Small Things with Great Love

Small things with great love. This is a quote from Mother Teresa that my own mother quoted often. Finding the inherit good in people is something they each believed in to their core and it flowed with a gentle and graceful ease to those they reached out to. So it is with no coincidence that they share the same name.

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital has always had a place in my life. Growing up, I begged my Mom to bring home colorful Band-Aids from work. I remember trying to listen to my heartbeat with her stethoscope and often played Nintendo games in the lobby during her evening clinics. As I got older, I began to see that for my Mom working at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital wasn't simply a job it was a life passion. And for me, it wasn't simply a place to show up but a place to contribute to.

My Mother's passion for serving children with health needs was no further evident than the seven years she led annual fun events for kids with kidney disease. As I scan my memories from those joyful and hopeful events, I see smiles on children's faces. I see youthful energy in the eyes of their parents and families. I see hands reaching out and stories being shared. I hear laughter and music.

Of the many memories I have of those years, there is one memory in particular from these annual events that is etched clearly into my memory, not because it is particularly grand, but because it is a simple example of great love. After a fun afternoon of touring the Tacoma Glass Museum at one of the annual Kids n' Kidney events, my Mom, two children from her clinic who spoke Spanish, and I were traveling back to the reception dinner at the hospital in our car. During the drive, the two children were very quiet. We pulled up to a red light. Sensing their unease, my Mom turned to them and with a big smile on her face, turned to the light and then back to the children and said, rojo? They each exchanged glances that followed by a succession of giggles. The children smiled and with little hesitancy responded, rojo! And as the next light approached, verde! As we navigated our way through the city blocks of Tacoma, the excitement for this simple game filled the car. I will always remember the look on their faces as we passed through each light, green then red, red then green. They were, in that moment, as all children should be, happy, loved, and care free.

However fleeting or enduring struggle comes and enters a life, whether through illness or other means, to string together moments like these makes all of the difference. And to make the biggest difference in the lives of those around us, it requires little more than a big smile and a call to service. As we continue to grow Teresa's Fund, follow the Teresa's Fund Blog and help us reach out and serve the community of children and families at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital by subscribing to our e-newsletter, monitoring our fundraising progress, contributing to the fund, or by sharing our blog with your friends. Together our actions can make a difference.

(Written by Erica Simek)