We are in the process of selecting a topic for the 2015 Institute on Medicine and Religion hosted by the hospital each year.  We have been looking for a topic that would help us build on the effort began in 2014 with our focus on “Bridges out of Poverty”.  This week we looked at one aspect of the “Blue Zones” concept of community.  The quality of “Blue Zones” we looked at is the happiness measure.  On their webpage they have a 4 minute test you can take to get specific suggestions on how you can increase your own happiness based on answers to the questions.  Here is the link if you want to take the test yourself: http://apps.bluezones.com/happiness/

The test is based on which behaviors are effective in making us happy in the long haul and which behaviors provide happiness that is not long-lasting.  It was helpful for me to see what changes I need to make.  Here are few of the suggestions the test gave me even though I scored highly on the scale, I still have room to improve:

• Spend more time with people and less time with computers & televisions.
• Do not eat foods for the main purpose of feeling better. (Twinkies make me feel better but an apple or orange is much healthier for me to eat.)
• Get enough sleep. (I fall 1 hour short each night on the ideal sleep level recommended for my age and gender.)

The good thing about the test is it gave me concrete things I can do rather than goals with no way to implement them.  How will this work over the long haul?  I don’t know.  I had decided to work on these goals as part of my Lenten Discipline of self-denial and reliance on God.  So I will report back to you after Easter to see how I did.  I invite you to pray for me as I make this journey through Lent with a “homework assignment”.

This past weekend I had the chance to tour Appomattox Court House while I was traveling in Lynchburg, VA.  I knew from history classes that this was the site of the surrender of the South to the North, thus ending our Civil War.  The tour pointed out to us that when Generals Lee and Grant met to negotiate the terms of surrender that Grant representing the Army that was victorious did not set out to humiliate those who were on the losing side of the battle.

The terms were as generous as Lee could hope for; his men would not be imprisoned or prosecuted for treason. Officers were allowed to keep their side arms. In addition to his terms, Grant also allowed the defeated men to take home their horses and mules to carry out the spring planting and provided Lee with a supply of food rations for his starving army; Lee said it would have a very happy effect among the men and do much toward reconciling the country.

After one of the most tragic divisions in our country was closing those who were on the Confederate side were not punished.  They were treated as Americans and welcomed into a renewed United States of America.  If the wars that are being fought these days could be resolved in a way that was not punitive to the losing side, perhaps some of these wars could be ended before any more blood is shed on either side.

This may be too optimistic, but it is my prayer for our world the future we are moving into each day.

My title is “Staff Chaplain” at the health system.  This title was probably created to differentiate me from the “Director of Pastoral Care”; our department is small consisting of 1 director and 1 Staff Chaplain.  The majority of my time is devoted to care for patients and visitors.  In the past several days I have had pastoral care encounters with other employees of the health system.  I enjoyed these encounters to much I almost wish my title “Staff Chaplain” was an indication that the majority of my time was devoted to providing pastoral care to our employees.

Our employees work diligently, many of them giving 110% of their energy to their task.  While they take their work seriously they still have a life outside the boundaries of the health system.  In these relationships sometimes they need the opportunity to share what is happening in a safe environment with a person they know won’t share their struggle throughout the whole health system.  I am honored that I am trusted by the employees enough that they see me as that safe person.  Recently one employee told me she was impressed that, “I always know what to say.”  I am very glad she feels that way toward me, but trust me there are many times I am at a loss for words.  So today I salute our employees and pray for their lives when they are not providing care for our patients.

In my line of ministry I am constantly visiting new people.  I really enjoy it when I meet a family for the first time and they accept me into their circle so completely that by the end of the visit I feel like I have known them for longer than one visit.  Acceptance is a gift we can extend to others or withhold from them.  The choice is ours.  But when we extend acceptance the gift we give to the other person is long lasting and creates energy and peace within them.  Let us be about the work of ACCEPTANCE each and every day in all that we do!!!!

The Wall Street Journal posted the following information on their web page:

The “NBC Nightly News” anchor, who is under scrutiny after recanting a story he has told for years about being on a helicopter in Iraq that was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, said last Saturday he was taking himself off the air.

In a memo to staff, Mr. Williams said the decision was his own. “In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions,” he wrote. Mr. Williams, who is also managing editor of “NBC Nightly News,” said Lester Holt, the weekend anchor for NBC’s newscast, would take his place.

“Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us,” Mr. Williams said. He didn’t say when he would resume anchor duties.

When dealing with families I run into situations where there is conflict.  The reason a lot of the conflict continues is that those involved do not take responsibility for their own actions.  I do not know more about William’s event than I have read in the media.  But I do applaud him taking a breather while the facts can be determined.  This way the stories of the day can be the news rather than the person who is reporting them.  I am a fan of Brian Williams and truly do hope he is able to return to his anchor duties and garner the trust of the viewers.

Today my Aunt, Edna Grace Robinson, died after a battle with several illnesses.  At the time of her death she was under the care of a hospice program.  During my formative years Edna was always a person I could turn to for affirmation, support and even protection.  She did not have an easy life in that she faced many struggles most of us would want to avoid.  She raised her children as a single mother following her divorce.  In addition to working her job in town she tended to the livestock she raised before going to work in morning and coming home from work in the afternoon.

She was auditor of the bank where she worked when the FDIC closed the bank due to underperforming agricultural loans and depositors were issued checks for the insured amounts of their deposits.  Her accounting was so precise the FDIC hired her to work for them during the transition and collecting the outstanding loans.  All of this took place several years before she had planned to retire.  She did not seek employment following that chapter in her life.

She lived her whole life in Monroe County, Iowa where her funeral will be held.  I won’t be blogging until Monday because of my attending her services.  I was hesitant to make the long trip from Maryland to Iowa.  Her services fell on a weekend where I had several significant commitments.  I was able to find direct flights from Washington DC National Airport that will allow me to attend the funeral and keep all my scheduled events.  My making this flight to her services is just one sign of the degree to which I love her and value her in my life.  Future trips to Iowa will not be same with her not being alive any more.

I met two patients who were in basically the same medical condition.  One felt let down by his Divine Being because he was allowed to get as sick as he was.  The other patient had concern about his medical condition, but said he knew that whatever happened his Divine Being could and would stay on the journey with him.

Both believed the power of a God that was present with people and who had immense power.  One felt God has passed him by and was sad.  The other saw everything from the oxygen to the artificial valve as a gift from God that had been shared with him through the route of modern science.

How we view things as they happen to us has a huge effect on how we heal.  So I encourage you to believe that God is with you when things are going rough.  Fortunately we all know the joy of good times, so when times are not so good we can hope for good times to return again in whatever form they are presented.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday.  In worship settings around the USA living life on a daily basis has been compared to the rules of engagement that are expected in the playing of a football game.  This is a good way to compare how we act to what we believe.

• If we say we believe in love yet practice hate, how sincere is our belief?
• If we say we believe in respect yet degrade others, how sincere is our belief?
• If we say we believe in serving others yet refuse to help when the opportunity arises, how sincere is our belief?

I hope today can be a call to help us examine our actions and our principles and see if we can have them in alignment.  The good news is that if they are not in alignment we can make changes so that alignment can exist.

We make impressions on the lives of others by how we treat them just as our feet make impressions in the sand as we walk in it.  Because the impressions we leave on people’s hearts are not outwardly visible and the impressions we leave in the sand are outwardly visible we often pay more attention to the sand than we do to people.  This is not a good thing, though I must admit I am just as guilty as anyone of not looking for the invisible impressions I make.

Recently someone told me that when they first met me and learned I was clergy they assumed I would probably be boring and only know how to talk about the Bible and other “church stuff”.  After know this person for a few weeks the revelation was shown that I love Superman, crime shows, dogs, and all kinds of interesting things.  This was a reminder to me not to define people solely by their job, because while our job is one descriptor of who we are, there is much more to all of us than our job.

Through our interests we can make impressions on others.  If we define them by only one thing we know about them the impression we will leave generally will not be positive.  If we get to know them and react to the total of their personality and life circumstances we can leave a much better impression.  My goal is for all of us to make the best impressions we can make as we meet new people.

For those of you who read my blog daily you have noticed I have missed a few days.  All I can say is this has been a hectic week.  My topic today is about the things we learn about new people we meet by the way they are introduced to us.

Meeting new people for the first time is an event that happens to me consistently each day.  Sometimes I have to make an introduction myself and in other instances someone else makes the introduction.  If you listen and watch carefully along with the words used, the inflection of the voice and body language can tell you about the level of cohesion of the two people involved.

Here are two examples.

I met an employee and her husband in the cafeteria at the hospital today.  I had never met the husband before.  I was introduced by the spouse as, “This is our wonderful Chaplain Chuck.”  She was smiling as she said the words and her voice light and happy in tone.  It immediately put the husband at ease when he realized his spouse and I were friends.

I entered a patient room and was told my one family member, “This is my mother’s husband.”  The tone and the lack of smile on his face told me that as son he was being dutiful by making an introduction but there was obvious emotional distance between him and the man his mother chose to marry.

This got me to thinking what types of subtle messages do I send when I introduce others?  Do I project confidence and trust in the other person?  Do I let any apprehensions I have about the other person be visible?  How does my introduction facilitate or hinder the growing of the relationship between the two people I am introducing?  I have found these are good questions to think about and I hope they help you as you make new introductions throughout the week.