March 2020. Like other events in history, I know most of us can remember where we were, how we felt, and what we were doing when the world shut down. For me, my life was full of anxiety. I remember sitting in my office at work and receiving the email that my son’s school would be closed for two weeks. I remember peeking into my colleague’s office to ask him what he thought of the news facing us as healthcare professionals. I remember texting my husband, also a healthcare professional, asking what his workplace would be doing to keep him safe. Uncertainty of what lay ahead, fear of contracting COVID and bringing it home to my family, sadness over a lost school year for my then first-grader, and trepidation of what would be required of me as a pediatrician and of my husband as a psychiatrist brought me to my knees.

 

I happened to be scrolling through Facebook late one evening when a post from CMDA caught my eye. It was an advertisement for a Zoom meeting, entitled “Courage in the Crisis: CMDA Connection Room”. The Zoom meeting had already been meeting for a week or so when I hesitantly clicked on the then unfamiliar “Join Meeting” link and popped into a room comprised of Dr. Steve Sartori, Rev. Ken Jones and Dr. Ann Tsen. I quickly exited; this could not be for me. I thought, “No one will want to hear of my anxious heart and certainly no one else is as discouraged or worried as I am.” I took a deep breath and pushed myself to click that button again. I am forever grateful I did. Soon, the room filled with fellow physicians from across the globe. Wearied and worried faces assured me I was not alone.

 

The connection room continued to meet every Thursday evening. The session would open with a general question posed by one of the leaders from CMDA’s Center for Well Being. Then, individuals shared their answers while leaders shared their wisdom. Week after week, I eagerly looked forward to this time of connection with fellow believers who were also physicians; these weekly “resilience rounds” were life-giving. I started to recognize familiar faces and would message people in the Zoom chat box to say hello again. I began to learn their names, their prayer requests and their hearts for the Lord. As the weeks wore on, our numbers slowly dwindled. By late May and into early June, a few faithful Zoom buddies continued to join. These times of connection and community had become central to my own well-being through the pandemic.

 

On our last scheduled meeting one June evening, I had been out for a bike ride with my son; we were enjoying the fresh air, and it was nearing our 8 p.m. start time. I left him at our neighbor’s house and raced home, out of breath to log on to our final Zoom meeting. With tears in our eyes, we each shared what the last several weeks meant to us and how we had benefitted from our time together. We were literally hundreds and thousands of miles apart from one other yet joined closely under the common connection of the Lord. As we closed out the final meeting, we each reached our hands out, palms facing the screen to “touch” across the miles and seal our bond.

 

During the final meeting, a few of us mentioned we were interested in continuing to meet. Through the darkness of those early pandemic days, I had come to crave the connection forged, relationships formed and encouragement gained each week. CMDA’s connection room was truly an oasis in many ways. We started small by exchanging emails and cell phone numbers hoping to set up a time to meet. Eventually, we set up our first meeting, another Zoom call on July 2, 2020. I eagerly clicked on the Zoom link that evening; I am forever grateful I did. Some of my closest (yet farthest geographically) friendships were born from this meeting. Jenny Brown, MD a child abuse pediatrician, from Franklin, North Carolina; Gloria Halverson, MD a retired obstetrician-gynecologist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Priscilla Wacaster, MD a family medicine physician from Hot Springs, Arkansas; and myself, a pediatrician from Lititz, Pennsylvania formed an unbreakable bond built on our faith and common link in medicine. While we span decades from our 40s to 70s, work in various specialties, sport an interesting array of personalities and live hundreds of miles from each other we continue to grow closer together and invest in one another’s lives.

 

Following our initial meeting in July 2020, we have continued meeting every Thursday evening. I crave this time. Sure, we skipped a week here and there for holidays, vacations, work commitments and family emergencies but we always pick right back up without missing a beat. We text several times throughout the week to check in with each other and to share prayer requests, praises, musings about books read, funny moments and life happenings. They know my kids, my husband and my pets. We are each other’s first text for support and prayer when something pops up during the week.

 

You are likely wondering what we do each week we meet. We do spend a good deal of our time connecting; we catch up on our weeks, family events and prayer needs. We have helped each other navigate various life events including significant health battles, loss of loved ones, job changes and work stresses. Also, we discuss the current book we are reading. We have (slowly) worked our way through the following book list, usually discussing one or two chapters a week and sharing the chapter’s impact on us. Notably, Elizabeth Sherrill, the author of All the Way to Heaven spoke via a recorded interview at the Women Physicians & Dentists in Christ (WPDC) annual conference in September 2021. I’m quite certain I would not have read these books on my own. Having the time to discuss and take a deep dive into biblically based non-fiction writing has been transformative for each of us.

 

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
• One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp with study guide
• All the Way to Heaven by Elizabeth Sherrill
• Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa Terkeurst with study guide
• Sacred Rest by Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD
• Becoming Elizabeth Elliott by Ellen Vaughn
• The Beauty Chasers by Timothy Willard
• Contentment by Richard Swenson
• The Cycle of Grace by Trevor Hudson and Jerry Haas with videos
• Joy of Every Longing Heart Advent 2022 by She Reads Truth
• Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung
• The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg
• Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning
• Pointing to the Promise: An Advent Study Guide by Proverbs 31 Ministries
• Unoffendable by Brant Hansen

 

As we meet week after week, we close our one-hour meetings with our palms outstretched, facing the screen just as we closed the final CMDA connection room meeting many months ago. It is our sign of love and support, often sent as an open hand emoji to each other in texts. While we grew closer together, we talked of the day when we would be able to meet in person; though we knew each other quite well, none of us had met in person.

 

Spurred by my new connection with fellow women physicians, I signed up to attend the WPDC annual conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in September 2021. Gloria attended as well, but Priscilla and Jenny were not able to accompany us. We hugged for the first time, with tears in our eyes and smiles on our faces. The conference was amazing and offered additional connection with fellow women physicians and dentists in Christ (shameless plug to attend the WPDC 2024 Annual Conference in Branson, Missouri!). We started to make plans to attend the CMDA National Convention in April 2022, but once again only Gloria and I were able to participate. However, finally in April 2023, we each descended upon the Cincinnati, Ohio area for the CMDA National Convention. After three years, we were able to join hands and hearts in the same location. There were tears, smiles, laughs and memories made. It was a highlight of 2023 for each of us. We recorded a short podcast episode for CMDA Matters to tell our story. Our hands, palms outstretched now touched for the first time.

 

Gloria, Priscilla and Jenny are my dear friends. God blessed me immensely with these wonderful women during a dark time. We have joined hearts and hands across the miles. Connections with fellow believers and physicians are so important for all of us. These women have been my encouragers, my sounding boards, my prayer partners; they are my sisters in Christ.

 

As my dear friend Jenny said in a text to us recently:

 

“I am thanking God for you guys this morning! I am walking on my treadmill, thanking the Lord for you all, marveling at the beauty outside my window, and thinking about the goodness of God who connected us! Without our meetings, I don’t think I’d have read most, if any, of those books which are now flagstones on my path. I’m so much richer within for having studied these things with a tribe of people who are my dear sisters. All of us have very different perspectives and personalities. All of us are walking the same direction with Jesus, bringing different gifts to the journey, and providing accountability in love for what we’ve learned.  Walking along with you guys has been a tremendous addition, a multiplication on a thousand levels, and I’m so grateful for all of you!”

 

I think Jenny sums it up quite well. Community and connection in the Lord are central to our well-being and thriving now and always. I was reminded of the following scripture verses during a recent sermon at my home church while I was writing this article. They both reflect the importance of prayer with and for each other:

 

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:15-23).

 

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

 

Finally, my friend Priscilla sent me this scripture as she reflected on our time together since the start of the pandemic. The Lord provides what we need and knows how best to provide for each of us. He is good!

 

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).

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About The Author

Sara Bowen, MD, FAAP is a pediatrician at Roseville Pediatrics, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is a member of CMDA, Women Physicians & Dentists in Christ, American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pennsylvania Medical Society. She received her bachelor of science in biology from Juniata College in 2001 and her MD from the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine in 2005. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at Dayton Children’s Medical Center, Boonshoft School of Medicine in 2008. Sara has been married for 19 years to her husband, Michael (a psychiatrist), whom she met in medical school through CMDA. She is a proud mom to Joel, 11 years old and Aaron, five years old.

 

 

To Learn More

While the Center for Well Being’s connection room closed in June 2020, they continue to provide a strong resource for all healthcare professionals through conferences, individual coaching, coaching courses and support. To learn more, visit cmda.org/wellbeing.