I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!!!

The reason I love it is because show the two dogs sharing the gift of presence in a loving supportive way. It also reminds me of my role as a chaplain. I don’t go around the hospital touching people on the nose as the dog is doing in this picture. I move from place to place in the hospital listening to patients, visitors, and employees share what is on their heart and mind at the moment.

As I listen I respond with:

• Empathy
  
• Interest
  
• Affirmation
  

These responses bring comfort and also start building a relationship that can help support the person on subsequent visits. I find that people are starving for these three responses. I hear accounts of people suffering under the burden of being criticized unfairly, being ignored by those they had previously trusted, and who feel lost in an emotional desert.

What difference do chaplains make? It is hard to measure by a statistical method. I recognize the difference I make as a chaplain by the response I receive from the encounters. People who were not smiling, now smile. People who felt no one cared, now know that at least one person cares, and I am told that a repeat visit is desired.

The picture of these two dogs reminds me of my mission: to bring peace and comfort to those I serve.

Yesterday as I was trying to open a can of dog food as my dog was anxiously doing his “feed me” dance my can opener would barely get the can opened. So after work I went to buy a replacement so I would not have to endure not being able to feed him quickly when I arrived at home.

The product I selected operates differently than can openers I have used previously. The previous can openers cut through the top of the can. You know you are done when the lid is totally separated from the sides of the can. The new can opener, pictured above, attaches to the top of the can, and cuts from the side. There is a small plier tool built in that you have to use to lift the lid of the can off when you are done.

Imagine me in my 50’s having to read the instructions to use a can opener. Imagine my dog wondering why I am reading instead of opening his food. The evening was roughly as stressful as the morning.

Enter today, having mastered the skills of the new can opener I was able to quickly open his food and get it in his food bowl. He scarfed the food down, which is typical for him, and then we launched into “cuddle time”.

Even simple things can be a crisis when someone (human or animal) is exerting pressure on you to hurry when you are already working at top speed. I kept my cool, used logic, and took action as soon as I could to get a new product. I wish every problem I faced in life was as easy as learning how to work a new can opener.

This image is powerful for me. I am afraid of heights and can’t even imagine myself climbing on the rock formation that is pictured. If I were to climb, my climbing partner would have to be someone with whom I had TOTAL trust. I would literally be placing my life in their hands.

This has prompted me to consider which people in my life I trust so much that I would allow myself to be as vulnerable as the climber is in the picture above. My list of people that I trust that much is a short list.

• One of the common qualities each name on this list shares is that I have never seen any of these people fail to follow through on something they have promised.
  
• Another quality they share is that the react without having to be asked when they see that something needs to be done.
  
• A third quality they share in common is that they are all people of faith who practice praying on a regular basis.
  

I hope that you have people in your life that you can place on this “Trust List”. It is a blessing to be able to trust. I hope that some people have my name on their “Trust List”.

One of the perks of maintaining the web page for the church I attend is that I see the worship bulletin before I arrive. Today one hymn we will sing is “We Three Kings”. The moment I saw the title I started humming the tune in my mind.

The graphic above summarizes one of the benefits of attending church. For me it is the “reset button” where I can wipe away all the junk of the prior week and start the new week fresh and unburdened.

No matter the name of your faith community, I do hope you take advantage of the benefits of worship and attend services this week.

Email is something that many people receive every day. It can be solicited or unsolicited. Much of my unsolicited email makes it into the “trash” folder fairly quickly. That allows me to focus on the mail that is sent by people or companies that I engage with either frequently or infrequently.

• Sometimes the message is exactly what I want to read.
  
• Sometimes the message is not exactly what I want to ready, but the content is acceptable.
  
• Sometimes the message is upsetting either due to the content or the way the content is shared.
  

The choice I have when read emails and experience my emotional reaction to them is how I respond to the message. When a message makes me angry I never respond immediately! I re-read the message to make sure I have read it correctly and then I ask myself the question, “When I reply how would I feel if my reply were posted in page one of the newspaper?”

Asking that one question and using the answer to frame my reply helps me greatly. It prevents me from responding solely out of anger. It helps me choose terminology that is non-threatening. It helps me be the person I want to be! I like to behave with the standards I learned when I was a Boy Scout, which were:

Scout Oath (or Promise)

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean, and reverent.