As 2020 comes to an end, I spent some time reviewing pictures on my Facebook account from this past year, and had three special realizations in the process:

The first: almost all of the pictures I posted this year were old memory pictures! In previous years, I’ve had plenty of travel opportunities to fill my feed with photo ops, but this year, since we are in the middle of a pandemic, as with most people, I’ve lived a more grounded and slower-paced lifestyle and traveled very little. Lesson learned: life still goes on even when we stay grounded, live quietly and simply.

Above: A typical group picture with friends, pre-2020

In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:19

I currently work as a physician at a prison. This is actually my second go-round at this: in the past, I got burnt out and ended up quitting. After quitting, I got another job right away, but, then, after a year, I felt a call to reapply for my old job at the prison. Why? Only God knows. 

The rehiring process turned out to be rather easy, which was curious: it’s usually a very tedious process to apply - one needs to be interviewed by several people, get state clearance and then be credentialed. This is when I realized that God must have guided me to be where I am supposed to be.

But just because the rehiring process was surprisingly easy, taking care of the prison population  remains very much a challenge. Some days, it feels very fulfilling, but some days it is so mind-boggling, unrewarding and thankless to the point that it ruins my whole day, and makes me feel like giving up.

Then, on a recent Sunday morning, I attended Sunday morning service at St. Matthew’s and was touched and moved by the sermon given by our priest, The Rev. Colin Mathewson. The sermon is about the greatest commandment, and loving your neighbor as yourself. Fr. Colin, who also serves at St. Luke’s, North Park, talked about their other church project: they opened a place where the homeless population can take showers. The first homeless person who availed of their shower said he felt “human” after months of not having a place to get a decent wash -- similar to having his dignity back. Fr. Colin mentioned giving back a person’s dignity is fulfilling one of our duties as Christians. 

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

One morning, as I prepared for another fine gardening day, I set aside a few minutes to spend meditating with the divine in my small backyard. During that time, I observed in silence all that was going on around me: the flowers and small trees I had just watered appeared so refreshed. The hummingbirds were feasting at our bird feeders, each enjoying a different feeder all to themselves.