Firsts (Ann)

A few weeks ago, I found myself doing an overnight hospital stay with my daughter for some medical tests. What a whirlwind it was to be in an emergency room with a one-year-old in a pandemic! This was my first experience with her away from home for an extended period of time, so I found myself focused on going through the motions--making sure all of the toys and bottles made it back into the diaper bag and to the next room or location as we moved through the hospital, keeping my daughter calm and entertained, and trying to take in all of the information from the doctors and nurses. At one point in all of the hustle and bustle, I looked down at my daughter who was closely examining the nurse's stethoscope and turning it over in her hands. Her pure wonder made me pause and realize how truly special this moment was. She was experiencing so many firsts (her first time seeing Baltimore City and the beautiful skyline at night from her hospital window, her first elevator ride, her first overnight away from home) and I was there to experience them all with her--our entire hospital "sleepover" was truly a holy moment for me! How fortunate I felt to have God grace me with this precious time with my daughter and, as I rocked her to sleep that night, I prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet for all of the people in the hospital that night (nurses, doctors, staff, patients) that they would be protected and experience a holy moment themselves. I pray that you also find a holy moment in a "first" that you might experience today!