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Dear Valued Members and Friends of Dermatology-
I absolutely LOVE writing CalDerm Downloads. It gives me time to focus on the growth I've experienced personally the last two weeks and craft a message that is a reflection of exactly what I've been feeling at this very moment. I'm not kidding, I write these messages on the day CalDerm Download publishes as I take my self inventory of growth very seriously! So much so that it has become a routine question my husband asks me every two weeks - "What are you writing about for CalDerm Download today?"
And here's how I answered that question today, without even a pause. "I'm going to write about how incredibly proud I feel of my decisions years ago to be kind to others, to always be in a position to help, teach, and applied the lessons I've learned in my life."
These last two weeks I've been more acutely aware of the power of connections, the power of experiences. Despite a more stressful fall than expected (hello, home remodel), my family found ourselves in a position to pay it forward to others. When a friend going on her honeymoon needed her puppy watched, without hesitation I said "We'll watch him!" (As a dog mom myself, there's only a handful of people I trust with my pup). She knew exactly the type of care we would provide her sweet puppy (and yes, he is as cute as his name) and drove him two hours each way for his little vacay. A neighbor recently confided in me that she was going through a rough time; I didn't pry, rather, I sent her encouraging messages every few days to make her smile. One particular text I sent her (she's from Germany, and I thought a a video of my pup accompanying me to a rendition of Fur Elise on the piano would really make her day) did just that. She immediately let me know of her husband's cancer diagnosis; unbeknownst to her, the experience she is currently going through is no stranger to my family. We sprung right into action and are now providing support through meals, errands, and a shoulder for quite frankly, anything.
These moments don't just come to be - these moments, or rather opportunities to help, to pay it forward, is the result of endless calculated decisions to always do the right thing. To put oneself in a position to be reliable, to be trusted, to communicate outwardly of the exact experience one can expect - these are the things I find myself grateful for, this is what I hope to teach others through my actions.
It's no coincidence that November is the month of gratitude - I am so incredibly grateful to my adopted Dermatology Family for providing me with an opportunity to reflect and share my personal growth. I hope each of you know the incredible impact you have had on my decision to be the best I can be, to pay it forward, to be willing to care for my community in ways previously unimagined. Simply put, I am grateful for you!
In gratitude,
Sheila Johnston
Executive Director
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