Hope in a mess
The following passage was written by Texas Children’s Chaplain Jessica Shannon.
One of my favorite ways to describe the Chaplain’s role is to say “We help people find hope in a mess.” Everyone’s sources of hope are different and they can change with our situations. Not only have we all found ourselves lost and in some sort of a mess throughout our lives, but it seems like 2020 is quite the mess itself.
When the pandemic began, we instantly started living in a time of uncertainty. At all of our campuses, we have seen censuses drop and we see our colleagues less as our schedules are altered. We have stayed at home as much as possible to protect ourselves and each other. Lock downs, school cancellations, and businesses closing made it appear as if our city, our state, our nation, and the world, were all experiencing what our families feel when they are hospitalized unexpectedly. Everything was turned upside down in an instant.
The families we serve all are in some sort of a mess, and it is these very people who teach us how to cope in the midst of fear. In their normal lives outside of Texas Children’s, many of them find hope in their faith. They find hope in cheering on their favorite team with friends and fellow fans. They find hope in a good hike at a Texas State Park or walking their dogs. They find hope in a good book, board games with their kids, or someone offering to pray for them. When our patients and families are admitted, they may no longer have access to the things that help them. Perhaps their child’s diagnosis will keep them from attending school or playing soccer. Perhaps their admission is long, and visitation restrictions are weighing heavily on them without access to friends, family, and their faith community other than Zoom and FaceTime. Despite the new normal, our families find new hope in the darkness. They have to dig deeper sometimes, but they find the hope they need to move forward.
We can learn from our families and discover new sources of hope. Even as our hospital and our city begins to reopen, we will find hope in ways we never have. We find hope in live stream services held by our churches, synagogues, and mosques. We find hope in people using their voices and comforting each other. We find hope in giggles among staff. We find hope in a great game of Emotional Uno with a patient and seeing the child laugh for the first time in a long time. We find hope in teachers who make sure their students feel valued from a distance. Hope is there. We just have to look for it.
My encouragement to each of you is to pause and reflect on what helps you to take another step each day. As you watch the news, scroll through social media, provide compassionate care to a family, or adjust to changes at home and work, think about what gives you hope in the mess. Then, make an effort, to include your sources of hope in your day. We can get through any mess together.
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.” Desmond Tutu