What a great day!!! and not just because we actually finished at 8 pm - yep only a 13 hour day at the hospital....but just because we are making a difference in so many ways and today I really saw the day & our work thru the eys of the parents...
SO MANY grateful parents who were humble & grateful for little things like a cup of juice or water when it was apparent this was a long day for them with their child in surgery, or the gratitude & joy they had when I gave them a dress or outfit or flip flops or a t-shirt, or the gratitude when despite how incorrect it was I attempted to talk to them in spanish, or their pure joy when seeing their child for the first time after surgery with a beautiful new face, or the look of love in their eyes when I held their hand or put my arm around them & made a connection as they got emotional, or their sense of peace when there was a problem or their child was crying & we helped them to understand it was all going to be okay, or their amazement that everyone here came to help their child that no one knew before we arrived, or the gratitude when we brought them into the recovery room & told them their child was out of surgery & doing fine, I could go on & on. I have felt this before & probably blogged about it before but the love of parents for children is universal...we all want the very best for our children whether it is related to health, spiritually, socially, emotionally, financially, physically or here in Nicaragua and at home...getting them needed medical treatment. I could have been any one of those parents today and I saw the day thru their eyes....
There were 2 very sweet single dads who were here with their kids - the moms had left them when their child was born with this defect and the dads were truly AMAZING & nurturing and brought tears to my eyes as they cuddled their babies. One of the last moms I brought in was so overjoyed when she saw her 6 year old repaired lip that it lit up the recovery room.
We may surgically fix the smiles of the children but then when the parents see their childrens their own smiles get brighter...I am so blessed to be a part of this process.
There are all sorts of other little details I could blog about that would probably be interesting (and I probably will include them in another blog post for my memories)....the hotel room, my horrific headache, the wonderful student volunteers, the gross toilets, the non edible food, the heat & humidity etc...but today it was ALL ABOUT SEEING THE DAY THRU THE PARENTS YES & not thru my eyes & what was going on with me or how I was feeling or what I was experiencing.....it makes me appreciate my parents & all they did for me, makes me grateful to be a parent & for my wonderful husband & children, lets me see my siblings as parents and my neighbors as parents. It reminds me that all of us who are parents all have so many universal feelings & we really can help & support each other thru challenging & joyful times because as parents we do somewhat understand the love we have for our families & children.
Again it is midnight - wake up at 6 am - good night and love to all my family & friends & please lets remember to sometimes see the world thru others eyes even if just for a day in a far away place or at home.
SO MANY grateful parents who were humble & grateful for little things like a cup of juice or water when it was apparent this was a long day for them with their child in surgery, or the gratitude & joy they had when I gave them a dress or outfit or flip flops or a t-shirt, or the gratitude when despite how incorrect it was I attempted to talk to them in spanish, or their pure joy when seeing their child for the first time after surgery with a beautiful new face, or the look of love in their eyes when I held their hand or put my arm around them & made a connection as they got emotional, or their sense of peace when there was a problem or their child was crying & we helped them to understand it was all going to be okay, or their amazement that everyone here came to help their child that no one knew before we arrived, or the gratitude when we brought them into the recovery room & told them their child was out of surgery & doing fine, I could go on & on. I have felt this before & probably blogged about it before but the love of parents for children is universal...we all want the very best for our children whether it is related to health, spiritually, socially, emotionally, financially, physically or here in Nicaragua and at home...getting them needed medical treatment. I could have been any one of those parents today and I saw the day thru their eyes....
There were 2 very sweet single dads who were here with their kids - the moms had left them when their child was born with this defect and the dads were truly AMAZING & nurturing and brought tears to my eyes as they cuddled their babies. One of the last moms I brought in was so overjoyed when she saw her 6 year old repaired lip that it lit up the recovery room.
We may surgically fix the smiles of the children but then when the parents see their childrens their own smiles get brighter...I am so blessed to be a part of this process.
There are all sorts of other little details I could blog about that would probably be interesting (and I probably will include them in another blog post for my memories)....the hotel room, my horrific headache, the wonderful student volunteers, the gross toilets, the non edible food, the heat & humidity etc...but today it was ALL ABOUT SEEING THE DAY THRU THE PARENTS YES & not thru my eyes & what was going on with me or how I was feeling or what I was experiencing.....it makes me appreciate my parents & all they did for me, makes me grateful to be a parent & for my wonderful husband & children, lets me see my siblings as parents and my neighbors as parents. It reminds me that all of us who are parents all have so many universal feelings & we really can help & support each other thru challenging & joyful times because as parents we do somewhat understand the love we have for our families & children.
Again it is midnight - wake up at 6 am - good night and love to all my family & friends & please lets remember to sometimes see the world thru others eyes even if just for a day in a far away place or at home.
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