Saturday's with Dr. Roffman

Each Saturday, Dr. Joel Roffman, a prominent Dallas cardiologist and author will share meaningful experiences he has had with patients who are dealing with a variety of physical and emotional issues. You will find the manner in which they deal with life’s problems to be practical, inspirational and uplifting.

The Dao Family

I recently saw in my office a man who brought his family from Viet Nam during the mid-1970’s. As many of you no doubt remember, the North Vietnamese won the war and imposed a communist government on the people of South Viet Nam. Many in the south were frightened and resisted the change. Those who chose to leave went to great hardship to come to the United States where they could start a new life.

Because of the language barrier, many of the adults came here realizing that they would not be able to practice their professions, but were confident that their children would have a better life in America. The trip here was often delayed for many months, and some basically had to live in miserable conditions while awaiting a sponsor who would take them in and give them work. But come they did. Now, the next generation is making its mark in this country, enriching us and becoming leaders in the arts and sciences.

In the early chapters of Genesis, God tells Abraham to “Go from this place – from your father’s house – to a place I will show you.” Abraham was inspired to take a chance on a new life. He became the patriarch for 3 great religions. He endured hardship and many tribulations, but had faith that tomorrow could be better than today. What a show of faith!

Many of us do not have that some courage. We are afraid to “go from this place” and are afraid to take a chance on changing our lives, a change that could result in making things better for ourselves. At some point, we may indeed be called upon to get out of our comfort zones – to try something different – to follow our vision of a better tomorrow. We must all have the confidence, determination and faith to help make tomorrow better than today,

If you have a comment or question about this blog entry, email Dr. Roffman at drroffman@cs4seniors.com.
Dr. Joel Roffman has spoken to many church, synagogue and support groups. His book, Coping with Adversity: Judaism’s response to illness and other life struggles is enjoyable, uplifting and informative. It is meant for people of all faiths and can be viewed at www.copingwithadversity.com. It is available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com.