Many Native Americans and their supporters like myself recognize the importance of celebrating the history and contributions of ALL AMERICANS, but there has to be a better way to honor Italian Americans, without associating them with Christopher Columbus.
I hope that we could find a reasonable compromise to satisfy all parties involved moving forward.
Becky, I know that I speak for your sales team and the entire campus when I say that it has been absolutely great working with you—your work truly made a lasting impact, and one that has changed the campus for the better in so many ways. I have always appreciated how you were readily available to lend an ear when complex considerations arose on the path to residency and help solve any problem and that you have done so with grace, humor and caring.
A good sermon should have a good beginning and a good ending, and they should be as close together as possible.
We continue to do our mass COVID-19 testing of our staff across campus. On Monday, we conducted 277 tests and none were positive for COVID-19. We have decreased the number of COVID-19 cases to ten – three residents and seven staff.
To serve others, one must be able to connect and listen. To serve others, one must show compassion and humility. To serve others, one must have vision alongside determination and hard work. All of these characteristics distinguish Leroy’s service and involvement in projects within our campus community and in projects benefiting the greater community and neighbors living near Beatitudes Campus.
These were the opening words of our very own Leroy Calbom’s nomination for Volunteer of the Year Award. For those who know him, you know this is so true! It was my absolute honor to be the emcee of the LeadingAge Arizona Awards Luncheon on May 24th and present the well-deserved award to Leroy!
As a past employee and now a resident, Leroy wanted to know more about the neighborhood and how he and the campus community could serve them. Through the Studio, he encouraged other residents to join him in meeting with the City of Phoenix, the Phoenix Police Department, Department of Human Services, Area Agency on Aging and local neighborhood schools, churches and neighborhood associations to find out more. What emerged was that there were many intergenerational refugee families living within a short distance of the campus. When Leroy heard about this, he led a group of fellow residents and sprang into action. He met with the Mosaic Elder Refugee Program at the Area Agency on Aging, became a certified ELA (English Language Arts) instructor and persuaded his fellow residents and neighbors to join him. He persuaded me and other campus leaders to dedicate a room to hold ELA classes for refugee families, and further persuaded the campus leadership to use the campus bus to pick up refugees to bring them to class and take them back to their home. That’s the thing about Leroy – his quiet, unassuming demeanor is a powerful instrument of intentional leadership.
The ELA classes are embedded here at the campus. When Leroy was asked why he did this he responded with “Because they are us. Their story is our story. We are a nation of immigrants and immigrants are part of America’s founding story. Immigrants share the very values we hold dear – work hard, practice your faith, love your family and love this country.”
Please join the campus community on Wednesday, June 5th as we celebrate Leroy and his award during the monthly Town Hall meeting!
The Admin. for Community Living – a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – believes that when older adults and communities stay connected, everyone wins.
That’s why “Connect” is the first step of the three-part theme for Older Americans Month 2019: Connect, Create, Contribute. Celebrated every May, Older Americans Month is a catalyst for people of all ages to connect and participate in a larger conversation about aging in America — a conversation that grows in importance as the number of older Americans continues to increase. This theme helps remind us to connect with friends, family and services that support participation. It reminds us to create by engaging in activities that promote learning, health and personal enrichment. It reminds us also to contribute our time, talent and life experiences to benefit others.
At the beginning of 2000, 46 million Americans were older than age 60. By next year – 2020 – that number is expected to reach more than 77 million! Celebrating Older Americans Month is a good time for us to honor your contributions to our community. As volunteers, educators, mentors, advocates – you have offered your insight and experience in ways that benefit our Beatitudes community as well as the broader community. You have enriched our neighborhoods and communities through your work ethic and sacrifice to expand the promise of prosperity. Communities that encourage your contributions are stronger. With your engagement and support, we recognize that you play a key role in the vitality of Beatitudes Campus and in our lives.
We are honored that Phoenix Mayor, Kate Gallego, and Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey, proclaimed—at Beatitudes Campus Foundation’s request – that May 2019 would be celebrated as Older Americans Month. The White House also issued a proclamation for Older Americans Month, saying, in part, “Older Americans are treasured members of our communities. They have poured their lives into our country in ways seen and unseen—often at great personal sacrifice. During Older Americans Month, we honor these Americans, we remember their countless contributions, and we proudly renew our abiding commitment to their well-being.”
Beatitudes Campus is investing today to create a network of programs and amenities to inspire, support and empower you, our residents, as well as future residents to lead healthy, enriched and fulfilled lives. One way we are doing that is by connecting—connecting you with programs that are offered on campus, connecting you with one another and connecting you with us to help us discover new ideas.
Beatitudes Campus Foundation wants to connect with you! We will host a Foundation Open House on Wednesday, May 22, from 1:30 to 3PM, in the Agelink Lobby area. It will be an informal drop-in – drinks and treats provided! You can find out what the Foundation does and you can get to know the Foundation team – Barbara Wood, Linda Travis and Ray Gonzales. But, most importantly, we will be able to hear from you and hear about your ideas! We look forward to building connections with you.
Every May the nation celebrates Older Americans Month. This year’s them is Connect, Create, Contribute. We are urged to CONNECT with friends, family and services that support participation. Also to CREATE by engaging in activities that promote learning, health and personal enrichment. Lastly, to CONTRIBUTE time, talent and life experience to benefit others. We are so fortunate that this happens daily and all year long by you residents at Beatitudes Campus. Our community and the surrounding community is truly stronger because of you.
In honor of the Older American’s Month, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego has put out an official proclamation celebrating older Americans and commends Beatitudes Campus for doing its part to Connect, Create and Contribute. Beatitudes Campus is all of you! Enjoy reading the official Proclamation.
See a portion here, and read the full proclimation inside this issue on page 2.
“Beatitudes Campus also opened its doors in 1965. Beatitudes Campus was the first senior community of its kind in Arizona. For over 50 years, it has been a nationallyrecognized leader in independent senior living and senior healthcare. Beatitudes Campus is a trusted part of the Phoenix community and is honored to have served more than 17,000 older adults since its establishment.
The theme for 2019’s Older Americans Month is “Connect, Create and Contribute.” Every day, Beatitudes Campus achieves all three for older adults.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, KATE GALLEGO, Mayor of the City of Phoenix, Arizona do hereby proclaim May 2019 as
OLDER AMERICANS MONTH
in the City of Phoenix and ask all Phoenix residents to join me in increasing respect for older Americans who call both Beatitudes Campus and our city home.”
See the full Proclamation below…
This past Tuesday, the Beatitudes Church and Campus communities, along with families and friends, gathered to celebrate the life of our founder, Rev. Dr. Culver H. “Bill’ Nelson. It was a deeply moving service where we heard of his four great passions- Music, Community, Preaching and Denomination Leadership. Each person shared stories and his role in their own leadership development. The Rev. Dr. Dosia Carlson remarked on his love of song and music; The Rev. Dave Hunting on his profound presence at the pulpit and the reflections and actions he left congregants; The Rev. Dr. William “Bill” Lyons on his leadership in the growth of both the United Church of Christ and Southwest Conference, and Peggy Mullan, my predecessor, on his involvement in not only the Campus Church communities, but the Phoenix community as a whole.
With her permission, below are excerpts from her piece.
Bill always believed that the secular community, our civic lives, should not be separate from the spiritual community. A man of action always, he lived that belief. He was a founding member of the Phoenix Forty, a group of forty businessmen brought together by Eugene Pulliam to envision the Phoenix of the future way back in 1975. Much of what we enjoy today in urban Phoenix came out of their dreaming and designing. Bill was active in the formative years of Valley Leadership; he served as chaplain frequently at our state legislature and worked diligently on too many boards and commissions throughout the state of Arizona to enumerate. Among his many joys were the interfaith relationships he fostered with clerics from every faith community imaginable. He enjoyed a particularly close relationship with the esteemed and beloved Rabbi Al Plotkin, another giant from the spiritual community of his generation.
It’s impossible to talk about Bill without speaking of his beloved wife and partner in everything important – Dee. He loved her passionately and unabashedly. When Dee suffered a massive stroke and then through the years several others, Bill rose to the occasion in a way that honestly surprised us all. She had been the wind beneath Bill’s wings…we feared he would not know what to do. How very wrong we were.
It will always be a point of pride for me and every other employee of the Campus that we were part of Bill and Dee’s lives as they grew older.
I’d like to close my comments today by presuming to speak for someone who is not able to be at this lectern today—Bill’s good friend and my predecessor that I mentioned earlier, Rev. Dr. Ken Buckwald. When Ken would give a eulogy for someone he particularly loved and admired, he always closed with these words from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, verse 23. I’ll speak them now in tribute to the friendship that the two men shared as they worked together over fifty plus years: “Well done, good and faithful servant…now enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
Amen
I hope you can join us at Wednesday’s Town Hall meeting where we will begin with a special time of remembrance honoring our Founder, The Rev. Dr. Culver H. “Bill” Nelson.
April is National Occupational Therapy (OT) Month and, as such, Success Matters would like to celebrate the culminating work of two wonderful OT doctoral students on Campus, Chandler Somers and Katie Holmes. The role of an OT has been described as a blending of science, creativity, and compassion, in order to help individuals live their lives to the fullest. While working on their doctoral capstone projects over the past four months, both Katie and Chandler have certainly exemplified these qualities, and we’re proud to share their accomplishments.
During their time on Campus, both Katie and Chandler have been revising and expanding the Success Matters Empowerment Platform in Plaza View Assisted Living. The Empowerment Platform involves a holistic interview to learn about residents’ unique backgrounds, interests, and hobbies. It also includes various wellness screens to provide residents with personalized strategies and recommendations to live a safe, active, and engaged lifestyle.
As part of her individual capstone experience, Chandler has just finished up leading and analyzing the efficacy of the Beatitudes Campus 6-week SAFER Stepping falls prevention course. This course is offered two to three times per year, and involves exercises targeted to improve balance, as well as discussion about potential fall risk factors. Chandler spent time researching current best practices for falls prevention, in order to provide background and evidence for the course. The data collected from participants across the 6-week program indicates that participants did, in fact, have decreased falls concerns and increased knowledge about various fall risk factors, including medications, vision, hearing, nutrition, and brain health. If you are interested in participating in the next SAFER Stepping course starting in July, contact Jessica at #16110 to get added to the list.
Katie’s culminating individual project involved creating and leading the workshop Tools for Stress-Free Living, an 8-week program focusing on the concept of resiliency and emphasizing the ability to find the positives despite adversity or struggles. Discussion and activities included heart-focused deep breathing, engaging the senses, exercise, reframing personal stories, mindfulness, and journaling to facilitate healthy coping strategies. The goal was to engage the participants on both an individual and group level, fostering growth, reflection, and reciprocal learning. On average, participants decreased their perceived stress levels by 15% over the course of the 8-week workshop.
Throughout each of these projects, Katie and Chandler made wonderful connections with residents and staff, explored practical and creative interventions for the wellbeing of older adults, and served as a valuable resource on Campus. Perhaps most importantly, they learned so much from their experiences with you all and are truly grateful for their opportunities at Beatitudes Campus.
If you would like to join Success Matters in thanking Chandler and Katie for their tremendous work, and wish them well in their future careers as OTs, please join us in the Plaza Bistro on Thursday, April 25th at 10AM for treats and refreshments.
Read all about it! The latest recap of our February 2019 Community Town Hall is now available online for your reading pleasure!
Be sure to read it here: https://wp.me/p7o8lu-gQl
Fifty-five years ago, the visionaries and pioneers of Beatitudes Campus held a historic groundbreaking on undeveloped farm land, bought for $25,000 an acre, with a vision to change the face of nursing homes of the 1960s—to build a place where older adults could live, learn and play for the rest of their lives. They created a vision so big and so bright that it lives on from generation to generation.
From the first apartment built after that groundbreaking (Plaza South), so much has been built, and 16,000 seniors have lived vibrant and fulfilled lives at Beatitudes Campus.
Ten years ago, another historic groundbreaking occurred—the building of the Central Park Apartments and creation of our Town Plaza. At that groundbreaking ceremony, our founder, Rev. Dr. Bill Nelson, offered an invocation:
“…Never let the mystery keep us from plunging into the future with courage and with joy…may we turn the sod over and rearrange the world in more human ways…”
I have never forgotten those words, and they seem especially pertinent as we prepare for another chapter in the life of the campus—an eight-year master plan of redevelopment. We are rearranging the world—in ways that allow our residents to live empowered and purposeful lives, in ways that nourish and strengthen our neighborhood and community, in ways that allow our staff the privilege of servant leadership. I am honored, and humbled, to follow in the footsteps of my predecessors—Dr. Nelson, Rev. Everett Luther, Rev. Ken Buckwald and Peggy Mullan—to build on the firm foundation they have laid and embark on the biggest redevelopment the campus has seen. And, I am so privileged to serve our residents and our future residents and learn from you the lessons of hard work, of survival amidst momentous change, of sacrifice and of honor.
Our master plan is not just an investment in Beatitudes Campus. It is an investment in our community-in the lives of residents and future residents and in the staff who answered the call of service to others. We have grown from a dozen staff members to our 450 dedicated staff who have a sacred responsibility of service to 650 residents. The growth of the campus to become one of the largest employers in North Central Phoenix and in the Top 100 in Phoenix, is a testament to our vision to be a leader in aging services and serve the broad middle class. Our focus is not only confined to our campus – the campus is also a major contributor to our community’s economy. More than half of our expenditures to vendors is returned to our local community businesses that are headquartered in Arizona, most of whom are located in Maricopa County or are small businesses.
As Dr. Nelson so clearly stated ten years ago, we must plunge into the future with courage and joy. It takes courage to redefine senior living as we are doing each and every day, but the joy I feel when you thrive and contribute to our community is life affirming. Our redevelopment and expansion speak to the heart of our campus mission.
We will celebrate this new chapter in the life of the campus with a Groundbreaking Ceremony on Thursday, February 21 at 10AM. Residents and staff can watch the ceremony live from the Luther Life Center, followed by a reception and refreshments from 10:00—1:00PM with our special guests and future residents. The Beatitudes Campus Board of Directors and I invite you to share with us, and each other, this important milestone in the evolution of the campus and feel the joy along with us.
January 21 from 12 – 3 pm Life Center
Since last April, a council of residents and staff have been meeting to focus our attention on issues around diversity and inclusion. We seek to live further into the Beatitudes Campus Promise to value and welcome all people regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. We believe that each of us can not only make a difference but BE the difference to help create an environment where we can bring our whole selves to our community. We hope to create and sustain a culture where every employee can come to work feeling comfortable, accepted, and set up for success–a community that residents call home where they feel a sense of purpose and value. The Action Council is excited to invite YOU to our first annual Diversity and Inclusion Day next Monday, January 21st in the Life Center. From 12 noon to 3 p.m. there will be a variety of presentations and activities and we hope you will come participate any time that afternoon. A glimpse of what we have planned: 1. Celebrate your unique identity and culture by finding your place of origin on a world map and realize how globally connected we are; 2. Share what diversity and inclusivity mean to you; and 3. Enjoy tasty snacks which reflect spices and tastes from around the world.
January 21st is also important because it is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day when we recognize the many contributions King’s movement made toward bringing about a more inclusive society and the powerful words of his I Have a Dream speech will inspire us during the day. There will be tables with items and information celebrating Black History, the LGBTQ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning), and areas of travel such as Indonesia and the Ukraine, plus the opportunity to sit with others and share your story. Our diversity makes for such a rich tapestry! The heritage of Christian hospitality on which the Beatitudes was built, laid the foundation for this community to be an inclusive culture where all feel supported, valued and appreciated, but it takes every single one of us working together to live that out every day. We are excited for this event and we hope that you will join us in this mission to fulfill our promise! The Diversity and Inclusion Action Council is looking for others who are passionate about this work so if you would like to join the Council or would like more information please call me, Chaplain Peggy Roberts at X16109.*
At Christmas-time I love watching the timeless and treasured classics like Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas. This year celebrates the 53rd anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas and I learned some of the history of how the classic came to be. The special–a collaboration between Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, producer Lee Mendelson, and director Bill Melendez–first aired on December 9, 1965 and was loved from the start. One of the most moving moments in the show is when Linus explains the meaning of Christmas by reciting the story of the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. Schulz did not have the support from the other executives who wondered if an animated special was the right place for the religious text. Director Bill Melendez told Schulz (whose nickname was Sparky), “Sparky, this is religion. It just doesn’t go in a cartoon.” But Schulz had a simple response: “Bill, if we don’t do it, who will? We can do it.” The passage stayed in — and we are glad it did.
Another unique part of the production was that Schultz insisted on using real kid’s voices in a time when it was standard practice to have children’s roles performed by adults. Fortunately, they were able to find the right children to voice all of the characters even though a few were so young they couldn’t read or understand the script! Jazz musician and composer Vince Guaraldi wrote the original music for the show, which was the first animated network special to feature jazz. The score includes “Linus and Lucy,” otherwise known as the Peanuts theme. Guaraldi also wrote the music for “Christmas Time Is Here” (the song’s lyrics were penned on the back of an envelope by Mendelson in just 15 minutes). Schulz didn’t even like jazz but fortunately for us he didn’t let his dislike stand in the way of an iconic score.
Then there is the small, struggling tree that Charlie Brown picks out with its uneven, almost bare branches. In 1964, Mendelson read the Hans Christian Andersen story The Fir Tree — about a tree desperate to grow to match its taller brethren — to his children. When work started on A Charlie Brown Christmas, Mendelson mentioned the Andersen tale to Schulz, which prompted the cartoonist to dream up Charlie Brown’s tree. And though it was mocked, things turned out okay for that tree in the end. As Linus says, “I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.” Executives at CBS didn’t think the show would be a hit. The expectation was that it would make its debut, then disappear forever — and if there had been a programming alternative the special might not have made it on the air at all. Fortunately, it was shown — and about half the country watched Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang celebrate Christmas. Now, 53 years later, it remains as popular and beloved as ever. *
Gifts arrive on birthdays, at Christmas, on Hanukkah, anniversaries, retirements and on so many other beautiful occasions throughout our life’s journey. We celebrate great events and individuals who are extra special to us by offering something of ourselves in the form of a gift that reflects our gratitude and appreciation. Some of you might have figured out that I try to send a birthday card of appreciation to all of you and begin writing them just before the new month. Not a card goes by that I do not find myself reflecting on what a gift to the Campus, and to me, the particular individual is to whom I am writing. We give gifts, but the greatest gift is not the gift itself but the giver and receiver themselves. They make for the true treasures in life. And, like all gifts, with time, they are all meant to be shared and that is what makes our Campus so beautiful. The sharing is abundant!
As the Holidays approach, and as much as gift giving is on many of our minds, it is a strange phenomenon whereby individuals forget just what an amazing gift they genuinely are. This time of the year can be especially painful for the ones who just cannot see the truth and beauty about themselves. In that we shine when it comes to gifts that keep on giving, I want to encourage you to make an extra special effort to keep an eye out for a neighbor who might very well be struggling and needing a special word or a little affirmation from you.
You are a gift! There might not be a more perfect time than now to share the gift you are by inviting someone you have not seen for a while to join you for dinner or a Campus event. Or when you notice that fellow resident a few tables down eating alone consider checking and seeing if they might be open to some company. They will be gifted by the amazing individual that is in you and I am willing to bet you will receive a beautiful gift in return in the gift they are as well.
It is every day of the year that Beatitudes Campus excels at sharing and caring for one another, but the Holidays allow us to be even more sensitive and compassionate creating a community where everybody belongs and is unmistakably valued.
You are a gift! And there is no greater gift than sharing yourself to uplift another. Enjoy the Holidays. *
This past week the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, celebrated his 70th birthday. I was reading an interview with The Prince which quoted him as saying that his birthday had brought him to the realization that he had reached a Biblical threshold, referring to the 90th Psalm: “The days of our age are threescore years and ten”. In reflecting on his own aging, Prince Charles described himself as having being prompted to examine “the scars’ of life which in different ways we all bear”. Those scars are perhaps the memories of things we wish we hadn’t done but can’t now do much about. Perhaps they are thoughts of things which we now wish we had done, apologies that we wish we had made, things left unsaid.
Many of Charles’ scars have been born under public scrutiny, and although the same cannot be said for most of us, none of us are impervious to picking up a few scars and scrapes along the way.
Reflecting on a similar theme, columnist Alexandra Heather Foss, wrote recently “I struggle because huge chunks of my life have not been beautiful. They have been ugly, marred by trauma, with pain, and anger… however I see beauty in the grace point between what hurts and what heals, between the shadow of tragedy and the light of joy. That way I find beauty and healing in my scars. We all have scars, inside and out. We have freckles from sun exposure, emotional trigger points, broken bones, and broken hearts. We have lived, and have the marks to prove it.”
Prince Charles was clearly mindful of a similar sentiment as he celebrated his threescore years and ten, but the ninetieth psalm which he quoted goes on to include a prayer following that reflection; ‘So teach us to number our days: that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom’.
As we all continue on our journey of life and take our own next steps in the pilgrimage of aging, let us all join in that prayer. As we number our days may we be mindful of our scars and discern in them opportunities for healing and growth as we reflect on how to apply our hearts unto wisdom.*
An amazing event took place 242 years ago, when thirteen colonies asserted their independence from England which ultimately led the way to the creation of the United States of America. This special day continues to be celebrated every July 4th and is known as Independence Day. Many of us learned about our independence day in history classes, but there are some little known facts you might not have learned previously. Constance Gibbs, wrote the fun article “5 things you didn’t know about the Fourth of July” which ran July 4, 2017 in the New York Daily News to share some of those facts.
“Fun fact: Many Americans don’t know some basic facts about their country. Polls have revealed that only 45% of Americans knew what the initials in GOP stood for, 25% of Americans couldn’t identify the country from which we gained independence from, and a majority of Americans couldn’t name more than one protection guaranteed in the first Amendment of the Constitution.
With the explosive success of the ‘Hamilton’ musical, those who have seen it have internalized info about the American Revolution. But if it’s been a while since AP U.S. History, here are five fun facts about Independence Day worth brushing up on.
July 4 is the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but not all 56 eventual signers signed that day. There is actually quite the dispute about who signed the document and when. Some say it was the 4th of July, 1776—when John Hancock affixed his big, loopy signature. This copy was then sent to the printers, where 200 copies were made. A few others signed the original a few days later, perhaps on July 8th, the day it was read aloud in public for the first time. But most members of the Second Continental Congress did not sign until August 2 — so maybe we should just celebrate Independence Month.
Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who drafted the Declaration of Independence, died exactly 50 years after it was signed — on July 4th, 1826. As legend has it, Adams’ last words were, ‘Jefferson still survives.’ But he’d already died five hours earlier.
Most people are aware what the stars and stripes represent on the American flag (the 50 states and original 13 colonies, respectively), but why red, white and blue? The common story is that the colors represent purity and innocence (white), hardiness and valor (red), and vigilance, perseverance and justice (blue). But that was actually the reasoning the creator of the Great Seal of the United States gave for including the flag in the stamp that wasn’t used until 1782. The colors of the flag, however, may simply have been chosen because it was designed after the British Union Jack. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Fireworks on the Fourth of July is a tradition dating back to 1777, the first anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife, Abigail, that he wanted Independence Day to be ‘celebrated with pomp, parade, shows, and Illuminations’, hence the splashy show we put on. The day in the letter to which Adams is referring, however, was not July 4, but rather July 2 — the day the Declaration was voted upon by delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies.
Fireworks have been a tradition in America on July 4th since the first anniversary of the signing of the Declaration thanks to former President John Adams.
There are two other countries that celebrate July 4th as a day of independence or freedom. In the Philippines, this day is Republic Day—not the Southeast Asian country’s independence from Spain — but their independence from the U.S.! The Philippines were a U.S. territory until 1946.
And over in Rwanda, July 4 is Liberation Day, when the country ended the awful Rwandan Genocide in 1994 after 100 days of conflict.”
As we celebrate our independence again this year, I will be reflecting on how lucky we are that our forefathers fought for our freedom to make our great nation. Enjoy!*
As the clamor of the holiday season has faded once more into hopefully happy memories of light and joy, we turn now and look to the future, as we step into the New Year of 2017.
There are many special days for us individually that cause us to pause and reflect on what has happened in our lives and what may be yet to come, but as we hang our new calendars on our walls, and try to remember to write 2017 in our checkbooks, we have a chance to collectively contemplate as we celebrate.
Looking back over 2016, we can remember both times of celebration and times of sadness and difficulty. Thinking firstly of celebrations, 2016 was the first year during which child mortality rates fell substantially across the globe. 2016 was also the year during which the nations of the world gathered together in Rio to celebrate their sporting achievements. Speaking of sporting achievements – the Chicago Cubs broke their 108 year dry spell by winning the World Series in Game 7!
Unfortunately as well as being able to reflect joyfully on these and many other events, during 2016 the world was repeatedly distressed by the continuing conflict in Syria with its resulting humanitarian crisis, as well as by the terrorist attacks in Orlando, Europe and the Middle East which, amongst many others around the world, have resulted in the loss of so many innocent lives.
As we step into 2017, we may ponder to ourselves what news the next twelve months will bring both in our own lives and in the wider world. Amid our wonder and our apprehension, perhaps we should greet 2017 with the words of this poem by M. L. Haskins in our hearts and minds:
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.” So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.”
May our New Year bring us closer to God, who walks beside us on our pilgrimage of life, and a Happy New Year to you all.
Gifts arrive on birthdays, at Christmas, on Hanukkah, anniversaries, retirements and on so many other beautiful occasions throughout our life’s journey. We celebrate great events and individuals who are extra special to us by offering something of ourselves in the form of a gift that reflects our gratitude and appreciation. Some of you might have figured out that I try to send a birthday card of appreciation to all of you and begin writing them just before the new month. Not a card goes by that I do not find myself reflecting on what a gift to the Campus, and to me, the particular individual is to whom I am writing. We give gifts, but the greatest gift is not the gift itself but the giver and receiver themselves. They make for the true treasures in life. And like all gifts, with time, they are all meant to be shared and that is what makes our Campus so beautiful. The sharing is abundant!
As the Holidays approach, and as much as gift giving is on many of our minds, it is a strange phenomenon whereby individuals forget just what an amazing gift they genuinely are. This time of the year can be especially painful for the one who just cannot see the truth and beauty about themselves. In that we shine when it comes to gifts that keep on giving, I want to encourage you to make an extra special effort to keep an eye out for a neighbor who might very well be struggling and needing a special word or a little affirmation from you.
You are a gift! There might not be a more perfect time than now to share the gift you are by inviting someone you have not seen for a while to join you for dinner or a Campus event. Or when you notice that fellow resident a few tables down eating alone consider checking and seeing if they might be open to some company. They will be gifted by the amazing individual that is in you and I am willing to bet you will receive a beautiful gift in return in the gift they are as well.
