Airport Chaplaincy

Photo: Jonathan Cohen for The New York Times

I've always been intrigued with the ministry of airport chaplaincy, but truth be told, I have never actually seen a chaplain when I've gone into airport chapels. I have only seen airport chaplains during times of catastrophic emergencies. But, now that more travelers are having to bunk down in the airport rather than being put up at a hotel during long delays, I suspect that the importance of airport chaplaincy will rise. After all, as people are forced to spend more time in the airport itself, for long, extended periods of times during delays, it would be swell if chaplains in those airports offered some meditation sessions or conversation to calm the frazzled traveler.

El Dorados

So just one of the many reasons I love my husband is that he takes me to things like Surf Sunday at the Hotel Utah in San Francisco where I get to discover new (to me) surf bands. My new fav. is the El Dorados:

The Spirituality of Coaching Sports

Perhaps at no other time have two different spiritual ideas come to the fore in the coaching strategies of a professional sports event as in this year's NBA Finals. The Lakers have been coached by Phil Jackson, who has long been known for his Buddhist approach to training, in which the emphasis is on meditative focus for each player to enter "the zone."

The Celtics's coach, Doc Rivers, has been promoting a motto/mantra for awhile now. But since the team is in the finals, the mantra/motto has been getting more press again. That mantra is "Ubuntu," which means roughly, 'I am what I am because of who we all are."

BTW: the concept got some press a few years ago when former President Bill Clinton encouraged western leaders to consider adopting it in their approach to leadership. Maybe the concept will get more play if the Celtics win...but I bet we'll just see it on t-shirts and caps.

Epilepsy and Access to the Divine

In many cultures, the condition westerners call epilepsy is considered to be a sign of a person's special spiritual capacity. Here is an article with links to video of a woman who has had a seizure filmed. Controversial because of its graphic nature, the video is clearly of great interest, as the site is presently slowed down, I presume from all the hits the site's getting....For me the video speaks to the courage of people to share pain in order to help others. It also speaks to me of pain and trauma that some society's have interpreted as special gifts from the Divine. A life of faith is no cakewalk.

One of the most powerful books I've read on the subject is Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down which documents the cultural divide between a Hmong family whose infant child is epileptic (and considers the condition a sign of the child's future as a shaman) and the Fresno medical community who tried to treat her.

A Professor's Final Lecture

Professor Randy Pausch of Carnegie Mellon University reprises the final lecture of his career and his life. His words are inspiring, poignant and full of wisdom. And they are affecting me especially deeply this week, as I just turned 47....Professor Pausch is 47 and is dying of pancreatic cancer. What would my final lecture be if I knew I were dying? What would your final lecture if you knew you were dying? (This video takes 10 minutes to watch and is worth each minute). Also see his webpage. (With gratitude to Suzanne who sent me a version of this video).

Taking Care of Others

An animal-loving friend just sent this photo of a Dachshund mom who has adopted as one of her own an orphaned piglet. I love how animals take care of those in need sometimes.

Puppy Love

This has nothing to do with faith, per se, but everything to do with love....my first real love was for a beagle named Lass. To this day I love beagles. So I was delighted to hear that Uno, the beagle, is best-in-breed at the Westminster Dog Show. But I could have told you that. Who can resist a beagle? (I gotta get one of those puppy tread mills for my dog.) Here's my all-time Best-in-Show at a young 14ish-years-old:

(Circa Fall, 2007)