Lightening the load
The following passage was written by Texas Children’s Chaplain James Denham.
I might be the most blessed person in the hospital. I am lucky enough to walk around many units, see lots of nurses, hear lots of voices, and watch the work that is done around here. I get to be a first-hand observer of the courage, resilience, and perseverance that our nurses, doctors, Environmental Services workers, techs, and frontline staff continue to show day in and day out. I have seen people managing multiple changes to their work lives adjust somehow. I have seen nurses who adapt with a fierce spirit that gives me wonder. I have watched our staff wait in the uncertainty with a spirit of unmatched compassion, even as they feel exhausted by it all. The fact that our world feels so heavy seems matched by the unity of your desire to serve.
YOU, each of you, do amazing work. But it is not work in some technical sense. It is work that makes a mark. Charles Dickens wrote that, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” We indeed are carrying lots of burdens right now. Yet, I don’t know if anyone here at Texas Children’s will ever fully realize the mark you make on one family, one patient, one colleague, or each other.
In these times when our minds are abuzz with uncertainty, we are definitely tempted to feel helpless or useless or make ourselves believe that we are just doing a job, to disregard what kind of impact we are making. It couldn’t be farther from the truth. It may be because you brought a smile to one child, or by drawing up the meds exactly as needed a child can heal, or you listened as your colleague and friend shared their worry for their family.
You do amazing work. You support. You help. You rush in when the call goes out. You seek to understand. You try to hear each other. You give relief. You bring peace. You bring calm. You share the load. You lighten another’s burden. You may feel helpless or useless or lost during these times, but in lightening the burdens of each other and our families, one at a time, your presence matters. Your showing up matters, because you do such good work making a difference.
One of the funniest people I know is Ellen. She said “We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.” Share your kindness! Share your compassion! Share your joy and laughter! We all need you and those things more than ever. I hope you know that by showing up today and every day, you make a difference. You contribute to lightening the burden of others, you bring goodness, and you bring heart.