INTRODUCING MY DAD
AUTHOR Meghan Burns
Family picture in Charleston, S.C., 2015
A
s his daughter, I also had the privilege of attending many
sporting events with my dad, which meant as much to
me as it did for my brother, Chris. However, I think I
got something a little different from my dad in these
experiences. I think it goes without saying that in many
ways, a woman is very much shaped by her relationship
with her father. My father never made me feel like I had
to fall into traditional gender norms (nor did my amazing mother,
for that matter). He always made me feel like anything “the boys”
could do, I could truly do better. Whether it was out-smarting the
boys with my knowledge of sports stats, competing in the swimming
pool, or battling it out in academia, my dad always taught me that
I can do absolutely anything I set my mind to. My dad was always
proud of the strong woman my mom is and the strong woman I have
grown to become under his compassionate and dedicated gaze. Most
notably, the thing that my dad encouraged me to pursue, above all
else, is to help others and to use my education, my privilege, and my
skills to give back in whatever ways I can. When I decided to move
to Washington, D.C. to pursue a career in non-profit legal work, my
dad, although sad to see me leave, made me feel supported 100%.
Even when I was afraid or homesick or frustrated with the various
details of this transition, he never let me give up.
patients and the empathy that he shows them day in and day out,
that this has resonated with me in a deeply meaningful way. He
genuinely cares so much about his patients, not just in the physical
measurables of their outcomes, but in their pain, their mindset, their
feelings. He creates an environment of safety, of trust, of high-quality
care in every sense of the word. He is my inspiration every time
I interact with a client. We often share stories, him of his patients
and me of my clients, and he reignites my motivation every time I
hear about how he has taken a difficult situation with a patient and
resolved it with honesty and compassion.
I am so proud of my dad, for the way he treats his patients,
and also in these last few years as he has really blossomed in his
leadership roles within the medical community. His excitement and
passion are unparalleled. The man who taught me to never be afraid,
to always pursue my goals unabashedly, and to lead with empathy
and honesty, that same man now gets to be the president of the
GLMS. He will bring that same spirit to his duties, his interactions
with his peers, and his service to the community every single day.
I am so excited to see him continue to grow and thrive in this new
role; I can’t think of a better man for the job.
Meghan Burns is a Staff Attorney at Maryland Legal Aid.
I can honestly say, seeing the way that my father has treated his
JUNE 2019
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