Washing machines can’t save your life

My world came crashing down on me the weekend before Thanksgiving. My wife and I were washing clothes and the unthinkable happened — our washing machine stopped working during mid-wash. Can you believe that!? Luckily, we were done washing our clothes and just had some blankets in there, but “oh, the humanity!”

“Why does this happen to me?” I cried out. “I don’t have any luck,” I added. This tirade went on for about five to ten more minutes and then I came to my senses.

The 30,000 children we treat at St. Mary’s every year aren’t worried about a broken washing machine. In fact, that’s the least of their worries and certainly the least of their parents’ worries.

Most of these children are seeking help — help to learn how to do simple things we all take for granted every day, like chewing and swallowing food. The talented staff in our Pediatric Feeding Clinic, one of only three of its kind in the entire nation, helps children learn how to eat every day. Washing machines can’t do that.

The skilled and caring psychologists at the St. Mary’s Center for Children see kids every day with autism spectrum disorder, behavioral disorders and feeding disorders. The last time I checked, a washing machine can’t help with this either.

The St. Mary’s Mobile Dental Clinic for Kids serves 3,800 children every year and for most of these kiddos, it’s the first time they’ve ever seen a dentist. Our gifted Pediatric Dentists and Dental Hygienists take a mouth full of decayed teeth and transform it into a pearly-white smile. I don’t think a washing machine can fill a cavity or extract a tooth.

Frustration turned into embarrassment, as I quickly realized I was complaining about nothing. My wife and I have a healthy 20-month-old little girl who feeds herself at every meal and doesn’t need assistance eating. We’re able to afford the food and clothing we need to survive. And, we have a roof over our heads every night we go to bed.

We also found a good deal on a new washing machine, but that just doesn’t seem to matter much anymore.

I know what’s important in life, but I’m only human. And, as imperfect humans, we all tend to worry about meaningless things every day. This won’t be the last time I get upset over something that means so little in the grand scheme of life. But, I know what truly matters. And, I know you all do, too.

So, as we open presents under our Christmas trees this year and watch the joy and excitement on our children’s faces when they un-wrap a new Wii, an iPad or an iPhone, please remember the children and families who can’t afford to celebrate Christmas. Please remember the kids spending Christmas in the hospital fighting for their lives. Please remember the families we serve every day who can’t afford to pay for their