More than Meets the Eye
February came to an end far more quickly than I could have ever anticipated. We are all in the home stretch of preparations for the NBME Shelf Exam, which is the final for our Medical Pharmacology course scheduled for next week Thursday. This 112 question exam is not going to be easy, but we want to finish strong, so pray for us!
Last month I gave everyone the challenge to make the most of every opportunity, and I made sure to take my own advice. With each Uber ride, and every day of lecture my classmates and I share, I have kept my eyes and ears peeled for opportunities to engage. Apart from the simple gift of being able to connect and learn, I have also had the privilege of serving alongside my peers throughout the city.
This month I started volunteering at a place called Hotel Hope. Hotel Hope offers a month long stay to women and children in housing crises, in addition to counseling support to help them get back on their feet again. And while the work we do there is not very hands on, being there has taught me about the power of presence. To some it may seem as though we are simply house sitting as volunteers, but the opportunity to simply be seen as people and not a case probably means the world to our families. And for that, I am willing to make myself available. I look forward to getting to know each family better!
Last weekend I also had the opportunity to do a tree planting with some of my classmates for an organization called SOUL Nola. The mission of this organization is to replant the hundreds of thousands of trees that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina almost thirteen years ago. Digging the holes for each tree was far more difficult than I could have imagined, giving all of us the work out of a lifetime. Of all the trees we planted, one tree in particular (pictured below) stuck out to me.
When they handed it to us I thought to myself "Wow why in the world are we planting a dead tree?" But our leader, Ryan, inspected the tree closely and reassured us that the branches had signs of life. He told us that in a few months this tree would be full of leaves and visibly thriving again.
Lesson: Many times there are areas of our lives that seem lifeless and beyond redemption. The reality is though that it isn't dead, it's simply making adjustments according to the season. May we remember that there is always more to the story than meets the eye. See you all in March.
Last month I gave everyone the challenge to make the most of every opportunity, and I made sure to take my own advice. With each Uber ride, and every day of lecture my classmates and I share, I have kept my eyes and ears peeled for opportunities to engage. Apart from the simple gift of being able to connect and learn, I have also had the privilege of serving alongside my peers throughout the city.
This month I started volunteering at a place called Hotel Hope. Hotel Hope offers a month long stay to women and children in housing crises, in addition to counseling support to help them get back on their feet again. And while the work we do there is not very hands on, being there has taught me about the power of presence. To some it may seem as though we are simply house sitting as volunteers, but the opportunity to simply be seen as people and not a case probably means the world to our families. And for that, I am willing to make myself available. I look forward to getting to know each family better!
Last weekend I also had the opportunity to do a tree planting with some of my classmates for an organization called SOUL Nola. The mission of this organization is to replant the hundreds of thousands of trees that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina almost thirteen years ago. Digging the holes for each tree was far more difficult than I could have imagined, giving all of us the work out of a lifetime. Of all the trees we planted, one tree in particular (pictured below) stuck out to me.
Lesson: Many times there are areas of our lives that seem lifeless and beyond redemption. The reality is though that it isn't dead, it's simply making adjustments according to the season. May we remember that there is always more to the story than meets the eye. See you all in March.
Hours Completed this Month: 7.5
Total Hours:7.5
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