This Week's Reflection for Hope and Resilience

This is part of a series of weekly messages of hope and resilience that will be made available through Employee Connections and printed copies for those who do not have easy access to computers. Read last week's reflection here.

Recently I had a tooth pulled, and fortunately everything went smoothly. As expected, the blood pooled in the tooth socket and began to clot. I asked the dentist about it because, as a nonmedical person, its jellylike appearance looked peculiar to me. He said that is how it is supposed to look, as the blood coagulates and reorganizes itself into bone. Additionally, he said the bone formation doesn’t happen immediately.

This was astonishing to me. Certainly the body does miraculous things, and the intricacies of its sophistication are still being discovered. But blood transforming itself into bone automatically, even though yesterday it didn’t know bone construction would be needed? And was this, in fact, a natural, effective response to the trauma experienced? I began to wonder how or if this concept could or does apply to other aspects of life. Is it possible to restructure or recalibrate other things that are needing repair or missing the mark, such as an ill or dysfunctional mind, relationship or spirit? Can that which is weak and vulnerable be reorganized into something strong? Can hardship, misery or deep distress be redesigned into ease, gladness or pleasure?

Perhaps that which is eventually becomes its opposite, such as winter giving way to spring and then summer. Or the dark night giving way to the sun. Or the old subsiding to make room for the new. Maybe all of life is just a reorganization of that which already exists.

If so, does that mean within ourselves, within our own beings, that we have the answer to any and all situations we face? Do we already possess the solution we seek? Is looking outside of ourselves futile because the answer already exists within?

Is it possible that this pandemic is just a horrendous, peculiar place in time that is leisurely recalibrating into something unexpected, good and beautiful?

As a woman full of hope with a partially filled tooth socket, I have to believe that something beneficial and more workable is on the way.

-Chaplain Crystall Williams, Methodist Hospital

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We know these are difficult times. If you would like to speak with a chaplain for support, please feel free to reach out.

Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital: Call Operator “0” and ask for the chaplain to be paged.

Methodist Fremont Health: Call Scott Jensen at (402) 290-1408.