I am currently not responding to emails that will increase my workload.

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

We emerge Monday June 29th!!!!!

The "Y" is abuzz with activity. We are doing our final preparations for our emergence.

We are doing our final cleaning.

We are training our staff on the new procedures and realities of providing services to our community.

Even our Executive Director Daryl has gotten into the act. For those of you who do not remember Daryl, he is quite the star. He has even been seen on T.V. most notably with Flo in the Progressive commercials. Here is a picture of Daryl.



As we emerge from our cocoon so has Daryl.



Daryl got a haircut and a shave, or more the way Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor would have said it.

Shave and a haircut two bits:


I am not sure how to respond to the new Daryl. It is like having a boss who is 14 years old.

In all seriousness Daryl is amazing. He has a high E.Q. and an MBA. These two qualities are rarely seen together, just say-in. Although since the "Shave and a haircut, two bits" he some funny new quirks.

One of Daryl's peers, Kelly (not her real name but a story always goes better with a name attached) emailed Daryl about doing some more work, this was his reply.

"I am currently not responding to emails that will increase my workload. If this inquiry has potential to do so you can expect communication between 2027 and 2030.

I appreciate your email and look forward to talking at some point of time in the near or potentially very distant future."

Have a great day,
Daryl

Personally I love that email.

As I mentioned earlier, we are conducting staff training's. One of the exercises we have the staff doing is, "Why we do, what we do."

As Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor is fond of saying, "We save lives."

We may use a pool, a set of weights or cardio equipment.

We may use youth sports or enrichment camps.

But we use them to help us get to a place where we can truly influence people into changing behavior and save their lives.

It is impossible to measure:
-How many kids didn't drown.
-How many people didn't do drugs.
-How many people didn't...

I am reminded of the starfish analogy, "It mattered to that one."

We are emerging Monday June 29th.

Let's go save some lives.

Blessings,
Roger

The butterfly is about to emerge.

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

The cocoon is breaking open.

The butterfly is about to emerge.

I know you haven't been able to see all the hard work the staff has been doing during this time of transformation and transition, but you will soon see the result.

Just as a butterfly emerges from the cocoon, we could not see the transformation and transition that went on inside that white fibrous shell, we can only see the end result, a beautiful butterfly.

The butterfly emerges, takes a moment to look around, spreads its wings and flies away. It doesn't hurry or flit about in an apparent panic. No, it more floats and glides gracefully than it flits.

Our "Y" is emerging in a few days. Our hope is that we emerge gracefully just like the butterfly.

We will look different than we did before the pandemic, I think we will look better.

Come and see what we did!

Blessings,
Roger

Now I know how God must feel.

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

I opened my reading this morning with this, the reading for June 24th.

I have most invariably found that the very feeling which has seemed to me most private, most personal and, hence, most incomprehensible by others, has turned out to be an expression for which here is a resonance in many people. It has led me to believe that what is most personal and unique in each of us is probably the very element which would, if it were shared and expressed, speak most deeply to others.
Carl Rogers
Northumbria Community, Celtic Daily Prayer, (San Francisco: HarperCollins Publishing Company, 2002), 698.

God nudged me as I read this quote by Carl Rogers.

We live in turbulent times; I have often said, "These are tough times to be a shrubbier." In case your wondering it is a quote from Monte Pythons "Search for the Holy Grail" more specifically it is a quote from Roger who is a shrubbier.

It seems as if people don't want to talk anymore. Oh don't get me wrong there are plenty of words going around, mostly shouting and yelling, diatribes and pontifications. But there isn't a lot of talking.

When I say talking I mean true conversation and communication, which takes a listening component.

Now I know how God must feel.

Prayer has turned into the current mode of communication.

People make a list of demands and or wishes, tell them to God and when they are done they say "Amen" and hang up their "God phone". They do not wait around to hear what God has to say. Heck, many times they do not even express what is most personal and unique in them which is probably the very element which would, if it were shared and expressed, speak most deeply to God.

I am on the "Y" DIG committee. DIG is an acronym for "Diversity Inclusion Global". Many of our meetings, which by the way, are made up of well meaning, loving people who are trying to make the world a better place, are taken up with diatribes and pontifications. If we could only get to the place where we share what is most personal and unique in each of us, the very element which would, if it were shared and expressed, speak most deeply to others.

We are taking a good hard look at ourselves and want to listen to others share their experience, their hurts, their frustrations, hopes and desires.

My prayer is, "Lord, help us to listen. Help us to listen to your nudgings and whisperings so that we may become better listeners to others. Help us become the people you want us to be."

Maybe if we become good enough at listening, we can create a safe enough place where people feel safe enough to share that what is most personal and unique in them and is probably the very element which would, if it were shared and expressed, speak most deeply to others.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

Krumly said, "That's Jesus, how long has He been there?"

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

We are getting ready to emerge next week. Our YMCA will be ready to have our "Y" family come back in!

One of the things we have been doing is moving things around so we can provide a socially distanced environment.

We moved a piano.

Krummly (Not his real name, you get the gist) looked at the spot where the piano once lived, as he looked at the spot his gaze went up to a picture that hung above the piano. The picture is of Jesus with a kid on His lap and a bunch more surrounding Him.

Krumly said, "That's Jesus, how long has He been there?"

Esmeralda replied, "Jesus has always been there. He never left."

I was not here when this took place, Esmeralda recounted it to me later when I came in.

She explained to Krumly that it is the same with Jesus and himself; that Jesus was always with him and has never left.

Krumly told me later, recounting the experience with Esmeralda, that while he was a little embarrassed that he had not noticed Jesus he loved how Esmeralda used the experience to explain that Jesus was always with him.

During these times it might be easy to forget to talk to Jesus, to talk to God. Just know that Jesus, God doesn't forget about us and is their for us.

We are opening our doors next week.

It is good to know that Jesus has had His door open all along.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

Anybody out there that wants to help me feed hungry kids?

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

A mobile food truck. What if the YMCA (the"Y") took meals to people in need?

That was the question I posed to my buddy Jamison who runs the free meals program for Portland Parks and Rec. He loved the idea.

I posed the same question to my friend Becci who runs the free meals program for Clark County Washington, she loved the idea too.

We have plenty of locations that if you go to them they will feed you. What we don't have is food that will travel to those communities that do not have a location in them.

I quote Richard Foster all the time, "Self-righteous service is, here I am. This is what you need, so this is what I will provide. True service is, here I am. I do not know what you need, tell me, I do not know if I can provide it, but I will try."

Self-righteous service is saying, "We provide meals but you have to come to us."

When we asked the community they said, "Having places to go to get a meal is great, but we have kids that cannot get to those meal sites. We need a meal site that comes to us."

We said, "Ok, we heard you. We do not know if we can do that, but we will try.

So we went to work.

We have the opportunity now to feed kids that are going hungry in our most desperate Neighborhoods in our community.

We will partner with the food/meal groups.

We will reallocate a bus/van.

We will get volunteers.

We will find money to do this.

We will feed hungry kids.

We will feed hungry kids because it is the right thing to do.

I know all the metrics on how kids that are well fed do better in school/society.

We will feed kids because they are hungry, but we will also come into right relationship with them and their families.

Why do we do these things?

We do these things because that is what Jesus did.

Anybody out there that wants to help me feed hungry kids?

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

You can't touch me

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

I had writer's block this morning. Usually my routine is to write the bread before the day gets in the way but this morning was different.

God hadn't given me anything yet so I took that as Him saying, "Go to work, I will talk to you later." So I did.

I got to the "Y" and it was it's usual quite self.

Virtual camps were going, Eddie was off doing whatever it is that Executive Directors do in the morning. I did my walk through of the building. Old habits die hard.

When I got back to my office Esmeralda (Again, not her real name, but a story always goes better with a name attached.) was there.

We decided to go get coffee at the local Starbucks.

Side note: Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor you will understand this; Esmeralda picked her own Bread name. I would have named her Sue for the ease of writing it, but no she had to be Esmeralda. At least I get to pick the spelling.

Back to our story:

We go through the drive through of Starbucks and order our drinks.

When we get to the window the Barista hands out our drinks inside another larger cup. Immediately M.C. Hammer comes to mind and I start singing!

But me being me I changed the lyrics to fit the moment. Of course Esmeralda joined in.

It goes like this:

You can't touch me
You can't touch me
You can't touch me
You can't touch me
My, my, my my music hits me so hard
Makes me say, "Oh my Lord"
Thank you for blessin' me
With a mind to rhyme and two hype feet
It feels good, when you know you're down
A super dope homeboy from the Oaktown
And I'm known as such
And this is a beat, uh, you can't touch
I told you homeboy (You can't touch me)
Yeah, that's how we livin' and ya know (You can't touch me)
Look in my eyes, man (You can't touch me)
Yo, let me bust the funky lyrics (You can't touch me)
Fresh new kicks, and pants
You gotta like that, now you know you wanna dance
So move outta yo seat
And get a fly girl and catch this beat
While it's rollin', hold on!
Pump a little bit and let 'em know it's goin'…

The Barista was not impressed. I am sure the person behind us who I am sure was ordering for the entire office was not impressed either.

God liked it though.

He said, "You know Roger people like going to church, singing songs, being with people and some even like listening to the message. But when I say something like, "maybe you might consider doing this differently, or thinking about that person differently, or changing an action, I get 'You can't touch me' it is like they are singing that silly song."

In this time of social distancing, don't social distance from God.

Not only listen to what He has to say, but do what He asks you to do.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

Things I have learned from a Chinese menu.

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

It is raining today.

I like the rain, it is like God is giving the world a shower. The pollen gets knocked to the ground, the air smells fresh and new. The plants seem like they like the fresh drink.

Now don't get me wrong, I like the sun as well. A nice sunny day is the best day for a canoe ride.

But I can still find plenty of fun stuff to do in the rain. Hiking in the rain is not bad at all. And working in my office always feels a bit cozier when it is raining. In fact, I don't mind working in my office when it is raining; as opposed to working in my office on a nice sunny day, which can be hard.

I have heard myself say, "Ugggg, it is such a nice sunny day I wish I was outside." I do not seem to say that when it is raining, just say-in.

I know some people don't like the rain. It gives them the blues.

I seem to get more counseling done on rainy days.

I have a friend who suffers from melanoma, he is afraid of the sun. He actually prefers drizzly days.

I guess we are all different.

Whether it is the weather we prefer, or the food that we eat, or the things we like to do, we all have different opinions on things.

And that is ok.

Things I have learned from a Chinese menu.

They have Mandarin Chinese food.
They have Cantonese Chinese food.
They have hot, spicy food.
They have mild food.
They even have an American option on the menu.

Have you ever wondered why a Chinese restaurant would have so many options?

Because they have learned that not everyone likes Mandarin Chinese food, or Cantonese Chinese food, or Chinese food altogether.

They have also learned that when families, or a group of people come in to eat, that this disparity of food preferences exists in the family or group. The restaurant doesn't care what your food preference is, they just want you all to eat in their restaurant.

The Chinese restaurant listened to the people in their community and gave them the "Chinese restaurant" experience they wanted.

If a Chinese restaurant can listen to the people in its community so can we.

We need to do a better job of listening.

When I say we I mean me, you, us, our communities, our organizations...all of us need to listen.

It is only through listening that we can become more like a Chinese menu.

Which will give people the feeling that we are one.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Asphalt or Cedar Shakes

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

This cancer/chemo thing has lost its novelty.

It was a few years ago now that the commercials started to come across the T.V. about the Chickenpox and how if you had them when you were a kid then you are at risk for shingles as an adult. I went to my doctor and said, "I had chickenpox, do I need a vaccine?"

She said, "Roger you have been so heavily vaccinated in your life and you are so healthy you don't need to worry."

Skip forward a few years.

Throw in a few bouts of cancer

Add 7-months of Chemo.

Walla, my immune system is so depressed that now I have shingles!!!

They are located right on top of the incisions from my lung surgery. They are on my side so every time I bend or move they say hello.

People ask me silly questions, "Does it hurt?"

I reply, "Yes."

They ask, "How long do they last?"

I say, "I don't know."

The funny thing is as much as shingles are a nuisance, having shingles doesn't stop me from doing anything.

I feel like Paul, He said, "Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated" (2 Corintians 12:7b)

While it is true that I am not elated to have shingles, I am still in good spirits.

I cannot help but see God's wondrous mystery around me. I hiked the upper portion of the Cape Horn trail yesterday and saw many wondrous things.

I came home to phone calls from my kids telling me they love me.

Covid-19 and the seclusion it brought showed me that my wife does not get tired of me, that is a good thing."

I may have cancer, which lowered my immune system to the point that I breakout in shingles and have to watch out for Covid-19, I am still happy though.

Maybe Paul had shingles. Shingles feel like a thorn.

The funny thing that I learned about pain. I can still help people even if I am feeling pain.

We are getting ready to feed kids for the summer. The pain of going hungry is worse than my pain.

I will do my best to alleviate their pain.

I am looking for a few good people to help me.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

The Impossible Dream

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

The year was 1844 and a young man was about to do something that was about to become a life changing movement all across the world. He dreamt of a world where young men did more than fight and bicker. Did more than just live for the moment. He dreamt of changing the world.

He dreamt the impossible dream.

He dreamt:

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march
Into hell for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lay peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To fight the unbeatable foe
To reach the unreachable star

That man was George Williams, the founder of the YMCA.

We have more men and women just like George in our "Y's" today.

People that want to see:
Families not torn apart by drugs and violence.
Kids lives not destroyed by alcohol and drugs
Communities not torn apart but coming together to solve issues
People not living in fear

We have men and women in our y's" that want to see:
People helping one another
People caring for one another
Entire communities loving their neighbor.

We too dream the impossible dream.
We too fight the impossible fight.
We too reach for the unreachable star

And the world will be better for it.

Our CEO Tyler (Yep that is his real name. People need to know you) sent me this song, it says how we feel.

If that one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To fight the unbeatable foe
To reach the unreachable star

So can we.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor makes a statement

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

Our CEO Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor and a team of people at the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette have come together and written a statement regarding the events of the near past.

I am so glad they did!

Here is the statement:

The YMCA of Columbia-Willamette stands in unity with all who are protesting the killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and countless other black men and women across our nation. We support the drive to equity and justice and believe that Black Lives Matter.
We are listening, curious, and devoted to taking responsibility in benefitting from racial injustice in our community, and will no longer stand idle in the face of these inequities. We proclaim through our core values of love, respect, honesty, responsibility and service that our Y is truly FOR ALL, and commit to the following:
· We will listen more closely to those whose voices haven’t been heard.
· We will stand up and speak out against injustices.
· We are dedicated to removing any institutional systems or barriers that result in discrimination.
· We will create a passionate culture of diversity and inclusion for our staff, our members, and our volunteers.

Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor also said:

Regarding the statement, I've heard some of you say it's too late. I've heard some of you feel it isn't strong enough. I've heard some feel it doesn't say enough. I truly appreciate your comments and please continue to share with me.

I offer though this quote for you to ponder;
"The real difference between the United States and other nations lies not in the words of the preamble to the Constitution, but in the fact that the substantive clauses are enforced by individuals independent of and not beholden to the elected branches."

His recognition that there are many in the room with a variety of feelings, shows not only his emotional intelligence but also his willingness to not only listen but that those speaking have been heard.

I am proud to be part of such a committed team that is focused on loving their community.

Blessings,
Roger

How to make an introvert happy

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

"There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded."
Mark Twain

"The longer I live the more I realize I do not know."
Regor Nottub

When I read that quote by Mark Twain I thought, "I am not really sure that I have accomplished anything."
I am an introvert and for that reason alone I would have liked to be in "the first group" as it has less people in it, But alas, I seem to be relegated to the larger group of those that have not.

I also agree with Regor Nottub. The longer I live and the more that I learn, the more I realize I do not know. When I listen to people who claim to know things I smile and say to myself, "They just haven't lived long enough yet."

When I was younger my teaching style was different. I thought I actually knew something about the subject matter that I was teaching, after all I was hired to teach that stuff so it stood to reason I must have knowledge in that particular subject.

But alas I was wrong.

How many times have we heard, "Don't try this at home, He/she is professional."

Do you know what the difference is between a professional and an amature is? A professional gets paid.

No, the longer I taught and the more I studied, the more I realized I did not know.

So my teaching style changed. I spent less time pontificating or professing, something professors are really good at, and more time coming alongside my students and engaging in the learning experience with them.

As the "Y" confronts our latest challenge, the challenge of community, I will continue to listen to the needs of my family (remember there are no "others" in my world) knowing all the while that I really do not know anything but am willing to come along side and learn with those that I am with.

Maybe if I get really good at that I will finally accomplish something and become part of that small group that Mark Twain was talking about.

Maybe then this introvert will be happy.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

A little Simon and Garfunkel

Good Morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

When you're weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all, all
I'm on your side, oh, when times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

People often ask, "What is chaplaincy?"

I tell them, "Have you ever heard that Simon and Garfunkel song, Bridge over troubled water?"

This song is the essence of chaplaincy, at least it is for me.

Chaplaincy, at least to me, is the embodiment of Jesus. It is literally being His hands and feet.

Chaplaincy, at least to me, is not conforming to a set of denominational rules.

When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
I'll take your part, oh, when darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Chaplaincy, at least to me, is coming along side those that need the coming along side of.

Chaplaincy, at least to me, is more than simply praying for someone. I can talk with God as I give a helping hand or a voice for the voiceless.

Sail on silver girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
Oh, if you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

Chaplaincy, at least for me, has a bit of spiritual direction and emotional support in it. I get to help people see how God is working in their lives and that, what ever this is, it is only temporary.

But if they need a friend I am right there.

Chaplaincy, at least for me, is not a 7-Eleven type of experience. One does not just go in buy a big gulp and leave. No, chaplaincy is more of a long term type of thing.

Why am I a chaplain in the YMCA?

In the "Y" we like to say we are from cradle to grave. Another way of saying, "We walk with you through a life lived."

Chaplaincy, at least for me, Walks with people through a life lived, and there isn't a better place to do that than in the "Y".

There will be many "troubles waters" in our lifetime. I will do my best to be that bridge over them.

I know Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor is singing right now (it is what he does).

Blessings,
Roger

Something I learned from Toy Story

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You got troubles and I got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together, we can see it through
'Cause you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me.

For some reason I woke up this morning with "Toy Story" running around in my head.

For so long Woody (there is a snake in my boot) was the head sheriff of the toys in the room. He had a nice gal (Little boo-peep) and life was good. Then a new toy came to town, Buzz lightyear!

Woody and Buzz didn't see eye to eye right off the bat but after truly getting to know one another they became fast friends, and the song was born.

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You got troubles and I got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together, we can see it through
'Cause you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me.

I like to say to people, "You may know my name, but you don't really know me." When we take the time to really get to know one another, all our faults, all our foibles, when we understand the why's behind the what's, Grace can come in and we have the opportunity to become friends.

There are troubles out in the world today; there always has been and there always will be.

But you've got a friend in me.

If we stick together we can see them through, cause you've got a friend in me.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

Sometimes I just fall out of a canoe.

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

Yesterday after my day on the Dairy Farm I wasn't feeling so good, so I went canoeing.

I got home grabbed the canoe, my wife, my dog and all the sundry stuff that goes along with canoeing: paddles are important, life jackets, special blanky for the dog, water to drink (something the Native Americans didn't have to worry about because their lake water was fine to drink.), and some snacks.

We headed to the lake for a nice relaxing canoe on a nice evening.

My Chemo had run a bit long as the vein in my left arm gave out and we had to switch to my right arm to finish the treatment, or should I say poisoning.

The evening was nice and the water was calm. It is easy to social distance from others in a canoe. You can even social distance from your wife with a 17' canoe.

Everything was great until...

Until we had come back to shore and were disembarking; you get out of a car but you disembark from a boat, something I learned in the Navy.

We did something that only happens once in a while.

As I got out of the canoe my foot slipped and I tipped over the canoe. We were only in 6" of water, canoes float in very shallow water. It was still a quick rollover and quite unexpected. Ben, our dog was launched to shore, he didn't even get wet. Laurie and I fell out and got drenched. all of our sundries fell out too.

Of course there is nothing better during a clumsy disaster than witnesses. We had a good ten people to witness this unchoreographed event.

Laurie was not happy. I could only laugh.

Dancing with God isn't always pretty, in fact sometimes I step on His toes.

Sometimes I just fall out of a canoe.

As I go through my life, and I twirl in my dance, sometimes it is pretty and neat. Sometimes it is clumsy and messy.

It is still my dance with God.

How is your dance with Him.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

There comes a time when we need a certain call When the world must come together as one

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

I am headed to the Dairy Farm again today. Today is a shorter day only a couple of hours of Chemo. I will have more time for "Y" stuff. I have a couple of good meetings today, both are centered around helping others.

Helping others is the main focus of the "Y", the hard part now is figuring out what the new way of helping others will look like.

Maybe the biggest change in our thinking will be that we no longer think in terms of "others.

There are no "others". There is only us. We are all in this together.

I had written once about not having in-laws because if I have in-laws than I must have out-laws and there are no out-laws in my family so it goes to reason that I also do not have in-laws. I just have brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers and children of various ages...

So if there are now no "others" to help, who are we helping.

We must be helping us; but wait, if there is an us then there must be a them. If there is a them then we have an us and them mentality. Ugggg this is getting difficult.

As I have said before, "These are not easy times to be a shrubbier."

Maybe the answer is in the word "We".

Lionel Richey and Micheal Jackson once wrote a song, "We are the World" (1985). It was a good song, good enough to become a "Coke-A-Cola commercial

Here are the words:

There comes a time when we need a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on pretending day by day
That someone, somehow will soon make a change
We're all a part of God's great big family
And the truth - you know love is all we need

( CHORUS )
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

Well, send'em your heart
So they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us
By turning stone to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand

( REPEAT CHORUS )

When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, let's realize
That one change can only come
When we stand together as one

I wonder if we can do this, I sure hope so.

Something to ponder.

Blessings,
Roger

My job seems to be that of the listener

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

I am on a field trip to the Dairy Farm today (Chemo).

I have my friends here with me, the usual suspects; they are attached just like me to the poles with the hoses and wires. Bags hanging from the hooks is the norm around here.

We are all here in the various stages of our little fight. We support and love on each other as it can get difficult and tiresome. We love on and support our nurses and doctors as well.

The Dairy Farm is a microcosm of our larger society.

The Dairy Farm society is based on love, respect, honesty, responsibility and service. Hmmm...I have heard this said somewhere else.

At the Dairy Farm we are all too far along in life to worry about pretending. We know that people in our little society are hurting. We know there is sadness. We also know there is hope.

Those that are stronger help those that are weaker.

Those that are feeling better sit with those that aren't

My job seems to be that of the listener. I have the opportunity to be that person who sits and lets people offload their anxiety and concerns.

It is good to have a job at the Dairy Farm.

As I listen to my fellow Dairy Farm peeps I hear a lot of I wishes.

I wish people would love on each other.

I wish society could figure this living together thing out.

I wish people would spend less time fighting and more time talking.

The "I wishes" go on and on.

My "I wish" is that people would see how people on the Farm treat one another.

I am wearing one of my "Y" shirts today, It is our "Transformation Team" shirt. On the back of the shirt it reads, "Teaching a community to truly love its neighbor".

My little Dairy Farm community loves this shirt, it causes a lot of conversation .

Late last night Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor (our CEO) asked how we (the "Y") could support our community during this time of hurt and confusion.

Loving our neighbor in the verb form might help. I know the problems are so big that it will take a lot of loving our neighbor to help but we can do it.

Someday I will tell you about my wife's dad. He was the Executive Director of the YMCA in Mankato, Minnesota. He reconciled the Sioux Nation to Blue Earth County, the city of Mankato and the state of Minnesota.

If he can do that we can love on our neighbor.

If he can reconcile an entire Native American nation we can come alongside a hurting group of people during a terrible time.

I know that this is a big deal, so was that pain in Mankato 60 years ago.


Trevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvor I know we can do this.

Have you heard of the "Truth and Reconciliation Commision? If not look it up.

Here is the link
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Truth-and-Reconciliation-Commission-South-Africa

We can do this. It has been done before.

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Blessings,
Roger