“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” Henri Matisse An honor walk (or hero walk) is a ceremonial event to commemorate a patient whose organs are to be harvested for donation. The event normally takes place as the patient is transported to an operating room or waiting ambulance prior to organ procurement. It is typically held for patients on life support with no chance of survival, but can also be held for living donors. I have only observed this ceremo

“Age is merely the number of years the world has been enjoying you.” Unknown We often think of age as a number that measures how long we have been alive. We celebrate birthdays by adding another candle to the cake and another year to the calendar. Yet perhaps age is something far more beautiful than counting the years. Perhaps each birthday is simply another reminder of how long the world has been blessed by our presence. Every moment we are given on this Earth is a sacred

“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.” Earl Nightingale Every garden begins with a single seed. The same is true of our lives. Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly planting seeds into the fertile soil of our subconscious mind. Every thought we think, every word we speak, every emotion we repeatedly feel becomes a seed. With enough repetition and enough emotional energy, those seeds beg

“You do not just wake up and become the butterfly. Growth is a process.” Rupi Kaur There is something almost magical about watching a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis. It reminds us that the most beautiful transformations in life rarely happen overnight. They unfold one small step, one unseen moment, one act of surrender at a time. I have had the privilege of watching the entire process—from the tiny caterpillar crawling across the milkweed to the quiet stillness of the

“There are more things likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality .” Seneca How much of our suffering is real, and how much is created by the stories we tell ourselves? I think about this as different situations arise in my own life as well as in those around me. The human mind has an incredible imagination. It is capable of creating magnificent works of art, breathtaking inventions, and beautiful dreams. Yet that

"Always be yourself, unless you can be a unicorn. Then always be a unicorn." — Unknown I smiled when I read this quote because, over the past week, I was called a unicorn more times than I can count. A physician said it. Fellow transplant recipients said it. Members of my team said it. At first, I laughed. Then I began to wonder why that particular word kept appearing. Perhaps a unicorn is simply someone who reminds us that miracles still exist. This past week I had the p

“Don’t ever be ashamed of loving the strange things that make your weird little heart happy.” Elizabeth Gilbert I have always believed that it is the little things in life that bring us the greatest joy. The aroma of fresh coffee brewing in the morning. A field of daisies dancing in the breeze. The unexpected text from a friend that arrives at exactly the right moment. The sound of birds singing outside the window. A butterfly crossing your path. A smile from a stranger. T

"You can never go back and make a brand new start, but anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." – Carl Bard There was a time in my life when I wished I could rewrite entire chapters of my story. If I had been given a magical eraser, I would have gladly removed painful experiences, poor decisions, heartbreaks, failures, and moments when I felt completely lost. Looking back, there were seasons I would have traded for anything. Then one day I heard a perspecti

“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” Willa Cather I have heard my whole life about God’s love for us. From childhood sermons to whispered prayers in difficult moments, the message remained the same: God loves His children completely. Job 34:19 reminds us that “He doesn't care how great a person may be, and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all.” There is such comfort in that truth. God does not measure worth by titles, w

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 There have been many moments in my life when I wished that everything could be revealed all at once. Wouldn’t it be easier if every question we carried in our hearts was answered instantly? I have cried out to God more than once, asking, “Help me understand.” There is a deep yearning within us to kno