REFLECTIONS
NEW HOPES FROM A "TABULA RASA"
Teresita Bacani-Oropilla, MD
O
n his computer screen was the picture of a smiling 6-month-old baby
boy, his first grandchild. He had already made great plans for them both. He was
going to take the boy to their farm, like his
own grandfather did with him. He would tell
the boy stories of his own boyhood, point out
where the small animals hid in the meadows,
and teach him how to fish. They would take a
snack and watch the stars at night beside a warm fire near the barn
door. There were sparkles in his eyes as he savored these plans. Gone
were the dark, darting and foreboding looks that once were there.
A hospital chaplain once again, he is still recovering from the
traumatic events that he had