I’ve always thought that
THE HOLY
was never a Place
so much as
A PERSON
and more intimately. . .
Y O U
and from that came
THIS:

I went to Church
it wasn’t Church-ing

I went to the Playground
it was no longer a ground for play

I went to the Movies
they weren’t movie-ing

I went to the Show
it wasn’t showing
I went to the Concert Hall
it had been silently hall’ed away
I went to the Park
it was prohibitedly parked

I went to the Mall
it had indefinitely been mall’ed shut
I went to the Store
it had been mostly stored away
I went Home
it had been homed sheltered up
and though familiar 
so utterly unrecognizable 
and then
Then I journeyed in
to a cavern
to a nook
to a creaky cranny 
I seldom visit
And there
t h e r e
was the holy
an altar not often knelt before
a communion rarely shared
a hymn not yet sung
a litany never recited
a homily vaguely strange
(maybe imagined)
a benediction
challenging to go forth
and make a difference 
while urging me to stay
and know a sacred distinction
May be
(be it may)
that what’s Holy
is THAT which is
WHOLLY 
ME
Perfectly Imperfect
ME
Ahhhhhhhhhhh
Christmas, Easter, New Year’s Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, Diwali, Holi, Vesak, Parinirvana Day, Chinese New Year’s
At Once
Wholly
Holy
In Me

A picture doesn’t always have to have a caption,
does it. . . ?
and although
this picture
could have many captions
one might be:
MANY HANDS; ONE WORLD
or would it be
THE WORLD IN OUR HANDS
or would it be
RESPONDERS US, ONE IN ALL

We’re all first responders amid coronavirus, armed with kindness, compassion and empathy. . .

Mark Brennan, Dana Winters and Pat Dolan, Opinion contributors from USA TODAY have basically reported what really needs no captioning right now for the picture of our World. . .

Fred Rogers said heroes are those who take responsibility. He also said ‘deep and simple’ acts are most meaningful. We should take his words to heart. . .

“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”—Fred Rogers

We are now fully feeling the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In previous weeks perhaps it seemed imaginary, but now we are faced with a new very daunting reality.  As the scope of pandemic becomes evident and our daily lives are increasingly altered, the absolute need for us to act heroically with empathy, kindness and compassion is ever present. 

Through our research and professional experience, we know one key thing: In times of emergency, providing empathy, kindness and compassion to our fellow citizens is the single most important factor in surviving the initial stages of disaster, limiting suffering, protecting the vulnerable, and quickly recovering in the aftermath of the crisis.

As we have seen, this epidemic is bringing out the best, and worst, in us.  At its worst, we are witnessing people speaking out as fear, frustration, uncertainly and massive disruptions to our daily routines grow.  With these we see increases in victim blaming, intolerance, hostility, and at its very worst, violence stoked by racism and the promotion of xenophobic beliefs. We saw recent examples in London, New York and elsewhere.

We are all first responders

This frightening and uncertain environment also exacerbates social isolation, particularly of the most vulnerable within our society, the old, the ill, the very young and the socially marginalized. The social and psychological toll of this is, and will be, massive.

In the face of a global pandemic, we as individuals are the first responders. Thankfully, we are also seeing inspirational acts — examples of the world sharing responsibility for and with one another, and people giving support to others in their communities even in the face of social-distancing, quarantine and fear. 

In a movement across social media, educators of all levels are reaching out to families to offer expertise and assistance in their sudden new responsibility to home-school their children. Countless posts offer caregivers help in content areas such as math, reading, and science.

Laura Ryan does a chalk art message on March 21, 2020 in Swoyersville, Pa. as neighbor Lindsey Stewart watches with her son Seth, 2. (Photo: Dave Scherbenco, AP)

In a Tennessee retirement community under quarantine, a son worried about the well-being of his mother and her friends. He turned that worry into action when he brought his guitar and sat outside the windows, serenading the residents who watched through their screens or stood on their balconies. Some sang along, some just listened, but they all felt a sense of connection to the music and each other. Taran and Calliope Tienof Columbus, Ohio, ages 9 and 6 respectively, are providing impromptu concerts for their self-isolating elderly neighbors.

An Irwin, Pennsylvania window-washing company recently advertised “free grocery pickup & delivery for seniors” on a billboard outside its headquarters, and it’s been fielding calls for help ever since. Similarly, Nevada college student Jayde Powell organized “shopping angels” to collect food, prescriptions, and necessary supplies for the elderly, limiting their possible exposure to the coronavirus. The idea has spread across the country and the Nevada group’s GoFundMe account on Monday was more than a third of the way to its $100,000 goal.

Erin leaves notes on our mail box every day for the mail man;
ANOTHER RESPONDER
as a way to say
THANK YOU
without the words
but with
a c t i o n s
. . .actions
that can come from any one of us
not just once
or once in a while
but often
and then repeated
u n e n d i n g l y. . .

These acts of kindness, compassion and empathy continue to grow across the world, and will grow far faster than any seeds of division if we commit to making them more important than hatred or fear. 

‘Deep and simple’ acts are essential

Sometimes the world can look so big that it is hard to know where to start to show kindness, compassion and empathy. It is times like this when the words of humanitarian and children TV presenter and educator the late Fred Rogers ring true: “The deep and simple is far more essential than the shallow and complex.” Even the simplest acts of kindness, compassion and empathy are felt so deeply in times of uncertainty. No act is too simple, no moment too small, to bring comfort and healing. Now is a chance for all of us to act heroically. 

You have the ability and opportunity to ease the fear of children and others by talking to them about what this crisis and ensuring them that scientists and doctors are going to fix this. You have the ability help ensure the health of the elderly by shopping for them to limit their potential exposure, while talking routinely with them to help them feel less isolated and alone. You can challenge victim blaming and hateful speech when you hear it. You can donate time, money, food and your skills to support any need in your community. 

These are but a few small examples. What is important is that you look for opportunities to demonstrate empathy and kindness, and act on them.

Finally, we look back to history. Faced with war, disease, disaster, terrorism and other threats, those we remember for making a difference are those who showed compassion, kindness, and empathy to fellow human beings in their greatest hours of need. These qualities are at the core of our humanity and our capacity to respond and recover from this current crisis.

Together, and supported by each other, we will get through this. . .
We are literally showing the greatest way to get out of Hell
IS THROUGH IT. . .
so we do
. . .we do
one step at a time
and we do it best
HAND IN HAND
(and it may never require touching but it’ll always mean reaching)

I can’t ever remember a time when I didn’t
FEEL IT
but after nearly 40 years of being Ordained
I FEEL IT
more strongly now than ever before
and have a better way of
c o m m u n i c a t i n g
it than well over 40 plus years ago. . .

The most debatable question that I have ever had to answer at any of the four churches (FIVE if you include the three years I served my Student Church in Seminary) and now 25 years of being a Hospice Chaplain
is:

AM I WRONG TO THINK THAT JESUS
CAME LESS TO SCARE THE HELL OUT OF ME
AND MORE TO BRING HEAVEN
TO MY HELL. . . ?

I never could get my
h e a d
h e a r t
s o u l
around a God who loves me
u n c o n d i t i o n a l l y
who’s Son died for the sins of the world
being weaker/less
than my worst flaw and blatant wrongnesses. . .

My Caring Catalyst
s o u l
just can’t quite figure it all out
but it doesn’t
F E E L
right
THIS THEOLOGY of HELL
we’re bound
unless, until, except, if, but,
Y O U
should
better
ought-to
have-to. . .

Sometimes
The Well-Worn Prayer
F I N D S
and Prays for
U S

W a i t. . .
W h a t. . ?
Can it be
T H A T
s i m p l e
?

H E Y:
What would happen if we substituted whatever we call
GOD
MOHAMMED
ALLAH
BUDDHA
HIGHER POWER
ENERGY
SPIRIT
SUPREME BEING
O THOU WHO ART FOREVER
with the word:
L O V E. . .

Make Life or the Living of it
a little
d i f f e r e n t. . . .
(it really can)

S   O   M   E   T   I   M   E   S

what we

T   H   I   N   K

and what we

K   N   O   W

are two different

U       N       I       V       E       R       S       E       S

that never really ever meet

on the obscure

C    O    N    T    I    N    E    N    T

of the not very often enough visited

 E      X      P      E      R      I      E      N      C     E

But what you know

what you know you know

what you’d bet your life

that you know.      .       .

we least

A       C       T

like we know

L    I    F    E

is often

a metaphor

a simile

but rarely a

R E A L I Z E D       R E A L I T Y

HOME

HEAVEN

HELL

are not PO BOX Addresses

or Destinations

.       .      .they’re not even

dreams

illusions

or realities

.          .          .they are our

c h o i c e s

choices      with      consequences

.        .       .s o.        .        .

G  O        T  O        H  E  L  L

you might be surprised by the trip

you might be surprised by the destination

you might be surprised by the

H E L L      O F      I T

It was a busy Saturday morning. . .in an extremely crowded Giant Eagle Grocery Store.

It was just a quick,

GET IN, GET OUT 

kind of an excursion.

(Aren’t they all?)

I went in and got a couple of gift cards and two greeting cards and then. . .

got in a long, a very long 10 items or less line.

There she was,

THE   GIANT   EAGLE   ANGEL

She had a basket full of things. . .many different

E  L  E  V  E  N       T H I N G S

and then it happened. . .

She looked at what I was holding in just one hand and said,

“Sir, why don’t you go in front of me.  I’m in no hurry and you just have some gift cards.”

I, protested at first and told her it wasn’t such a big deal, but she insisted and so,

NOT  TO  INSULT  HER

I took her up on her offer and thanked her profusely.

. . .And then,
B     A     M

IT HAPPENED.

I told her she had done her good deed for the day and that’s when she shared with me that this had nothing to do with her  good deeds so much as her

C A T H O L I C     G U I L T

I joked and asked her if she was blaming The Pope on her good deed

and she joked back and told me it was more of the Nuns than The Pope.

I thanked her again for her

good deed

generosity

kindness

fear

guilt. . . .

It made me think about me

It made me think about you

It made me think about us

What ultimately makes us do what we do?

Are the reasons

P     U     R     E

or

Tainted ?

Was this about some kind of weird guarantee of getting a small spot in Heaven

or

Not wearing Asbestos underwear for Eternity?

SHOULD’S  =  GUILT

OUGHT’S  =  FEAR

HAVE-TO’S  =  GUILT/FEAR

WANT-TO’S  =  RAINBOW’S/POT’S OF ENDLESS GOLD

Some kinds of Choices, huh?

What do you Choose. . .

Or

What really CHOOSES YOU?

Can and Act of Kindness

just be an

A C T    OF    KINDNESS ?

(It Can.    .    .until.     .    .it CAN’T

Hmmmmmmmm of the Day:

Sometimes the higher The Eagle Ascends, not only the Closer to Heaven,

BUT  the Bigger the Splat of the White Stuff that always finds your Windshield. . . .

IF  YOU’RE  HELPING  SOMEONE  AND EXPECT  SOMETHING  IN  RETURN

IS     IT 

B U S I N E S S

or

K       I       N       D       N       E       S       S

?

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