Inside the Clinic: The Great Conjunction Edition

Greetings, Dearest Community!

Did you see the Great Conjunction yesterday? What is that you ask? Well, it is not, as I first thought, a euphemism for the Seven Corners intersection; but rather, the name given to the closest alignment of Jupiter and Saturn seen in 800 years, forming what appears to be a very bright star in the night's sky. I only recently learned about the Great Conjunction from Rev. Andrew Merrow – Chairman of our Board – whose birthday happens to fall on the Winter Solstice (Happy Birthday again!); however, I made sure to watch it (albeit via the internet) and it was amazing!

Jupiter and Saturn apparently align every twenty years or so, but if you want to witness firsthand last night’s spectacular celestial event where they come particularly close, the next viewing is coming up in March 2080! So, mark your calendars!!

I must say, there is nothing like looking up at the magnificence of our universe to make me feel humble and put my transient time on this planet in perspective. I often wonder, too, what it would be like watching our planet from space - seeing the vibrant blues of the waters and the greens and browns of land masses, and the white clouds swirling in the sky as Earth turns slowly, but surely on its axis. So beautiful!

I then wonder what it would be like as you get closer to Earth: as you approach the surface and see the myriad lights and traffic jams and buildings and roads and forests and corn fields and garbage dumps…. And what of the people you see as you get closer? Can you see them working, laughing, playing, dancing, sleeping, eating? Yes, I am sure; but you are also likely to see them fighting, arguing, sick, suffering, and hungry.

We have seen all of that in the last few months of the pandemic in our small, wee corner of this magnificent planet. What we have also seen, though, is the magnificence of the human spirit as we have met and risen above the challenges this scourge has brought.

This truly came to light for me last week when I watched a short video that Kaiser Permanente put together from photos that we – Culmore Clinic – and other partners in the community collected as a reflection of 2020. Watching this video filled me with such happiness and joy (and a few tears) as I realized what we humans have done and can do when we work together.

I thought of our dear host, First Christian Church with its bold leadership, caring staff, and faithful congregants who seem to have a bottomless trove of love, generosity, hospitality, and kindness to share.

I thought of how our County partners have stood up all sorts of cross-community efforts to support us as we tend to the suffering on the front lines; and also, their advocacy to stave off eviction and redirect resources to keep people in their homes and help them pay bills (all the while reporting out on how they are trying to shorten the wait time on the CSP line). For those things and more, I am so thankful to live in such a county.

I am so thankful for all our community partners who have rallied together to support our struggling neighbors and for bolstering the work of our small, but mighty Clinic as we stretched to the gills to assist our precious patients.

I am truly thankful to our myriad donors who have seen what we do and saw it was good: who have entrusted us with their valuable resources and invested in the health and wellbeing of all. We couldn’t do it without them!

I am deeply grateful for the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics whose staff have bent over backwards to be a support, advocate, and cheerleader to us member clinics (and particularly me as a newbie!).

My heart fills with joy, of course, when I think of all of you who have worked so hard over the year to serve in a medical, clinical, administrative, logistical, psychological, and/or spiritual capacity; and for your good humor and camaraderie, despite all that you have been tackling in your own lives as COVID-19 has played havoc on us all.

I can’t forget our amazing Board and Advisory Committee members who have truly come together in support of all our efforts this year. 

And there are others who have helped us through too – from our consultants, who go the extra mile, to our UPS driver who takes the time to call when an important package arrives, but no one is in the office to receive it. Thank you!

Of course, the stars really aligned for me earlier this year when I was honored with the opportunity to be a part of the small, but mighty Culmore Clinic and to continue my growth as a wee human transiting through life on this amazing planet and fulfilling the trust put in me to pursue our mission of Care for All!

2021 is a few days away and our work is not done. We have many, many precious patients who will continue to need us. So, remember: this difficult time is just a tiny moment in the grand scheme of things, and we will get through it together.

Happy Holidays, One and All!

Anne-Lise