“My idea of Christmas and the Holidays, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? – Bob Hope
Yes, it’s that most magical time of the year again, Christmas and the Holidays. A time when we are all powerfully reminded of what matters most in life. And the message that lives in all our hearts, as Mr. Hope states above, is that the best way to celebrate the holiday season this year, as well as every year, is by living with gratitude and by helping and doing good for others.
This timeless message is woven into the fabric of our daily lives all through the year but so often we are consumed with the ‘busyness,’ demands and stress of our lives to recognize and feel it. For me personally, I experienced this powerful reminder when I traveled to Africa on my first Operation Smile mission as a volunteer. Operation Smile provides reconstructive surgery to children with cleft and facial deformities in third-world countries. I can still see that clinic in Liberia with hundreds of people, parents, and children, trying to get on the surgery schedule, hoping to repair the disfigurement and for a chance at a normal life for their child. At first, I was consumed by the overwhelming challenges of providing care and operating under such challenging conditions. But that all changed when I saw the look on the first mother’s face when we returned her child to her after surgery, the cleft on the broken face gone. That mother helped me realize then, and ever since, that the most important and gratifying experience as a surgeon, doctor, and father is the opportunity to use our talents and compassion to help others…. nothing else comes close. And the best part is that we all have that opportunity every day if only we stop for a moment and look within.
Here at EVOLV Plastic Surgery and Medical Aesthetics, we are beyond grateful for the opportunities and blessings that allow us to provide care to our patients. What started out as a simple idea over 20 years ago, to develop state-of-the-art and research-based comprehensive and long-term aesthetic care to improve the quality of life for patients of all ages, has evolved to become one of the leading plastic surgery and aesthetic practices in the region. I am most grateful to our incredible EVOLV staff of professional nurses, aestheticians, and administrators who have worked tirelessly and with such dedication and commitment to providing the best of care for many thousands of patients in our community and regionally. We have worked hard to earn your trust and are passionate and appreciative about what we do and in what we believe.
We recognize that life can be unfair and difficult and stressful, but the one thing that can never be taken from us is our attitude. We all have the ability and opportunity every day to use our talents to do good and help others. Christmas doesn’t have to be just a season; it is really a state of mind; a feeling and an attitude that can last all year long. Everybody hurts; we can all find gratitude and reflect on our blessings and find ways to make life better for those around us. And if we can do that, we just might find that we can find peace and make this life a whole lot better for ourselves. Christmas and Holiday magic is silent. You don’t hear it – you feel it. You know it. You believe it!
“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful” – Norman Vincent Peale
Happy Holidays and Peace to all of you and your families and thank you for making all our lives more beautiful!
