Care, Love, and Hope

Christmas started late for us this mornting. And while usually this wouldn't even be a thang given that I don't normally wake up until 10 antyway, I slept like an excited school child last night. 3, 5, 7, 9-- I saw them all on the clock last night because I was that ready for "Santa to come." And, of course, to share the day with my family.

For the first time ever I didn't run straight to the top of the stairs. Matter of a fact, I actually took a quite leisurely bath. And then cuddled with Emily and yelled downstairs to Mom who was tending to our "visitor" and then read out of Luke's pOliceman Bible:

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

(Isaiah 9: 2-7)

Emily's response was, "I could see how people were disappointed Jesus was only a baby." Indeed, I see their point.

Still, disappointed, we are not. Missing from the early morning around our house was Dad. Because while I anxiously awaited celebrating Jesus, he was off acting like him. Emily and I both couldn't help but brag on our twitters as we chatted in the darkness of Luke and Steph's room about "our hero."

Dad is an attending, who only has to show up in the morning to "round" on his patients-- the residents give him all of the latest information on a bed patient and he comes up with a treatment plan for the next 24 hours. The other day one of his residents was talking about her Christmas morning plans, saying she would have to wake her little boy up at 5 in the morning to be able to open gifts before she would need to leave to do her obligatory pre-rounds. The residents have to be in earlier than attendings in order to get all of the news from the night crew and prepare their reports for rounds.

He could have said "suck it up." That was him at one point, too. Could have said "I've earned my right to stay home with my family."

Children's Hospital has a motto: "Fear not illness, this place of care, love and hope is for you."

And Dad opted to show care, love, and hope to his resident. Because instead of saying "that's not my job," he gladly offered to come in early and do morning reports for her, so she could do Christmas with her little boy-- not at 5 a.m. And this morning he hurried home as fast as he could so as to not put us out by having to wait on him. As. If. His being at the hospital, making himself a servant, having that for a dad is one of my gifts. It certainly wasn't keeping me from them.

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (Philippians 2: 1-4)

The view from the top didn't stop him from looking out from looking after the interests of one of his own. This Christmas, how glad I am that the same could be said of Jesus.