This morning the whole team got up before the rooster to hike to the top of nearby hills to see the sunrise in its pink and orange brilliance over mountains on the other side of our valley.I left to head back a bit early so I could make it back in time for the morning time slot that our house has running water. I got a bit off the trail on some rocky, sparsely vegetated terrain. I was a bit flustered trying to get back to the path when I saw a beautiful pink flower growing from a crack in the rocks; such beauty in the midst of a seemingly harsh hillside environment.
The patients I get the pleasure of working with each day here are like that flower. The beauty of their smiles just radiate! Yet, so many have suffered so much. My heart breaks to hear how one of our patients was the only one in her family to be pulled from the rubble alive or how another was the only major injury in her family (losing both legs above-the-knees) only to be abandoned by her husband and left with her four children to care for with no home or means of support. Yet, in the midst of such suffering there is the beaming smile of pride when she returned after making a lap around the block here-and it was a feat worthy of celebration! Rocky terrain, sweltering heat, humidity, an upward grade heading away from the clinic, a downward grade coming back and all on two above-knee prostheses, crutches for balance, and pure determination. Amazing!!! And a triumphant smile. To compare that smile to a flower is like comparing an expedition to the top of Mt. Everest with our little morning hike. It pales in comparison.
The patients I get the pleasure of working with each day here are like that flower. The beauty of their smiles just radiate! Yet, so many have suffered so much. My heart breaks to hear how one of our patients was the only one in her family to be pulled from the rubble alive or how another was the only major injury in her family (losing both legs above-the-knees) only to be abandoned by her husband and left with her four children to care for with no home or means of support. Yet, in the midst of such suffering there is the beaming smile of pride when she returned after making a lap around the block here-and it was a feat worthy of celebration! Rocky terrain, sweltering heat, humidity, an upward grade heading away from the clinic, a downward grade coming back and all on two above-knee prostheses, crutches for balance, and pure determination. Amazing!!! And a triumphant smile. To compare that smile to a flower is like comparing an expedition to the top of Mt. Everest with our little morning hike. It pales in comparison.
