Joan Hart never had kids of her own. But she spends her life parenting the most vulnerable. And in doing so, she provides these newborn babies, and all those who hear of her, an insight into what the role of a parent truly is. As Joan describes: “I have no other job except to make them happy and keep them safe and comfortable.” We live in a world where getting to the top can become so all consuming we forget to live life along the way. And even more so, we can overlook the real difference we are able to make in one’s life. There is a powerful story with a very learned and great spiritual leader, known as the Mittler Rebbe, who was immersed in extremely complicated learning. He was so dedicated to his studies that he failed to hear when his baby fell out from his crib and cried. It was not until his father, the Alter Rebbe, an enormous Torah giant in his learning and piety, went and picked up the child that he was admonished with an essential life lesson: “No matter how deeply immersed you are in holy pursuits, when a child cries you must hear it; you must stop what you’re doing and soothe their pain.” Thank you Joan, and all the others like her, who remind us of the importance of living a life dedicated to helping ease the pain and hurt of another.
Header Image: NY Presbyterians Morgan Stanley’s Children Hospital
