Dec. 22, 2020 — It’s another story for another day, how our Shero card came to be when a wise and wonderful Marie Denise Gervais, MD, marveled at Hannlis one day. Today, H would be quick to say that it’s the 18 million amazing healthcare workers like Dr. Gervais that we should be looking up to and keeping in our thoughts and prayers as they continue to work and work hard through the holidays.

We’ll tell you the captivating story of Marie Denise at some point, as she is really quite amazing. As inspiring as her professional achievements may be as a physician, educator and medical director within the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, what’s most remarkable to those who know her is how she can find the time and energy to continually be so thoughtful and kind.

Despite her workload and challenges, Marie Denise still makes time to pop by with a  bottle of bubbly or a bouquet of flowers for Hannlis,  just to say hi. With everything she is juggling, she still finds space in her big heart to think of bringing each of us a nifty shield to wear under our face masks, “So you can breathe more easily and glasses won’t fog quite as much.” And this incomparable optimist somehow finds the energy and enthusiasm to text those who love her with updates like this selfie last week, with the Yay for Medicine message you see.

“Grateful and happy to report that I was vaccinated today. Trust in Science!” Dr. Marie Denise Gervais

Knowing Dr. Gervais, she would fast remind us that she is only one of a great many putting their lives on the line for us every day.

My friend Maggie just shared the scary news that her beloved husband “was taken to a hospital two towns away as our hospital has no more ICU/Covid beds. Not being allowed in, of course, makes me want to scream,” she understandably said, “but I have to say that the docs, hospital nurses, CNAs, and every single staff member have been amazing. You can tell they are trying their best to make sure everyone is able to be in touch with a spouse, significant other or family member. Amazing.”

We’re seeing a lot in social media and apps like nextdoor.com about how many kind people are offering to support essential workers they know and those they don’t by taking on home tasks — from shoveling snow to getting groceries, doing laundry and taking out the trash. And we’re thinking, here’s one more very simple thing we can do …

Hold Them in Our Hearts

Find five minutes, and just sit comfortably, with your feet flat on the floor and spine straight. Close your eyes and relax your whole body. Take a deep breath in, let a long breath out.

Keeping your eyes closed, picture the workers in one of the nation’s ICUs or hospital wards — it could be someone you know, or Marie Denise, the team Maggie mentioned, or folks closer to home. Imagine those sheros and heros right there with you, taking a moment. Convey to them the love, admiration and gratitude you feel. Think of how you and these valiant workers are alike in that you all wish to remain safe, healthy and happy. They pray that their friends and family stay safe, healthy and happy, too. Send all the love you can muster to those healthcare workers by repeating the following, or choosing phrases that sound more like you:

May you feel your burden lighten today.
May you feel gratified that you eased so many people’s pain.
May your spirit be lifted by all sorts of surprising little things.
May you feel blessed and protected.
May you trust that those you love will be safe and stay well.

Run through the phrases a time or two, until you feel the energy moving to where it needs to go.

And to all our sheros and heros: We will never truly know how strong and brave you are being every day, or how you do what you do with such goodness and grace. But we see you doing exactly as Marie Denise does, just like on the card below that she helped me write long ago … Embrace your Superpowers. We admire you greatly.

Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative