Ethiopia, Kenya and Freedom

So I take about 2 months between blogs, ... what's it to ya. Been catching up on my reading, ...moving Jule into her new digs on Temple's Campus...spent 4 weeks out of the last 8 on airplanes.....its been a busy time. In fact, 2 of the 4 weeks on the road were spent in Ethiopia and Kenya. Told my wife I'd be home for a while. She didn't believe me,.. and rightly so. No sooner than the school year ended, I was invited to join a team traveling to Ethiopia and Kenya to assess 3 hospitals for the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons. This is a training program aimed at reducing the "brain drain" of surgeon from these 2 countries so in need of retaining well trained medical professionals.

So there I was in Soddo, Ethiopia, Bomet and Kijabe Kenya.... On and off planes, little or no sleep, a plethora of lodging accomodations and unreliable electricity, but then I'm not complaining,...No need,....I live an amazing life,.. I get to go where I want, when I want, with whom I want,.. talk about freedom,.. GSK was never like this. But I wonder,.. is the freedom that all of us have, worth the cost, or the trauma of what is revealed to us. Freedom indeed has its costs,.. freedom to use our resources, freedom in how we spend our time,.... We are allowed to witness many of the horrors of life, horrors we see everywhere,.. if we keep our eyes open,... and sometimes,... even if we don't.

David was following the medical team from bed-to-bed-to-bed,... head cradled in his hands, ... a look of despair that 100 family deaths would be unlikely to rival. But this man of about 35 was following us as we made medical rounds at Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya as if his life depended on it,.. and in large part, it did. His wife, mother-in-law, and three of his children had been in an horrific road traffic accident. These individuals represented David's life. They were traveling on a bus that had overturned and collided with another vehicle causing several fatalities. In order to save their lives, David's wife, mother-in-law and two of his young sons needed left arm amputations, and the other son, about 3 years old, sustained a severely mangled left arm and hand. And David, who was not traveling with them, .. well,.. he gets to watch his loved ones suffer through this tragedy. But David is suffering too. What do you say? What is there to say? Freedom has its costs. We can seclude ourselves in our homes and offices, (or Churches for that matter), or, we can be with David. We can suffer with him. We can pray with him and for him. So the question, I suppose is,..do we want that kind of Freedom?

Road traffic accidents in Kenya are the leading cause of death in that country. David and his family are just one example of the traumas of this daily experience suffered by so many. On the way to Tenwek for example, we witnessed a car that had careened through a guardrail down a raveen of the Rift Valley. ... A daily occurrence for David and so many others. Add this to HIV, malaria, tuberculosis,.. you get the picture,... a recipe for disastrous quality of life anywhere on the planet.

If we choose to use our freedom of taking the poor into our hearts,.. as they suffer, it will cost. As our hearts aches, can we handle the pain? David's heart needs to be held by ours.

Vulnerability,.." I'm Joe Pitts"

Been a longtime between blogs,... but life has been hectic in recent weeks, professionally and personally. Its taken me to L.A. this week to visit with my Uncle Joe, my Dad's youngest brother. Visiting here with my brothers Derrick and Isaac trying to help Uncle Joe with personal and relational affairs, but far be it from us to help this active, independent and autonomous, in spirit anyway, 90 year old with anything. Still, he's showing signs of decline as many 90 year olds do and its hard to witness the slow but steady and certain reduction of autonomy, and, I'm sure, far more difficult for him to release it.

"I'm Joe Pitts", he defiantly stated during our somewhat hectic exchange that had included a visit from paramedics responding to the alarm that mistakenly was triggered by his medical emergency "necklace" while bathing. I had expressed concern, as had his children, that he might fall while trying to maneuver in the washroom. "I try to tell everyone that I'm not going to fall. "I know how to fall without breaking my hip. " I'm Joe Pitts."

It was in that moment that I understood, the horror for this 90 year old man, who was faced with the decline of his own mobility. It was that vulnerable moment that shouted the palpable fear he must feel that others must come to his rescue when confronted with weakness in what had been a strong and free life. How strange it must be for him to release his grasp on independence, to appear weak,... to appear less than able. What must this say about him? Can we even begin to imagine? My soul screams NO!...But in the sadness and joy of this sharing this moment with my Uncle Joe, my heart says we must.

Earlier in the evening, he had asked me how I was doing. I responded that I was doing ok, with the usual aches and pains of an old guy. Knowing I was talking to a 90 year old and that he would laugh, he predictably snickered that I didn't know what 'old' was. He and I actually have a good time together and can talk jokingly about such matters. But he was right, of course,.. given the context of the moment, I don't know what old is. Then as if to underscore this conversation and give me some hint,...some brief tutorial and preview, the episode with the emergency squad happened. The Universe does indeed have a sense of humor....and the joke's on us.

We stare at our vulnerability constantly. If we're lucky, it smacks us for our attention, and shows only brief respites between screams of our names. But classically, we deny our eventual demise, seeking immortality in materialism, perishables, children, family, even as we ourselves perish. Not that this is bad, but the key might be not to let these things take precedence over our consciousness about where we're going. What is our path and where is it taking us? How do we handle that ultimate anxiety, our vulnerability.

Joe Pitts is not unusual, I bet. Pushing back at vulnerability is a ubiquitous, human condition. None of us wants to feel weak, or unable, or afraid. But we are all of these things.

Several months ago, through events I'm still struggling with, I came face-to-face with my vulnerability and mortality. Its not pretty, but I'm thankful for these events..... my rude yet very much needed awakening. So I'm one of the lucky ones. But so are we all. If we are already paying attention and sensitive to our vulnerability, the awakening, can be reduced to just a reminder. A reminder that our lives can change in a moment. a moment that can cause dramatic renewal, a moment that can bring about enormous clarity. A moment that can birth understanding... even if the birth is that which you need to understand and explore further. On the other hand, if you're not paying attention, .. well, its time.

Paying attention to your vulnerability is not necessarily a bad thing.... it will change your life.

So, the next time you feel frail or vulnerable, weak and afraid,..clinging to your independence and autonomy,..the next time you feel close to your vulnerability, you might think of your Uncle Joe..... I do.

It ain't all bad,..... looking at our healthcare blessings

Had an MRI today,... yep, .....laid down,... I.V inserted.,.. mask,... slid in the tube,.... the works,.. takin' a look at the ol' noggin,.. makin' sure everything is stable in there (and all without Ativan). Of course, this is a great time for me to be analytical,.. or is it critical,.. of the health care system as we know it.

If your in the waiting room of a hospital radiology department, or another department for that matter, ..seems that confidentiality is non-existent. Of course, this is a key tenet of HIPPA. But all those in the waiting room this morning know each other's names, .. not by exchanging pleasantries with each other, but by having our names shouted by the receptionist, when it came time for us to register. If you listened carefully, you could find out ages as well,... just do the math when the patients birth dates was asked,.. all in the waiting area. No big deal to many, but suppose the patient, well,... just doesn't want that information known.......Too late for that,.. I think "the cat is out of the bag". The background music, if there is any, just won't compete with the volume of the receptionist pleasant and dulcet tones :-). Oh, by the way, no curtains or private areas once your actually seated and talking to the registrar in the cubicle, so better talk in hushed tones if you really want privacy. But I say, it would probably be more honest if they use mega phones,... Sorry,... getting a bit cynical.

But even the skeptic in me admits that these individual sit and toil daily in order for me to have access to technology that could save my life. We often sit in judgment of the broken system that defines health care these days, but the individuals in the system are really doing a yeoman's job at being the glue that bond us to this system. As broken as it is, it works. Slowly at times,.. cumbersome at others, and more frequently than not, its frustrating. But it saves lives. And as much as we complain, our health care system has the power to deliver services that can't be found anywhere else in the world. The registrar in the cubicle provides entry to these services. I'll have at least some clue of what my tomorrow will be, or even if I'll see tomorrow because that registrar let me through the door to some of the most advanced technology in the world. So there I was in this tube called an MRI, for 30 minutes, my anxiety lifted and,... I took a nap. An over simplification? Maybe. But I thank this broken system and the registrar who told everyone my name and age, for allowing me through the door. Most of the world can't say that.

And there's more. After we were done (me and Tonto), we walked a mile,.. not on the track,.. not at the gym on the treadmill, but in the hospital. This hospital has arrows on the floor of their corridors, that actually mark off mileage,. a pretty cool thing. You can get an MRI and walk a mile,.. or two, afterward.. They're moving toward full service, one stop shopping in health care if you ask me.

So the next time you're tempted to complain about the U.S. health care system, stop and think. You have access to a system that, simply by being born here, insures that you get your three score and ten (if you want it),.. and often, more. And if that doesn't cheer you up, next time you're in a hospital, if you can, get those endorphins moving by going for a little walk.

Gratitude,.... now that's what I'm talkin' about

Michael Bernard Beckwith talks about gratitude in an infectious way,... kind of makes you want to go out and catch whatever it is that he has. What do you think? Read on:

"When I first wake up, I wake up in a field of gratitude and thanksgiving. I’m just very grateful to be awake and aware and alive, in an attitude that allows me to see differently. When I’m in gratefulness, when I’m in gratitude, then I can’t vibrate on worry, doubt and fear. And I cannot live in the future as well because gratitude is now.

"So that’s the first thing I do. And then I will say something along these lines: “I’m available to more good, more love, more wisdom, more knowledge, more joy than I have ever realized, experienced, imagined before in my life.”

"I throw myself open by saying that.

"I’m now available to more good, more love, more peace, more joy – whatever the qualities are that I’ve ever experienced, realized or imagined before in my life – so, I’m on now a precipice of becoming more myself. So, I’m not living on yesterday’s laurels.

“I’m available to more good than I’ve ever imagined to come forward in my life and I’m not under any delusion that I know what that good is!”

"I’m not under the illusion, and I haven’t defined what that good is. I’m just available. I’m grateful and I’m available. Now, transformation can occur.

"And we always know it’s transformation because it surprises us – and if it doesn’t surprise you, it’s not transformation. It could be something that you’ve expected and put together in a nice, little, neat package.

"But when you throw yourself open by asking empowering questions and by willing to be more than you’ve ever thought you could be, you get surprised by the depth what’s inside of you!

"It’s so potent that it’s oftentimes shocking.

"You have to be prepared to free flow – what I call “free fall” – and surrender to the good that’s beyond what you can even describe. And so, a lot of the spiritual work is really about moment-by-moment preparation, to release the illusions of what you think makes you happy, to move into being a giver and a sharer of the Divine."

Re-arranging the furniture?

So,.. if the Japan earthquake and consequent tsunami happened just around the corner, just how connected are we? I've been reading about geologic matters recently,... you know, plate tectonics, subduction, convergence, divergence, continental and oceanic drift and all of that. Turns out that our globe is constantly on the move. We are in fact, in very rudimentary terms (because I don't pretend to understand it all) floating on a mantle that carries us from one place on this globe called earth, and delivers us, over time, to another place. And guess what, we have no control. Zero. Its almost as if we're in an eternal game of continental bumper cars, over say... 4.5 billion years? And what's amazing about all of this. is that the underlying processes literally do mean that although our continents reside on different "plates", our worlds constantly collide with each other, in ways that are sometimes unexpected (remember the movie Crash). Earthquakes are but one example, but we are connected,.. not only in human terms, but in eternal, geologic ways. Connections that are inextricable, about which we speculate but cannot eradicate. Yes, we are joined at the hip or at the geologic trench, rift or plate, if you will. The late famous astronomer Carl Sagan has said that we are " star-stuff". That's actually not an abstraction, but it can be difficult to place into the context of the here and now. We could also say just as emphatically that we are "earth stuff". Connected undeniably and irrefutably... on this planet,.. here and now.

The Japan disaster reminds us of our vulnerability and fragility, but should also remind us that we rent this planet. For 2 to 4 million years (depending on your reference source), we have developed as a human species, created civilizations, empires, cites, etc. We've constructed, destructed, multiplied, gained possessions, recycled, gained more possessions and arrived at our present state. All of this, on a planet that we rent, but that lives, literally, beneath us, and that controls our daily existence (If you don't believe this, then checkout tomorrow's weather forecast). So if the owner decides to remind us that we are tenants, by rearranging the furniture, should we be shocked?

We are surprised because of the toll in human suffering. Because of the calamitous nature of the scope of destruction that has occurred, we are horrified. Indeed, human suffering is cause for concern and sadness about the plight of our neighbor. But are we also horrified because of the movement of the furniture that we think is ours? We've furnished the apartment perhaps, but maybe the owner doesn't like the arrangement. Perhaps, there's a reminder in this that thinking and priorities need to be re-examined, if not re-aligned.

Just food for thought, but for the 4.5 billion years this planet has existed, earthquakes and worse have occurred. Natural tragedies will occur for however long this planet exists. But we're horrified because while we're here, the furniture has been rearranged, and our daily routine has been altered so that now, we have to rebuild our lives. We have to establish a new and perhaps different "floor plan". But because human suffering has emerged, as it always does, maybe that floor plan will involve caring for our neighbor in ways that have lasting impact and are eternal. ... Maybe,... just like the earthquakes and tsunamis.

It only happened around the corner

Think of a fire in your neighborhood,.. around the corner. Or a car accident,... Maybe there's an explosion at the factory around the corner, that shatters a few of the windows in your house. Or, maybe there's an earthquake off the shores of Japan, followed by ocean waves that begin to ripple onto your shores in Los Angeles, California.....5,500 miles away,... merely around the corner.

The circumference of our planet is 25,000 miles, large enough to maintain some distance between neighborhoods, small enough to feel the ripples of whatever happens everywhere.

Reminders that we are a global neighborhood come in all forms. This week alone, in a Pennsylvania Amish community, 7 children died in a house fire, leaving devastated parents, a diminished community and a saddened world. A few miles outside of Philadelphia, a teenager took the life of his twin brother and their parents, leaving a shaken and bewildered community and a diminished and saddened world. Affects us all. The ripple effects enter our worlds, wash onto our shores and diminishes and saddens all of us. Let's remember in prayer and hold dear in our hearts those who are "flushed" away by waters of Tsunami's or those who are taken from us in house fires or home murders. If you measure a light year as 6 trillion miles, with the star closest to our sun being 4.5 light years away, on this planet, whether 10 miles, 5,500 miles or 25,000 miles, they're all merely around the corner or maybe even next door. Let's keep our world in prayer.

Taking it to the Streets

From the website Rethink Church, this post authored by Ben Rhodes, caught my attention. Its interesting and refreshing that this Church is in fact looking at how another perspective can be offered to those who might not otherwise enter a church. Our times are difficult and whatever your faith system is, we can probably agree that fear grips us at every turn. Taking hope to the streets as an antidote for fear, an avenue on which to live during our enormous feeling of uncertainty, is actually the method Jesus used to bring those of His time closer to God. ... He took it "to the streets". So what would the world look like if more of us looked beyond our Church walls. Read on:

With handmade signs that read “Got Ashes?” members of Urban Village United Methodist Church took to the streets of Chicago on March 9 to commemorate Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. They offered to mark a cross of ashes on the forehead of anyone who asked to receive it.

The Rev. Trey Hall, pastor of Urban Village, joined three- and four-person teams at six sites across Chicago. He says the gist of the teams’ invitation was simple: “Everybody’s welcome – Catholic, Protestant, gay, straight, everyone.”

Locations included rail stations, busy intersections and Daley Plaza. Banners at the sites read “Urban Village Church: Doing Church Differently.”

The 1-year-old church has members from a variety of faith backgrounds, including some who are new to the Christian faith. The church explains on its website that the cross of ashes is “a reminder that we are finite, that each of us has only a short stretch of time on this good earth, and that we should therefore live it well.”

In all, nearly 300 people received ashes – including two people who were waiting in their car for a stoplight to change.

Hall says that many of the people likely had at least a basic understanding of Ash Wednesday. Others were not as familiar, but were intrigued by what they saw.

“We answered people’s real questions: ‘What is Lent?’ ‘Why are you doing this?’ ‘What is this about?’” Hall said. “If we can reach people who wouldn’t be in church anyway (on Ash Wednesday), then it gives us a chance to talk.”

Hall finds an example in John Wesley, who founded the Methodist movement. Wesley is known for conducting much of his ministry outside of churches.

“Wesley was successful in connecting (people outside the church) to the larger, more mature Christian story.”

Even some longtime United Methodists were able to be a part of Urban Village’s Ash Wednesday observance. Chris Crook, a member of St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas, was visiting Chicago on Ash Wednesday.

“I was worried that I could not attend an Ash Wednesday service this year,” Crook said. He received his ashes on Michigan Avenue – and then he shared the details with his Facebook friends.

Hall and his church members are pleased to have offered individuals a connection to God that they might not have felt otherwise. He added, "Perhaps, by God’s grace, a tiny seed was planted."