider team (consisting of APPs, fellows and residents) dietitian, pharmacy, Respiratory Therapy support and other members.

“We facilitated the implementation of e-rounding by working with Dr. Goldman and Dr. Aarti Bavare to integrate their ideal workflow using the software and hardware that we already had available,” said Dr. Robert Ball, medical director of e-Health. “It was the team work of Information Services, e-Health and the physician champions that made it a reality. When you have amazing innovators in every corner of our organization working together to enhance this process, there are no obstacles that cannot be overcome.”

Since e-rounding was first introduced in the PICU and CICU in April, e-rounding has expanded to other parts of the hospital including the acute care cardiology floor. PHM has been working on the acute care side on a version of e-rounds to help with the education of the residents and medical students. Plans are underway to expand e-rounding capabilities to the Pavilion for Women and NICUs with the option of e-rounding being made available to all inpatient areas at our three hospital campuses in the coming weeks.

Our e-Health teams are also working on the ability to leverage VidyoConnect to communicate with families in a HIPAA compliant way so they can join rounds when they are not able to be at the bedside.

“The disruption of COVID-19 has allowed us to take a closer look at our rounding practices and see how we can improve them for our patients, team, learners and consultants,” Goldman said. “This is a very new process for us, but our team’s willingness to engage in this novel approach has been pretty phenomenal.”

It’s Cultural Competency Week at Texas Children’s Health Plan – a celebration of the cultural differences that exists among the organization’s more than 900 employees, 11,000 providers and 480,000 members.

In celebration, employees will participate in team discussions, have a chance to win prizes by answering a question of the day and learn more about the 15 national cultural competency standards through a state-mandated training course. The course – available until September 30 – is focused on understanding the diversity that exists in people of different races, languages, genders, socioeconomic statuses and beliefs.

“There is no time like the present to pause and celebrate diversity,” said Johnna Carlson, director of Government Programs. “The Health Plan is so excited to be a leader in this conversation. Our entire mission is to serve those who need us – regardless of who they are, what they look like, or what language they speak. This week is simply a highlight on the way we do our jobs each day.”

Although there are 15 national standards around cultural competency, these are rooted in one principal standard, which is to provide effective, equitable, understandable, and respectful quality care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy, and other communication needs.

This is the standard of highest priority that employees are expected to uphold.

“For me, coming to a country that is so diverse, certainly took me out of my comfort zone and has been such a positive experience,” said Donna Jackson, senior administrative assistant. “To learn and participate in a new cultural experience has made me more open minded and accepting. In general, this makes The Health Plan a more pleasurable work environment.”

Jackson adds that understanding one another’s differences breaks down barriers and makes people feel heard and therefore valued. “As we learn more and become advocates for each other, our children also get to reap the benefits. I truly believe that history will show Texas Children’s will be a better organization because of our focus on cultural competency.”

Watch Connect in the coming weeks to learn more about the national standards. All Health Plan employees are required to take the Cultural Competency training course in HealthStream by Wednesday, September 30.

 

Texas Children’s medical staff is sharing a collection of wellness tips covering a variety of topics in hopes it will help those working so hard for our patients and families during the pandemic. Read more

You are not alone 

The following passage was written by Texas Children’s Chaplain James Denham. 

I watched a mother hold her baby for the first time last week, after some time waiting for this moment. It was absolutely mesmerizing and stirred something deep in my soul. Have you ever had something take your breath away and stop you in your tracks?  I hope so. It’s kind of beyond words.

Let me tell why this particular circumstance was so amazing to me. This mother, courageous and resilient, held her son and spoke to him words he had never heard – “No tenga miedo. (Don’t be afraid). No tenga miedo. (Don’t be afraid). Estoy aquí. (I am here little one.).”  Wow!  Her grip on her child was firm and the look, the maternal strength she imparted through her stare, spoke volumes. Even as I write this, I have goosebumps and am misty eyed because it is so beautiful.  As a parent, I longed to speak those words to my son and for my mom to speak them to me as soon as possible.

They mean even more to me this week.  A pandemic with a novel virus, a society desperate for equality and justice, a heated presidential election, and now two tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico?  Yes, this mother’s words ring true: “So not be afraid. I am here with you.”

Who is here with us?  Why should we not afraid?  For many, the answer to both of these questions lies in our spirituality and the profound grounding of faith in a God or love or something sacred that tells us fear is not our first response, although it is normal.  That spirituality tells us to lean in with courage to that which is greater than us, yet often intangible.  Namely, peace, or love, or God’s presence, or hope found in our common humanity, or the transcendence of nature.  We may feel worried, but these things ground us in the face of hard things and speak to us, “Don’t be afraid, you are not alone.”

Also, we have each other. Just as this mother held her baby and spoke with the one voice her son knew best, we hear the voices of many we love whose presence instills the truth, which is that they are here. Our parents, our children, our faith communities, our coworkers, our families, our mentors – all of them stand holding us speaking profoundly, don’t be afraid for I am walking with you. They wear masks with us.  They listen to us. They wade through rains with us. They calm our anxieties. They order food for us. They pray with us. They dive through research for us. They are here with us.  They are like a mother holding her baby, guiding him through the hard and long times, saying “Don’t be afraid. I am here with you.”

Know that you are that presence to me.  Know that you are that presence to others.  Hold on and hold each other.  We will make it together.