Giving It Away: 40 Years Later

 

Today I donated and gifted my US Air Force issued duffle bag. I have owned it since November 1981, and it has sat neatly folded in numerous rooms of several of my homes. I offered it to family, but to be honest, no one wanted it and I certainly understand that. Yet, when I brought it and freely donated it to the thrift store where folks can buy and donate myriad items a grateful receiver encountered me. The gentleman said he would like to keep it for himself and then asked me, gently, “Did you serve?” I said, yes. He thanked me for my service, but he then asked me my name and if it was mine. I said, yes, again, with a tear or two welling up in my eyes. I was very touched that he was grateful to receive it. It has my name stenciled in white and I showed him where my name is stenciled. Several thoughts have entered my mind since this morning, and I want to share how this event has touched me.

First, it was amazing to encounter someone so grateful. Even more so, I was thankful that someone could use it. It is in good condition, and it has weathered the years well. He asked about the metal hooks and clip that are used to close the bag once it is full. Another man and I showed him how it works. Duffle bags were new to him. Most importantly, it just felt good to know that the old duffle bag still had life and it could be used. Most importantly, I did not want it to rot away on a shelf in my house. I am grateful that he can use it. Yay.

Second, I am going to give away “everything” one day. I do not have a death wish but I do know that we cannot take anything with us to heaven. So, this was a good lesson on “giving things away” for me. I feel blessed to have the memories of the old duffle bag while he has received something that he feels he can use.

Third, less is more. My son in law, Cooper, recently told me and complimented me on my home. He said, “Your place looks like a Google webpage.” That is high praise from good son in law, for sure. He said that my place looked very uncluttered, crisp and spacious, I think. I appreciated his heartfelt words. All this to say, less is more. Less clutter means crisper looking place, and I cannot keep things forever. Everything must go, as the super-duper salesperson shares on big sale days. All my stuff will be given away one day. I had the blessing of giving and receiving today. More is less and encountering a grateful receiver is a blessing beyond words and measure.

Corona Chronicles Part IX: Survivors: Two-Years Later

 Part IX is dedicated to all of the health care workers, first responders, and mental health care givers who have worked on the front lines and behind the lines these past 2 years. I want to acknowledge the 2-year mark and anniversary of the COVID-19 health emergency (March 13, 2020) and all who have endured this most difficult and challenging time. I mark this time and 2 year anniversary because it has a way of helping remember how far I have come and how far you have come in two years. I know that almost everyone has been touched by COVID-19 and almost everyone knows someone who died from it. We remember them too.

So, let us remember and reflect on these two years. I know that time and distance can help me and you to see more clearly at times. So, we may need time, looking back one day, to see where we have been. Even so, I look back and feel a sense of appropriate satisfaction that I have helped and continue to help those who are ill and those who are suffering with the physical, emotional, and spiritual illness and distress. Thank you, too, for your hard work and your dedication. May you be able to just stop a minute and give thanks for your life and the honor of helping at a critical juncture in our nation's history. We are survivors. You are surviving and so am I. We will go forward, albeit tired and worn out, yet knowing that a better day may hopefully arrive. That's my hope for you and me.

Now, may the God of love, truth, justice and mercy bless you and keep you. May a double portion of love be returned to you as you give your best to help the most vulnerable. May the LORD bless your children and grandchildren. May peace be with you and across the globe. Where there is hate, may sensibilities and goodness win the day. May evil be blotted out and may children and the aged have their needs met and may we give boldly, and even receive boldly, all that comes our way. Finally, may our faith grow as we suffer and sacrifice and may we be as good to ourselves as we are good to all those we know and help. Amen.

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

This is not your everything is changing, COVID-19 blog. No, things really do stay the same. Yes, you are still you and I am still me. Our names have not changed, our birthdays are still the same, and you probably still have a favorite ice cream. My favorites are butter pecan, mint chocolate chip, and cookie dough. I know I said favorite but it's hard to just have one favorite ice cream!

So, back to change and things staying the same. I know that COVID is causing radical change, but it doesn't mean everything has permanently changed.

Christmas is December 25 just like it has always been. Christmas Eve is December 24. You love your family and so do I. Grass goes dormant in the wintertime. The sky is still blue. Mondays are still tough days to get moving into. Time still works as it has worked and there are 60 minutes in an hour. This is beginning to sound ridiculous, but truth can be that way. Simplicity can be rather mundane, and it is.

So, the world is changing all around you and me, every day. But the things that last are eternal. Let me mention the most unchanging thing in life: It is love. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13:7). I pray that the unchanging power of love will continue to empower you to be who you were created to be. I hope that same love will empower you to care and love those in your circles. I wish you the unchanging deep love of God will fill your greatest void and your deepest yearnings. Finally, I hope that this blog will remind you that you are unique, gifted, and sometimes you don't need to change. Just keep being the good, loving, and kind person that you choose to be.

Home Base: Peace, Comfort, Serenity

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have been asked the following question: Do you mean that you drive back and forth from Columbia to Charleston? Simple answer: Yes. More complex answer, I love HOME. Home is where the heart is. So trite yet so true. I love going home. It's home base. It's where my people live and where my loved ones need me and I need them.

I am writing about HOME. It's a physical space and a spiritual space. Home in the Midlands has been such a blessing these past 22 years . Hard to believe I moved, with my family, to Columbia in 1999. There is Lake Murray, there is open space. There is deep tradition and community. There is less transitional movement of residents than some places I have lived. There are interstates; lots of them: I-26 and I-20 and I-77 and I-95 not far away.. Access to the mountains and the beach is 2 hours each way. It's the hub of the Palmetto State.

So, going home after work has been my want and my desire. It gets me away. It takes me to a place of comfort and grace. It almost feels like church. You know, that feeling of peace, fellowship, stillness that is priceless. That sense of contentment that can't be bought.

The sunny and warm to hot weather doesn't hurt either. I believe the number of sunny days each calendar year is calculated on the high side. It's seasonal: beautiful falls and springs, short moderate winters, and hot summers; famously hot as the slogan goes. Most importantly home is that destination where I can slow down, dial back life's RPMs, and catch my breath. Home is a place but it is also a state of mind. May you and I have that special place called home, even amidst the challenges of work, parenting, grandparenting, raking leaves and cutting grass, and doing chores around the house. Home is where God dwells. May God's goodness fill your home with all that you need. So, going home is a good thing. Home. It's right here. Amen.

The Long Way Home

Supertramp’s 1979 album titled, “Breakfast in America” was a smashing success. I saw them in concert. One of the singles from the album is titled, “Long Way Home.” Both the album and this song are beyond good. Give them a listen if you are not familiar with them. I promise you won’t be let down.

Today is my 40th high school reunion, being held in Wayne, PA, not far from King of Prussia where Upper Merion HS is located. Forty years. Hard to believe. I won’t be there but you can bet that my fellow students are on my mind.

Two days ago, I took the long way home to Columbia from Charleston. I took the back roads. They were less congested on Thanksgiving Eve. Plus, the farmland filled with post-harvested cotton, pecans, and peanuts are brilliantly colorful and grand. I am never disappointed.

On my way home and since, I pondered the term, “long way home.” Isn’t that a good summary of life? For me, finding my faith in God has been the most profound journey. I found my way to the LORD and have never turned back. Even so, life has a way of making days and weeks and months of what should be shorter and briefer experiences. Instead, through the “will of God,” “human free will,” and good and bad choices it is not hard to get off the right path. Sometimes it takes awhile to find a better, more level, easier path. The backroads can be bumpy and more dangerous, especially the two-lane ones where trucks are traveling with cut lumber carefully tied to the flatbed.

So, slowing down to ponder the “long way home” may be worth one’s time and my time. I think so. I think of what if’s, what could be, what should have been, what might be, etc. The list could go on and on. Yet, life is a journey. It is the long way home.

The long way can be filled with great joy and devastating heartbreak. The long way home may be the arduous journey of finishing high school, a graduate degree, or waiting on a much-needed trip overseas. The long way home can be the death of a dearly loved one, job loss, home loss, or even death of a beloved pet. The long way home may be long, but I know firsthand, that the road is never monochrome. For me the colors of life are bright, full of life, even in the darkest of days. For the human being, you and me, is so full of creativity, goodness, love, and mercy. Humans help humans on the long road home. We offer a meal, a friendly email, a long-needed phone call, or even a word of apology.

So, Supertramp says, “take the long way home.” For me, I would not want it any other way.

"COVID-19, Grief, and Golden Leaves"

Reds, Yellows, Golden leaves fall from tree limbs, ever so delicately, moved by the light wind in a South Carolina fall morning.

Grief. Loss. Yes, so real.

COVID has happened and continues.

People have died.

Lives have changed. Churches have changed. Work has changed.

Leaves shined upon by the bright morning eastern sun.

Light from God, even in the darkest of times. Times of loss, change, major interruptions. Plans diverted.

Family and children are in spin cycle. Masks. Vaccines. Who says so?

Light bursts through the garnet and orange leaves. Light breaks forth. The grass knows that growth will halt for a time and a season. Halt.

Lives stopped. Plane flights cancelled. Loved ones critically ill.

Golden. Yes, Golden. Color as bright as ever possible. Bright.

Hope. Hope is there. In my soul. In your soul. Even as loss is all around.

Hope is Golden. May it shine ever so brightly and golden today for you and me.

Corona Chronicles VIII: "It's Not Over: Facing a New Round of COVID-19"

I wish it were not so. I really hoped and believed that the numbers of COVID positives and deaths would be declining and not increasing, but that is not so. I was like many who hoped a “must wear a mask” policy would be gone--soon! I was hoping that innocent and good people were no longer dying from the effects of COVID-19. I can still hope. But, before that hope becomes reality there appears to be another challenge and phase of the pandemic that is squarely facing all of us, in the USA and around the world.

In the book of Isaiah 40:31, the prophet talks about walking and not fainting. He was talking about going onward even as we face challenges in life. Some are battling cancer. Some are battling COVID-19. Some have had stroke happen. Some need knee surgery. Some have children who need daily medical care due to chronic illness. We all have our paths and walks. We each have a journey. Yours is yours. Mine in mine. Yet, we all need each other. 

Sometimes we need help from a friend, physician, counselor, lawyer, painter, car mechanic and the list goes on. It’s a community. Communities and countries suffer. Just look at what is happening in Haiti and Afghanistan. Just look in the mirror and across the street. We all have needs. Sometimes we need an extra push, more inspiration, more energy to face a task or challenge we didn’t see coming. What can we do to go onward and upward to a life of joy, satisfaction, peace, and wholeness. I have three fast ideas. Number 1: Be good to yourself. Take inventory of your needs, wishes, and hopes. Take time to follow your dreams and hopes. Be mindful that grief is normal for all, including the loss caused by COVID-19. Feel the losses. Grieve. Feel. Look inward and find ways to flesh out the feelings and thoughts. Sometimes, a counselor can help us do that. Number 2: Let this time of great challenge be a time to grow spiritually and religiously. Use your faith to grow, change, find comfort, and find peace. Make plans for spiritual growth. Talk to those who are spiritual and religious. Find a group that will help you live thoughtfully, peacefully, on purpose and on mission. Number 3: Think about your season of life. Are you in a growing season? A fallow-ground season? A rainy season? A joyful season? A bountiful season? There are times in life when we transition and grow. What is your season? It is good to pay attention to growth transitions. For me those seasons happened at varying times. Some seasons for me included: Leaving home at 18; having my first child; graduating from seminary; getting laid off as a prison chaplain in 2001; my parents dying; and the list goes on. 

A closing prayer: Gracious God, be with all of us in this unexpected and seemingly unending season of COVID-19. Help us to walk and not faint. May your will be done. Amen.

Corona Chronicles VII

I was hanging out with four of the coolest Millennials last night and they let me share some of my best work and life advice for them. So, as the news of declining pandemic deaths continues, there is the desire for many to let go of what is unneeded and live boldly and fully into the present and future. COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted and it's summertime. It's a new normal and hopefully we have all learned some valuable lessons for life going forward. As such, I wanted to share 10 ideas for Millennials (and others) who may be looking for simple, yet helpful suggestions for daily life and work:

1. Put God first.

2. Don't worry about what others are doing. Keep your eyes on yourself and your goals and your life. Don't worry about what others may or may not be doing.

3. Learn about your gifts, DNA, makeup, and personality. They will help you find your passion. Work will be a joy when it is matched with passion and giftedness.

4. Never forget your family. You need them and they need you.

5. Be humble.

6. When fishing, don't use shad to catch bream. Life requires the right tackle, fishing spot, time of day, tide, and moon phase.

7. Be true to yourself.

8. Live within your means and your income.

9. Seek professional counsel when needed. Everyone needs a good physician, pastor, plumber, attorney, and painter.

10. Carpe Diem. Live every day to the fullest. Live in the moment. Write your goals down. Live today. It's all you ever have.

My eBook of 31 Daily Prayers: Written for First Responders

 First Responders: EMS, Police, Fire, Law Enforcement Officers

My eBook "31 Daily Prayers for Health Care Workers: Comfort and Inspiration During COVID-19" was written for you, too. Each day there is a prayer and an accompanying picture, that I took, to inspire, comfort, and spiritually encourage you in your daily work. This eBook had you in mind as you provide emergent, sacrificial, and timely care for those needing immediate care services.

It is available via Kindle and Amazon. Bless you in the work that you do for others. I hope this eBook of 31 daily prayers provides you with some much deserved brief, self-care for your professional and personal life.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091J8R11Y

Corona Chronicles VI: Hope Is Rising

Good Friday, April 2, 2021

Columbia, South Carolina

It has been a long year. I started my daily prayers for health care workers and first responders on March 23, 2020. That is the day I mark as the beginning of my own Covid-19 experience. Of course, the virus was already active and had begun to really impact New York City and other areas of the USA well before then. As we passed the one-year anniversary of Covid-19 in late March 2021 I was becoming more hopeful as the vaccine had begun to be rolled out in the USA. I felt hopeful even as I was fortunate to take the Pfizer vaccine, double shot, one in December 2020 and the follow up in January 2021. Yes, hope was rising and continues to rise.

It is Easter weekend. Today is Good Friday. Thankfully, I have some time off from work and I have time to pen this sixth edition of the Corona Chronicles. Here are some reflections of my own experience and struggle through the daily grind of the pandemic.

1. I have not liked having to wear a mask each day, at work, in the community when shopping, etc. It has been a great adjustment keeping one handy as I travel about. Yet, the mask is a lifesaver and has probably been one of the keys to sustained health for me. So, I press on with its use, hoping that one day I can get back to a place where I do not wear it. On a side note, I believe the mask has helped me and others stay safe from other respiratory viruses too. Wearing the mask naturally keeps airborne germs from being passed from one to another. All these precautions are not fail-safe, nor 100% effective, but I do believe they have kept many of us safe.

2. One day at a time. Yes, I am learning to live one day at a time. Staying with the daily tasks. Enjoying each day. Knowing that God is with me and I am with God in my daily work, grind, life.

3. One brick at a time. One task builds on another task. Life has been simplified for me, even more than in the past. One day’s accomplishment leads to another day and then another day, and then goal accomplishment.

4. People have died. I know many, many people who have died from Covid-19. Some were known from my work experiences and some from my personal life. All lives matter. It has been very, very sad to see. Grief is real. This past month, March 2021, my own mother died, and my aunt died in 2020. I do not believe that either one died from the effects of Covid-19, yet it has been a tough year. You know people who have died from Covid-19. All of us are grieving in our own way. I am trying to find ways to let myself actually “feel” and fully experience the losses. It means slowing down and letting all the feelings and experiences settle into my mind and soul. I hope you will do the same. We all grieve in our own ways and we also cope in our own ways. May God’s grace be with you as you go through your grief. I know I need God’s grace, now more than ever.

5. Hope is rising. The vaccine is helping communities to move toward herd immunity, one day at a time. School districts are talking about students getting more fully active in the classrooms again. Parents are hopefully feeling some sense of hope that the worst could be over. Businesses and owners and workers have endured great loss and suffering, and they are seeing signs that life may come back to a new normal, sooner than later. Families are gathering more. Grandparents are maybe seeing the grandkids more. Fear is declining and hope is rising, for the most part. These are my perceptions. I hope you are feeling hopeful, too.

Finally, Easter is upon us. For some Passover is too. Some are not religious. Some are spiritual. Some are neither spiritual nor religious. I pray that all who read this will find hope in their lives. For me, hope is rooted in my faith, in my loving family and friend connections, and in my purpose and mission on this earth. I am grateful for health and wellness, too. Without physical wellness we can experience pain, suffering, and losses. I am also thankful for emotional wellness and spiritual wellness. Of course, I have room to grow in all areas, but I believe hope is rising in my soul. I hope it is rising in yours. Let us keep an eye out for those who may be losing hope or even lost hope due to the pandemic. Needs are everywhere. May we see ourselves in the “least of these” on this fragile, fertile earth that we inhabit. May we realize that health and wellness can be lost and gained ever so easily and unexpectedly. May hope rise in your heart, now and going forward. For all these things, I hope and I pray, amen.

Corona Chronicles - Part V

The year's end cries out for at least some brief thoughts about 2020 in part V of the Corona Chronicles. Here it goes.

I have loved the group texts that my most immediate family has been having the past 10 months as the pandemic began and progressed. In my opinion, these group conversations about the virus, the general election, holidays, COVID tests, and work conversations have drawn me closer to my kids, grandkids, and extended family, now more than ever. So, I am thankful for the closeness that the virus has generated. It's a silver lining of a grey cloud.

I miss attending church in person but the live and taped services from my church have been quite a blessing. It has helped me and the larger church remember that the people are the living Church, and conversely, the building is not the living Church. I have been able to watch the services live, taped, 5 days later, etc. It has pushed the gospel more outward and less inward. This has been a silver lining during the grey cloud of the pandemic.

My faith got tested during this pandemic. The test is not over but my faith is stronger than ever. The pandemic took the air out of most of us at some point. Yet, God's Spirit walks and inspires and encourages me. I go into 2021 stronger even as the pandemic continues the test it has for me. A stronger faith is a silver lining of the grey cloud of the pandemic.

From John Milton's "Comus: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634:"

I see ye visibly, and now believe

That he, the Supreme Good, to whom all things ill

Are but as slavish officers of vengeance,

Would send a glistening guardian, if need were

To keep my life and honor unassailed.

Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud

Turn forth her silver lining on the night?

I did not err; there does a sable cloud

Turn forth her silver lining on the night,

And casts a gleam over this tufted grove.

And, finally, from the Gospel of John 1:5: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Amen.

The Grief Is Real: Thanksgiving 2020

 "The Grief is Real: Thanksgiving 2020"

11/23/2020

There is no doubt that COVID-19 is continuing to change our world and our lives. It has changed mine. Normally, around Thanksgiving, I would be considering a trip home to PA to see my 81 year old mother. She is doing fairly well but I do worry about her. She is in good care and for that I am thankful. Even so, her younger sister died a few months ago and it has continued to weigh heavy on mom's heart and soul. I wish I could travel to PA and see her. It would make me feel better and I believe it would lift her spirits too. But that trip is going to have to wait. So, the grief is real. I won't be making that trip.

About 10 days ago I had the amazing blessing of being able to hold my two grandchildren, Eloise and Hampton. She is three and he is eight months old. Holding each of them was priceless at my youngest daughter's engagement celebration that was greatly pared down with only the most immediate family members. It felt so good to be with Eloise and Hampton, and their parents Sierra and Michael. It was the "balm in Gilead" that soothed my heart and soul which had been greatly missed seeing them and being with them.

So, this week there will be many, me included, who will be grieving the norm of being able to freely, almost thoughtlessly, congregate with family at Thanksgiving. I realize that this is a time for smaller, most immediate family gatherings. It's the bigger gatherings that will be most missed for many of us. It's the deferment of traveling to see relatives where COVID-19 numbers are greatly rising. It's a bittersweet time. It's a time of loss even in the midst of some joy. Joy of being able to be with those most closest to us.

So, what can we do? First, be mindful of true feelings and real loss. No one is immune from the losses caused by the pandemic. Let us be gentle with those who are most sad, including ourselves. Let us remember those who have already passed and will be missed this Thanksgiving. That grief is real. Secondly, let us be gentle toward ourselves. Ask yourself: How am I feeling? What do I miss? What can I do to honor my feelings, yet still enjoy life and the holiday? For me, I want to give thanks to God. I am grateful for the bounty of the land and the bounty of a precious family who loves me and who I love. Lastly, let us move forward with a deep faith, honest and true feelings, and a deep love for God and family. May we remember those who need an encouraging word or a kind gesture. Either way, the grief is real and so are the blessings.

My Prayer for Health Care Workers - August 23, 2020

Faithful God, I lift up health care workers and first responders who are working in South Carolina and throughout the country today and tonight. I am grateful for faith communities and clergy who continue to provide support, care and inspiration for workers. I pray for all who are feeling isolated and disconnected as this pandemic continues. Be with workers as they provide emotional and spiritual care to those who have COVID19 and other chronic and acute illnesses. I lift up all workers with the hope that they will continue to take good of themselves, even as they care for others in these most difficult times. I give thanks for sustaining faith, and religious and spiritual practices which help us to stay grounded and rooted in the core values of grace, hope, long-suffering, and most of all, love. For all these things, I pray, amen.

Corona Chronicles Part IV: Buying the Second Round of Toilet Paper in Bulk!

Well, I knew it would happen. I finally ran low on the first round of toilet paper that I bought with many others sometime in the beginning of April 2020. I live alone, well with Lucy too, and it probably took me longer to run through this first round compared to some people and families. Either way, I bit the bullet and went to Kroger this morning and bought round 2 of the great toilet paper American buyout!

I believe I may be the only person to ever go into Costco just two times. That is the truth. I believe both times I went hesitantly. I admit that I am at an age where “less is more” makes a whole lot of sense these days. I have never been a “buy in bulk” consumer, at all! But, fear not, I have an appreciation for those of you who are and who save a lot of money. More power to you! I like saving money, too, but honestly, buying 96 rolls of toilet paper to save money just does not appeal to me. I prefer to live day to day, going with what I need. Yes, it can be a hard way to live when there is no sugar in the cupboard. So, let me just concede the point. Having enough of the basics, i.e. sugar, eggs, TP, is commendable and can be an easier way to live.

So, the need and urge to buy in bulk is one of the ways that the COVID19 pandemic has caused change for many of us. Today, I bought round 2 of my bulk toilet paper. I was pleasantly surprised that Kroger had their cheap name brand and I happily put it into the bottom of my cart because that’s where bulk stuff fits with the junior shopping carts that I like to use.

The pandemic has caused a lot of change. Here is where I am at the present time. I like the adage, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” It is a saying that I have regularly pondered in my life, at times, when I needed to reach down deep and move ahead amidst struggle and trials. Facing challenges is a matter of going through them and realistically acknowledging the struggle of “pressing through” and “onward.” This is a basic life principle of mine. It is a matter of discovering one’s max performance or if you prefer, knowing where the “red line” exists. Let me illustrate. Most cars can rev their engine as high as maybe 6,000 RPM but that is about it and only for a short period. At some point the engine will blow and shutdown. That is the red line and the warning line. Well, COVID19 is pushing most of us to discover the red lines in life. Where are the limits and maximums? What can I honestly do and achieve in a day’s work? Where do I need to ask for help? These are good questions. Some of these questions I am asking myself even daily.

So, you are not alone. Most of us have probably bought round 2 of bulk TP. Have you? Most have probably hit or neared a few life “red lines.” It is just where we are right now. So, let us remember that we all have limits and eventually we run out of resources and we must recharge, refuel, recalibrate, and pray again. May we have the wisdom and grace to know when to step back and reconsider the challenges that lay ahead. Then, let us be careful to avoid burnout and overheating. In the end, we all must reload and recharge, refresh, and renew the lives we are living. May you be blessed as you navigate COVID19 challenges and this very uncommon season of life. Happy shopping at Costco, too!

Corona Chronicles - Part III

May 17, 2020

There is an old saying: The only person who likes change is a wet baby. I say “for sure” to that. The Corona COVID-19 pandemic has brought monumental changes to all of us in our own way. Some of the changes are almost universally prescribed: 6-feet social distancing, self-monitoring for symptoms, shortages of necessities like toilet paper and Lysol disinfectant wipes, no haircuts or nail salon visits to name a few.

Yet, change can be exciting and exhilarating. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not signing up for uninvited changes. Most of us, me included, like to have moderate control over our schedules, eating habits and offerings, salon visits, and taking Fido to the pet doctor. All of these things are important.

Change is sometimes thrust upon us. For some that has meant pay cuts, furloughs, new work hours, days and nights running together, social distancing, and taking one’s temperature twice a day. In fact, I have taken my temperature more in the last 6-weeks than I have my entire life.

Yet, change can bring good. I am enjoying, sometimes (emphasis sometimes), adjusting and accepting new ways of doing things. Here are some obvious changes:

My commute has less traffic and gas prices are down. Now, who would have predicted those things during a pandemic? Well, less traffic makes sense but gas price drops were unexpected. I will take that. In fact, I was groaning just yesterday about the price increasing to 1.57 a gallon.

I have also learned to enjoy watching and participating in my church’s online service. I never would have imagined that the online service would be or could be just as meaningful for me as compared to in-person, but I can say it is for me. That has been a big change and surprise for me.

I received the “tax rebate” that was delivered to tax payers who paid taxes in either 2018 or 2019. I certainly did not expect a 1200.00 check from the government but it happened and it helped. That was a change of pace, especially since April 15 tends to mean “pay up” in most years.

This pandemic has moved my heart and soul towards the larger global world. I think there is about 7.8 billion people in the world and most of us are dealing with some challenge of sorts from this novel Corona virus. The virus reinforces the idea that it is indiscriminate. Everyone is prone to get it and immunity against it has yet to be guaranteed or found. We are in this together, as the inhabitants of Mother Earth.

Finally, change can be good, exhilarating, scary, maddening, or even benign. Even so, we change every day. Some changes are minor most of the time. Yet, there are events, like COVID-19, where change breeds change. One good change can lead to another change that can lead to another change. It seems that some people who work at home are considering full time home-based employment. They have tried it and they do not want to go back to the work place. Working at home meets some needs that were getting unmet like more time with the kids and less time commuting. Some are saying that productivity is up for “stay at home” workers as compared to the regular “go to the workplace” set up.

Most importantly, these past six weeks have made it possible for me to make changes faster than normal. Some has been thrust upon me. That has been hard at times. Other changes have been good and welcoming once they have been tested and the new goals and new work methods have been used. So, how are you dealing with changes? I would guess that some have been unexpectedly good. If so, let’s ride those out while grieving the losses too. Let’s continue to let “good change” foster more “good change.” I don’t know where it all leads but I know that God is calling me to listen to God and listen to my own self and needs. The combination of God, me, and change seems to be bearing good fruit and that’s been novel and fun for the most part. I can only hope that your best version of you and me is yet to come given all these unexpected changes. Amen.

Corona COVID19 Chronicles: Gains and Losses

I have not turned on ESPN more than one time in about two months. Oddly I don’t miss sports and I don’t miss ESPN. Actually, I don’t have time to worry about all of the sports events that I have missed. I am too worried about remembering if I have taken my temperature two times a day and whether it is under 99.5.

I really need a haircut but I am going to be ok. Most everyone needs a haircut. We are in this “boat” together. No one has the upper hand on barber shops or beauty shops. I hope my regular hair person does not decide to leave her work as a hairdresser but if she did, I would understand. It’s rather up-close and personal kind of work. It’s the kind where a virus could be caught via unintended touching or even an untimely sneeze into the Sports Clips shop.

I have not yet had the chance to hold my new grandson, Hampton Dell Love, born March 2, 2020 in metro Columbia. It’s hard to believe but it’s true. Even so, I am ok not holding him until this crazy virus is tamed and chances of transmission from me to him are minimized to almost zero percent. I can wait.

I really missed not being with my family on Easter Sunday for worship and then a meal. I still wonder what it would have been like having two beautiful grandkids around and seeing my four adult children and other family. I watched the Easter worship service online as Riverland Hills adapts to worship outside the four walls. It has been a pleasant surprise and new twist for me to watch Sunday service on a day that I work. Online services availability did not come a day too soon for me. I am glad the COVID-19 has created one more way for my church to offer a worship experience.

On a very, very sad note, 900 MUSC employees were put on furlough, and even closer to home, 5 (five) of the furloughs happened to my chaplain colleagues. It hurt to hear and see the layoffs happen to my co-workers. COVID-19’s dastardly work has been done as I have witnessed co-workers lose income and meaning and purpose.

Maybe most importantly, the denial is wearing off and the virus has really caused a lot of heartache for individuals and families. There are real people who are losing businesses, losing health, and losing connections with their social and work circles. Loss is real and anxiety and depression are nearby, if not present. What can we do?

First, I say, grieve our losses. Grieve my own losses. They are unique to you and unique to me. No one is the same but we have losses and they are real. Second, find ways to still connect without causing potential medical harm to others or yourself. Use your phone, email, and human presence to reach out to others. Don’t let an invisible virus cause you to be invisible to others. Stay connected, even if it is six feet apart. Third, let this time be a rare chance to reevaluate your priorities in life. Ask, what is important? What are my goals? What matters and what doesn’t matter. It’s a beautiful time to step back and look at the forest rather than the trees for a change. Let this time be a chance to grow spiritually. For me I am writing a daily prayer that I share with others. It has been fascinating and so important to me to see and hear that the prayers are touching lives. Even so, my own life and prayers are touching me too. I am pondering my own words and taking “my own medicine.” It’s good for my soul. Finally, I encourage you to do an inventory of gains and losses as a result of COVID-19. I imagine it will be therapeutic to just recount your losses and recount your gains. Hopefully, this virus will subside and we can return to a degree of normalcy soon. That’s my prayer and hope.

Caregivers Using Spiritual Practices to Cope With COVID-19

March 22, 2020 was a significant day for many churches and faith groups across the country.  My own home church actually launched its first ever on-line service.  I was so glad as I was able to watch it from my work location.  It was encouraging and uplifting to see familiar faces and in one case, “make history,” by participating in the service by watching.

Regular worship attendance is a part of my journey as a hospital chaplain.  I cannot imagine what it would be like not to have a church home where I can worship, sing songs, hear music and prayers, hear scripture, and be encouraged by a challenging message from a pastor.  It is like feeding my soul each week.  I need it and it is so important to my emotional and spiritual health.

I hope you will find a way to listen to a service, sermon, music, inspirational speaker this week as you wind down an amazingly stressful week in health care settings.

One quick story:  In April 2001 I had the devastating experience of layoff from my work as a correctional chaplain at a correctional facility in South Carolina.  I remember going into the warden’s office and hearing his words, “I’m sorry, but we are going to have to lay off some of our staff and I am sorry to say that includes you that are here.”  I could not believe my ears.  Even now some people in South Carolina are hearing those same words from their hospitality and food employer, gym fitness center, and retail settings to name a few.  I imagine some of us know someone who has already had that happen to them.  It is sad.  It is hurtful to the one laid off and it effects entire family systems.  So what can we do?  Here are three quick ideas:

1.            Reconnect with your faith tradition and its resources.  Maybe this can be a time for spiritual renewal and growth.  It is already for me and I am using the time as such.

2.            Call your friends and check on them.  Do not wait for them to call you.  Maybe they need some spiritual encouragement as they deal with the stress of being newly minted “home school professors” for all of their kids.  Imagine the stress of parents who are trying to juggle work and family responsibilities.  It is almost beyond the ability of most, but with God, all things are possible.

3.            Maybe reframe and rethink some of the downtime as a way to accomplish some necessary tasks.  Maybe there is a book you have been wanting to read or even a house repair project that needs some simple but convincing attention.  Even a well deserved nap during the day may be a new opportunity that has not been available in the past.  Above all, be good to yourself and find a way to bless yourself and your life.  It’s ok to do that.

Thank you for all you are doing as a clinicians, healthcare caregivers, and EMS services.  May goodness be upon you and your family.  Amen.

The Hospital: A Place to be Fully Human

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have had to work and train in a hospital setting. I began my clinical pastoral education in 1999 and have been actively involved in chaplaincy as a hospital chaplain since then for almost that entire time. What’s most amazing to me is the fact that hospitals and hospital staff work at ground zero. This includes trauma calls, end of life, new diagnoses, mental health crises, and even routine surgeries. All of it seems rather “down to earth.” In a way, working at ground zero, the hospital ER and hospital rooms, has given me the opportunity to be with folks at some of the most emotionally and physically rawest moments in life. As such, I work to encourage my patients to own their full humanity while I at the same time try to be fully human with them in their hospitalization. It’s the greatest gift I can offer. It’s the gift of accepting my fellow human being as being fully human. As COVID-19 shakes the world, I believe that being fully human is the way to live in and through this worldwide crisis. It means acknowledging my own fear and worry and tending to the worry and fear and anxiety of others. There is no need to “spin it” positively when the situation is very concerning at the least. So, living my fully human life with my fellow humans, family members, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers is the way for me. I want to help and be helped. We all need help in our ways and we all can give help to those in our paths and circles. Finally, being fully human does not negate my spiritual life. Instead, my spiritual beliefs give me hope, comfort and grace. These spiritual gifts serve to help me appreciate my true humanity even more. I seek to own my true feelings amidst this crisis while at the same time remembering I am not alone. In fact, it seems to me that COVID-19 is helping me and others to connect with people in ways that maybe could not even be possible before this event. That’s the silver lining from this virus that I hope subsides and passes, sooner than later. I believe we are all in this together.

Homecoming Service - Dallas Baptist Church - Dallas, NC - September 29, 2019

It was my honor and joy to share the message for the homecoming service at Dallas Baptist Church.  

http://dallasbaptist.net/2019/09/30/homecoming-september-29-2019/?fbclid=IwAR1j4c2dRgsQGUULIZ3hTsQoSN1dGI604xN0Q6GVE--E4J0S48aySzpusvM

The Middle Ground Is Undervalued

Moderate approaches to life don't make the headlines.  It's the extremes that make the news many times.  Even bases and acids have to produce the right mix to allow for pure water.  A centered lifestyle allows for a good mix of rationale and emotion, mixed in with a good dose of spirituality and a healthy appreciation for the mystery of life.  People like John McCain had enemies on both sides of the political aisles.  Jesus did as well as he talked with religious people from all walks of life.  I am a centrist and a happy one.  It's a good place.  I don't like to sell my soul to those who need or demand absolute allegiance, other than to God.  The middle lets me hear various opinions on new housing versus maintaining lively green spaces.  The middle ground helps me to own my humanness while keeping in touch spiritually and rationally.  I am a middle child, well sort of, as I have an older sister, and older fraternal twin brother and a younger sister.  I assume that would make me a card-carrying middle child.  Jesus said, "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."  I realize that life will demand fierce competition and strong stances on occasion.  Yet, more times than not, the middle is the better place, even with a little wiggle room to the right and to the left as necessary.  It's a good thing that the sun rises and it sets.  I don't think constant 90 degree sun would work well, although 10 hours of it in the summertime sounds like a great day to me.  So, I continue to seek middle ground, peace, and harmony as I am able.   One day all creation will be brought home to God and all Creation will find the ultimate middle ground where the wolf and lamb will lie down and the adder and young child will play side by side.  Sign me up.