Building hope through difficult times
On Friday January 31, 2020 I picked up some good friends from Deyang, China at LAX. They were one of the last people to travel to the U.S. before the China travel ban was put in place. We had a wonderful time visiting many sites but there was always concern about the people they left back in China and their ability to return to China.
Their returning flights were cancelled multiple times and their family back in China was disconcerted to see them having a wonderful time in the U.S. while they were under strict quarantine. On February 19 they returned to China.
She is a Gynecologic Surgeon but she was expecting to need to go to Wuhan to help with the patients there. She was anxious to go and help.
On Friday March 6, 2020 she sent me these pictures and the following message:
“We are back and everything is fine. Except for Wuhan, the rest of China has gone back to work and we are back to normal life.”
There are several important lessons here.
When I have faced difficult times in my life I have often said to myself, “Lord, just help me get to the other side.” I remember other difficult times and that I have made it to the other side each time. In order to gather strength to make it to the other side, I look to the other side of the problem. The other side is like looking at the other side of a river. You can see the other side. You know you have to cross the river, but because you can see the other side, you have hope that you can make it.
We know there is an “other side” to this situation. It is clearly manifest in the pictures above. It is spring in China and their lives are getting back to normal and flowers are blooming and people are outside enjoying them. The river they had to cross was deep and wide. Probably deeper and wider than what we will have to face here in the U.S.
They crossed it by taking some very important steps.
- First was unprecedented quarantine measures.
- The second was unprecedented cooperation and hard work.
- The third was time. In 10 weeks they went from disaster to resolution.
We can do the same.
Some of the greatest feelings I have had in my life have been when I have crossed a river of trouble and said to myself, “I made it to the other side.” It will be a great feeling this time too.
Keeping your dreams alive
ARMS has implemented infection control protocols to provide our patients with the maximum amount of protection while allowing patients to continue to pursue their dream of having a family.