I believe that the phrase “You are the Gift”, really translates to love your neighbor. Being the gift means that we have the ability to brighten other’s days with just our presence or small actions, without having to provide material needs. We all can do as Christ did and show compassion to all, especially those who we view as different from ourselves. I really enjoyed this opportunity to spend a month in Portugal, in a culture that I was not familiar with. There were many things that were foreign to me that I didn’t understand, but I learned that just accepting them and trying new things was the most rewarding path. Being able to spend time in the hospital was a real blessing as it really opened my eyes to see that every person on this planet is a child of God, and we all have the same needs and worries. I think that as a medical professional I can do a lot to be a gift to others. Whether it is supporting someone with a harmful disease, or consoling family members, I want to be able to be there to help those in need. It can be difficult sometimes to not see patients as just numbers on a page, but when you look at them as children of God, it really changes your perspective, and motivates me to be the gift to those in need. Most importantly, that requires looking for opportunities every day. (The picture is unrelated to the topic)
