May you be gentle and loving, clear and sure.
May you trust in the unseen providence that has chosen you to be a family.
May you stand sure on your ground, and know that every grace you need will unfold before you — like all the mornings of your life.
from To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings." Father John O'Donohue
We have been watching Season 2 of the emergency room drama The Pitt, and while we're still impressed it doesn't have the same power as the multiple Emmy Award winning first season. The exception for us so far is episode three with two scenes we found moving, one I may describe at another time.
Nurse Practitioner Donahue and Dr. Langdon
A doctor, a male nurse practitioner, and the dad of a boy who has managed to lodge marbles up his nose are musing on fatherhood as they problem-solve. The physician, Dr. Langdon, shares a prayer, a blessing he learned during hard times. It was written by the late John O'Donohue, an Irish priest who died in his sleep at the tender age of 52. How did this priest find his way into the script of a medical series? Star of the show and script writer Noah Wyle explained in an interview:
"John O'Donohue is an author that I got turned on to several years ago by David Crosby's widow, Jan — a good friend who was looking for some koans of wisdom to help her through a difficult time," Wyle shared. "His 'Book of Blessings' I found to be just absolutely beautiful. Every one, on every subject, had some really lovely phrasing, and some really lovely wisdom. So he's just been in my back pocket."
That personal connection eventually found its way onto the page.
"When it came time to writing this scene," Wyle continued, "it's three fathers in a room with a kid that won't sit still — and that's a rare thing to get. Donahue [the nurse] is a new father; he's got a baby at home. Langdon's got [slightly] older kids. And fatherhood doesn't come with a manual. So you've got three guys in there talking about their experiences of being fathers."
We like that Wyle includes the stuff that has influenced him on life's journey.
A curioius connection with O'Donohue in our family. When our son, Isaac, walked the Camino de Santiago, an 800 kilometre pilgrimage walk, as a 19-year-old he took the priest's book Anamchara with him. An older Irish pilgrim saw Ike with the book and mentioned that he was friends with the author. A couple of months after he returned from Spain Isaac received an autographed copy of the book in the mail from his walking companion.
2 comments:
There are so many incredible moments on "The Pitt." We love it. On that same episode, was the scene with the Tree of Life synagogue massacre survivor. There seems to be an empty place inside Dr. Robby right now -- he's not doing well with his post COVID therapy. We see how Dr. Langdon has done his program, come back, accepted what he did, and is apologizing to his co-workers. Robby won't forgive him -- we see a reckoning coming for Dr. Robby.
I think after the season is over I may re-watch and do some stopping -- with the fast pace, and slow down for some of the spiritual moments. KB
Yes, that scene with the survivor is also remarkable. I will blog about it at some point! Yes, there are plenty of moments that deserve pondering. Thanks Kathy, and happy Family Day.
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