Each of Us is Essential

There isn't a day that goes by in which we fail to hear something about essential workers.

During this health crisis, and time of great need, they have come to us like masked angels to rescue, protect, and comfort. We cheer them sequestered behind windows, create home-made gowns and face coverings to keep them safe, and appreciate them in our hearts more than they will ever know. Here's to each one...essential in every way.

“I am praying today that in this moment there is also a shifting of our values that allows us to see that in God’s eyes everyone is essential.”

— Rev. Canon Leonard L. Hamlin Sr.

When working as a counselor/therapist/administrator in hospitals and clinics I was deemed to be essential for the wellbeing of our patients. If weather or some other crisis kept others home, it was necessary for me to show up so that medication and supportive treatment could be given.

The people I served were almost always grateful and glad to see me, and I have to admit, their appreciation was heartwarming and more treasured than any paycheck I ever received.

Retired from the field for half-a-decade, it still makes me feel like I did some things that made the world a little better. Now, I use those 46 years of experience to give a personal touch to my work as a professional journalist. Now I am non-essential by definition. But here's one thing I have learned. There is no one among us who would fit that characterization. Each of us is essential.

Father Giuseppe Berardelli

Father Hamlin's point of course is that our sacred and essential identity in God's eyes is at the core of who we are. We are powerfully made from all eternity. There has never been one like you and there will never be another. His prayer that our values might shift so that we could clearly see this in every person we encounter is one we all need to embrace. There is no obscure life nor is there an obscure death.

One example of many is that of Father Giuseppe Berardelli from Casnigo, Italy who gave away the life-saving respirator purchased for him by his parishioners to a younger patient who was also struggling with novel coronavirus. The priest didn't even know the person but gave his life so the other might survive. There was no fanfare for Berardelli. But he was certainly essential.

The pandemic will ultimately go away, becoming a part of history.

One hundred years from now few will be alive to share their memories of it. There might be some stories of silly people who crowded beaches at Spring Break in defiance of a disease that would kill so many due to their recklessness.

Mention might be made of irresponsible leaders who called COVID-19 a hoax, played golf and worked out in gyms despite the risks, or visited hospitals without protective equipment, setting a standard with untold consequences.

But there might be a better story to be told…not only of heroes who emerged but of a culture transformed. Our grandchildren and their descendants could live their lives with a universal awakening that every person and all living things are essential. Wouldn’t that be a game-changer.

And what wonderful world it will be.

God With Us; Pure as the Driven Snow

Once upon a time in our nation's capital, a young man slept on the third story of an old home in the heart of Adams Morgan. It wasn't easy to fall into dreamland with all of the disturbing noise from Columbia Rd. below. He had grown up in a small midwestern town and now lived in a remote cabin nestled among the laurels of Western North Carolina. Gunshots and sirens had taken the place of a mountain stream's lullabies. Restless sleep was punctuated by noisy violence in this place where he was attending classes. What woke him were not sounds of increased disorder and turmoil that night. It was a sudden silence. He rubbed his eyes and listened.

The strange hush made him wonder what was happening. He looked out the window only to see bricks of the building next door inches away. Rising from his bed, the man wandered down the hallway to a window on the street. Big flakes of snow were falling heavily, covering cars, sidewalks, and the entire District. A thick blanket had quieted the night and sent almost everyone inside. Shining lights of monuments and the twinkling of Christmas decorations were more brilliant than ever as Washington lived up to its' moniker of The Great White City. All of that which seemed evil had been made just as pure as the driven snow. Peace reigned. If only for an hour.

My snow experience in DC so many years ago will stay with me always.

Though there are many winter weather stories knocking around in my aging memory, this is the one that resonates. As Christmas comes along again with Advent messages of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, I recall the clear message of that night as an epiphany of Emmanuel. God With Us. It's not hard to slip into despair even during the seasons of light. One in seven people is going hungry while over one-third of the world's food is wasted. We angrily divide ourselves along political party lines as we turn a blind eye to children trafficked for sex. We spend fortunes on nuclear arsenals while homeless veterans seek shelter and basic healthcare. What an ugly mess we make. But even so, God is with us.

When we wake up to that reality, the most amazing things happen. I think of Linda who was a woman victimized throughout her childhood. Dually diagnosed with multiple personality disorder and chronic addiction, her family and friends had given up hope that she would ever be well. It was shocking to those of us who were treating her illnesses that a few words of wisdom one day would somehow cut through her tortured past, leading to a kind of rebirth. This is what she heard;

“You are my child. The beloved. You were lost and now you are found. You were dead and now you are alive. You are with me always. Everything I have is yours.”

The words were a compilation of scriptural text given as a Christmas talk by a visiting treatment center alum. The next day, Linda brought me a beautiful hand-drawn calligraphy she created with those words. She said; “Now that I know this I can get better.” And, somehow, the miracle of miracles came to pass. She finished inpatient treatment and with hard work, help and time, became a mentor for others who were discarded as incurable. God was with her through the darkness. She was no longer alone.

Healing mercy is always at hand. The blanket of redemption is not an exclusive property of the pious. Emmanuel knows no boundaries and plays no favorites. God does not sit on a towering and remote throne judging those who are naughty and nice. I think that is the domain of Santa and his elves.

When everything is covered in snow and silence overcomes the hubbub we are transformed and restored to our real selves. God is revealed as a fragile human being and the rest of us are made whole. Thus, with this revelation, we are empowered to make things right. Hand in hand there is nothing we cannot fix.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Ransom us to become instruments of your love...that we might join with you to co-create a world as pure as the driven snow.

Awakening to Snowfall; Remember Who You Are

“As you awaken to your Divine nature, you'll begin to appreciate beauty in everything you see, touch and experience.”  ~ Wayne Dyer

Winter snows have come with a vengeance once again to folks who live up North.  I remember how tired we used to get of scooping, scraping and being trapped inside.  My daughter and I have never been big fans, though I liked it more than she. Then there are people like my son who never weary of it.  His Michigan childhood comes back to life when it snows and just delights in it. He reminds me that there is always something magical about snow.  It has elements of surprise and beauty that we should explore rather than shun.  Within each snowfall are thousands and thousands of unique snowflakes which serve to remind us of who we are.

Our unique self, like a snowflake, will never be duplicated.  The evidence of this is everywhere.  Our DNA is comprised of markers that are arranged only for one person. It never has been and never will be again.  Only you! Even twins don’t have the same DNA. Combination of parents, grandparents and countless generations of ancestors each give us a gift of themselves in the pattern that becomes you.  It took thousands of years to come up with the design for each individual.  Our uniqueness also can be found in fingerprints. Each time we touch something we leave a stamp of our existence behind.  We are here and we are one of a kind.  The mold has been broken.

We have an individual and divine purpose in our uniqueness. The odds of your random creation are so small that it is incomprehensible.  Wayne Dyer talks about the fact that a great wind sweeping through a garbage dump, gathering up all of the pieces and setting them down as a fully assembled Boeing 747 is more likely than the exclusive collection of cells and tissue that is you.  Your importance cannot be understated.  The incredible love story of our Creator is at work here.  Such a miracle can have no other explanation. You are God’s beloved child.  Look at that beautiful snowfall and remember.

All You Need is Love

“We’ve got the gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard, or just think it’s gonna get on with itself. You gotta keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it…and nurture it.” ~ John Lennon

Love is perfect.  Even in the cloudy reflection of broken relationships, love blesses us for having experienced it at all.  Our fragile and conditional human expressions of love can cause pangs of regret and worry, but even so, without it we would be lost.  Every time we allow ourselves to become vulnerable and open to the possibilities of love, we are drawing closer to God.  Every time we let go of resentment in favor of forgiveness, we are walking with God’s hand in ours.  Every time we stop to help a child, the Spirit of God is moving in our hearts.  Love is not only perfect it is the light that dispels the darknesses which would otherwise destroy us.

We are directed to “Love God, love our neighbor and love ourselves.”  This instruction, if truly followed, provides challenges that can keep us on track throughout our lives.  We will be continually transformed.  Everything else falls into place as we love first and foremost.  This is not easy work and requires that, as John Lennon says, we really look after it and nurture it.  We must allow ourselves to be loved as well as to give love.  Love counts us worthy even when we feel unworthy.  It identifies each of us as the beloved child of God.  When we accept this, we will be able to share it with others.  Then, the love we give will be the love we get.

Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse. In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers. His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration, and meditation.

Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin

Guided by Another Easter

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” ~ Joseph Campbell

Easter shakes us up.

It asks us to let go and let God. Easter reminds us that our lives are not our own. We clearly discover that we are not in charge. God seems to have another idea for us. It is an idea which has little to do with our own plans.Couldn’t most all of us confirm that we never planned to be exactly who we are and where we are today?Our passions and dreams are only diminished by the alluring attraction of wealth, power or even by the need for security. When we compromise, put off or set aside the fire in our bellies, the chances are good that it might be reduced to a flickering memory of what-might-have-been.And so, we trudge ahead, doing what we are expected to do. The terrible consequence is a life lived only on the surface. We arrive at our destination and find there is nobody there to cheer for us. We take nothing with us and finish as a weary traveler. Then we simply disappear into the background.This is God's better idea. As Gods exceptional and beloved child, each of us is given special gifts and special powers unique unto ourselves. Every gift and power ignite that little fire which burns as our passion. When we pay attention to this fire it becomes bliss. We are directed by its light through darkness, rain and life storms.When true to our course, following our bliss and honoring God’s gifts we become enabled to live fully. We become instruments of God’s dream. We arrive at our destination in the embrace of a loving community. We bring all of the accumulated love with us. We are never forgotten.Easter is a time for renewal and new beginnings. We have a chance to affirm our gifts and to re-ignite our special powers. Easter sets us free. Easter renews us. Easter brings us home.“When I look through God's eyes at my lost self and discover God's joy at my coming home, then my life may become less anguished and more trusting." ~ Henri Nouwen

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About the Author

In a career spanning over four decades, Robert Kenneth Jones has been an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse. His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration, and meditation.

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Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin

Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast