All that I know of tomorrow
All that I know of tomorrow In gratitude for a lifelong career with Providence
All that I know of tomorrow l 1
2 l All that I know of tomorrow
Dear Colleagues,
I
started this project in the fall of 2005. I have been blessed to spend essentially my entire professional life with Providence. Providence is woven into our family from the very first day I arrived in Portland, Oregon, on May 31, 1975, with my new bride and lifetime partner, Joan. Through the birth and baptisms of our children, Emily and Andy; mentoring from those in Providence who served as surrogate parents; colleagues whom I think of as brothers and sisters; young colleagues for whom I care as much as my own children; and finally the Sisters of Providence who have modeled lives in service to others, I “bleed Providence blue.” I cannot imagine a different life. This compilation of reflections is a glimpse of a great organization. In the spirit of Sister Susanne Hartung, S.P., and the influence of my exposure to Jesuit education, many reflections are accompanied by a very brief context and experience. For those of you who know me, where it makes sense, I have sprinkled my reflections with “meaningless rural expressions,” just to make sure we don’t get too serious about all this or ourselves. I have organized my thoughts into a progression reflecting the journey, although the journey starts anew every day. So, when you need a reflection, or just a thought as to why you do what you do, I hope this helps. Aim high, care deeply, have fun! Greg Van Pelt
All that I know of tomorrow l 3
Why
W
here do you start as to why you do what you do? One of my mentors and friends, Larry O’Connell who brought ministry leadership into our lives, led me to the book, “This I Believe.” It is a compilation of thoughts from both famous and not-so-famous people who were invited to write a few hundred words expressing the core principles that guide their lives – their personal credo. It was first compiled in 1951 and was revived and published in 2007. I gave it a try. This is where I start, and this is what I believe: I believe in the human spirit. I use the word “spirit” intentionally. I am a person of faith and find confidence and meaning in the concept of a God in whose image every human is created. And, as we are all created in that image, we all are sacred and called to strive, to behave in ways God would expect of us. Belief in the human spirit originates in my faith and continues to inspire me … perhaps convincing me that God must exist as I see God in everyday life of everyday women, men and children: birth of a new life; the eyes, mind and questions of a child; the transformation of an adolescent into adult; resilience of the undeserving victim; touch of a nurse; inspiration of a teacher; beauty of music and art; tenacity of a scientist; heart of a volunteer; wisdom and grace of my parents; and the love of my wife, children and family. I can’t explain the overpowering sensation when eyes meet, hands touch, the heart connects … silence … and the spirit moves. The human spirit moves, moves in each of us, moves a family, moves a community, moves a world to a better place worthy of something only God could create.
4 l All that I know of tomorrow
With this as my foundation, I have explored ways to express “my credo” in action. Several years ago Providence joined four other Catholic health systems to establish the Ministry Leadership Center. The ambition of the health systems and the center include the formation of future leaders for the continuation of Catholic health care. “Catholic health care is an explicitly faith-based enterprise.”1 “In general, this means they (leaders) must have a working knowledge of the faith convictions that ground the values and the ability to connect the values to the life of the organization.”2 Through the experience of the Ministry Leadership Center, I became familiar with the major themes from Catholic Social Teachings.3 These themes are universal in their invitation for people of all faiths to join in service to others. I present them here as a reference and a way to connect “What I Believe” to “What I Should Do.” n Dignity of the Human Person Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching. Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the starting point for a moral vision for society. This principle is grounded in the idea that the person is made in the image of God. The person is the clearest reflection of God among us. n Common Good and Community The human person is both sacred and social. We realize our dignity and right in relationship with others, in community. Human beings grow and achieve fulfillment in community. Human dignity can only be realized and protected in the context of relationships with the wider society. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute to the good of the whole society, to the common good.
n Option for the Poor The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation. We are called to look at public policy decision in terms of how they affect the poor. The “option for the poor” is not an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather, it states that deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wound the whole community. n Rights and Responsibilities Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency – starting with food, shelter and clothing, employment and education. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities – to one another, to our families and to the larger society. n Role of Government and Subsidiarity The state has a positive moral function. It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights and build the common good. All people have a right and a responsibility to participate in political institutions so that government can achieve its proper goals.
The principle of subsidiarity holds that the functions of government should be performed at the lowest level possible, as long as they can be performed adequately.
1. John Shea, “Challenges and Competencies,” Health Progress January-February (2000): 20. 2. Ed Giganti, “Telling the Values Story at Catholic Health East,” Health Progress July-August (2003): 8. 3. “Catholic Social Teaching,” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, accessed March 27, 2013. http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching.
All that I know of tomorrow l 5
n Economic Justice The economy must serve people, not the other way around. All workers have a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to safe working conditions. They also have a fundamental right to organize and join unions. People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life. n Stewardship of God’s Creation The goods of the earth are gifts from God, and they are intended by God for the benefit of everyone. There is a “social mortgage” that guides our use of the world’s goods, and we have a responsibility to care for these goods as stewards and trustees, not as mere consumers and users. How we treat the environment is a measure of our stewardship, a sign of our respect for the Creator. n Promotion of Peace and Disarmament Catholic teaching promotes peace as a positive, actionoriented concept. In the words of Pope John Paul II, “Peace is not just the absence of war. It involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves collaboration and binding agreements.” n Participation All people have a right to participate in the economic, political and cultural life of society. It is a fundamental demand of justice and a requirement for human dignity that all people be assured a minimum level of participation in the community. It is wrong for a person or a group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to participate in society.
6 l All that I know of tomorrow
n Global Solidarity and Development We are one human family. Our responsibilities to each other cross national, racial, economic and ideological differences. We are called to work globally for justice. Authentic development must be full human development. Historical context With this faith foundation, the story of health care in the United States is very much the story of Catholic health care and the brave women of Catholic religious communities who answered the “call” to serve God through service to others. Our own Providence ministries are very much the result of Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Much has been chronicled of her bravery and charism. When she arrived in Vancouver, Wash., in 1856 there were no hospitals, few schools, and little in the way of charitable services for those suffering the misfortunes of life on the frontier. Under her leadership, more than 30 hospitals, schools and homes were opened for the sick, the elderly and orphans in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and southern British Columbia. Mother Joseph’s contribution to education, health care, and the social services continue to be recognized a century after her death. In 1980, she was named as Washington state’s second representative in National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. The corporation Mother Joseph established in 1859 is acknowledged as a “Pioneer Corporation in Washington State,” in fact only the second corporation in Washington’s history. Today that inspiration continues with Providence Ministries in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana and California.
Personal experience We are taught from our earliest days that all people are made in the image and likeness of God. God loved us so much He sent His Son as an example of how to live a Godlike life, to teach us the way. What distinguishes us as a Catholic organization is that our ministry of health care is driven by this desire, this faith that through service to others we work toward fulfilling this purpose of our lives … that being service to others. The theological foundation of our faith and ministry is important for a number of reasons. First, it helps to fortify the understanding of how we got to this faith, where it started. Second, it is a very rich history of how we apply our foundation to the challenges of contemporary times. If one reads the theological foundations in an historical context, it provides a very insightful, enjoyable story of heroic proportions … a story of people and situations that teach us why and how through actions or behaviors we live out decisions in the image and likeness of God. This “heroic” behavior is described in theological terms as “prophetic,” or taking action to the extent that it might be unpopular or countercultural, but the right thing to do. Theological foundations address many, if not most, of our human leadership challenges. Justice, wealth, labor, economic trade, health care. Familiarity with the foundations gives us a common background for behavior and decision making today. Let me give you two examples, which I’ve found to be provocative. Fr. Robert Baumiller, a Jesuit geneticist at Georgetown University, assisted us while I was at St. Vincent Hospital and Medical Center in Portland in developing the NICU and ethical decision making regarding early diagnosis of significantly deformed and many times nonviable fetuses.
As God made us in His image and likeness, the Godlike, Christlike heroic or prophetic decision would be the respect and caring for human life through full pregnancy and birth with faith that this heroic behavior may, in fact, strengthen our appreciation for the sacredness of life and the important relationship among us for all individuals, regardless of their imperfections. Fr. Baumiller, at the same time, acknowledged that though made in the image and likeness of God, we are not always heroes, we are human and may not live up to heroic opportunities. Our theological foundation calls us to publicly “witness” prophetic behavior. We cannot condone anything else. Ironically this same theological foundation calls for unconditional love of God to forgive and reconcile our human frailties. My second example is of the Sisters of Providence and Sisters of the Little Company of Mary. These women have given their lives to service of others. As lay administrators of the health care ministry, we have not made this “heroic” decision to give our lives to service. We contribute to the ministry, and we are obliged to learn and manage in a way that reflects this lifelong dedication, this Christlike commitment to serve others. Formation is that lifelong journey to learn and act in the heroic way God intended in a context of contemporary time. Our theological foundations give us a background for making these heroic decisions. Our Catholic symbols and rituals are means by which we remind ourselves of this heroic intent. They are great reminders, systems and structures, day after day, week after week, stories of how God loved us so much He gave up His Son to death in service to others.
All that I know of tomorrow l 7
Let me close with some thoughts on how we apply this. I find it helpful to describe our formation goal in Hank Walker 4 Square: Intent, Behaviors, Systems and Structures that Lead to Culture.
regular management meeting to set a context for the day’s decisions. We rotate the preparation of the theological reflection, historical experience and application to today’s world among all members.
n Our intent is to live out our purpose to be Christlike, to live the image and likeness of God. The intent is found in the theological foundations.
It has also brought much greater understanding among our colleagues of why we do what we do, and how we can do it well.
n Second, our behaviors reflect those heroic intents.
At the same time, we acknowledge that we fail every day. We have started a journey that I think in time will make us better people and a better organization. Our formation experience fits very well into the talent stewardship strategy on which we have embarked, and we have some fun along the way.
n Third, our systems and structures support those behaviors. For example, we build prayer and reflections into our meetings, we require ethical discernment, and we require Mission integration review. n Fourth, through repetition, our culture evolves. As leaders, we follow this pattern of behavior to remind us of how we apply what we have learned in formation. Reading and discussing a theological foundation; historical reference as to how our Sisters of Providence applied, behaved in their times; followed by how we apply these “teachings” to our contemporary times. We dedicate significant time at the very beginning of our
8 l All that I know of tomorrow
Caritas Christi urget nos. The love of Christ impels us. This is what we are about.
Threads James A. Autry
Listen, In every office You hear the threads Of love and joy and fear and guilt, The cries for celebration And reassurance, And somehow you know that Connecting those threads Is what you are supposed to do And business takes care of itself. u u u u u
All the true vows David Whyte
All the true vows Are secret vows The ones we speak out loud Are the ones we break.
Whatever you hear from The water, remember, It wants you to carry The sound of its truth on your lips.
There is only one life You can call your own And a thousand others You can call by any name you want.
Remember, In this place No one can hear you
Hold to the truth you make Every day with your own body, Don’t turn your face away.
And out of silence You can make a promise It will kill you to break,
Hold to your own truth At the center of the image You were born with.
That way you’ll find What is real and what is not.
Those who do not understand Their destiny will never understand The friends they have made Nor the work they have chosen Nor the one life that waits Beyond all the others. By the lake in the wood In the shadows You can Whisper that truth To the quiet reflection You see in the water.
I know what I am saying. Time almost forsook me And I looked again. Seeing my reflection I broke a promise And spoke For the first time After all these years In my own voice, Before it was too late To turn my face again. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 9
Ventures we cannot see Lutheran Book of Worship
O Lord God, Who has called us, your servants, To ventures of which we cannot see the ending, By paths as yet untrodden And through perils unknown: Give us faith to go out with good courage, Not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us. Amen u u u u u
Micah 6:8 What is good has been explained to you; This is what Yahweh asks of you, only this: To act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God. u u u u u
10 l All that I know of tomorrow
Falling in Love Pedro Arrupe, S.J.
Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than Falling in Love, In a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, What you do with your evenings, How you spend your weekends, What you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, And what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything. u u u u u
The Meaning of Life Sally Casper, suicide prevention volunteer and child counselor
F
or years I have listened to people during a critical stage of despair, a stage where they’ve felt life no longer had a meaning and they’ve been tempted to just end it all.
At that point in someone’s life, there’s no point in trying to hand over some package and say, “Here, believe this” or “Think this” or “Do that” and hope that it’ll offer some kind of salvation. Nobody else’s package really matters at that instant. And because I don’t have a package to see, what I’ve offered has been my own companionship in those moments when someone is trying to tolerate no meaning or to tolerate life not seeming to be worth the trouble…. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can offer is not an answer but your presence, your being there to share the feeling of loneliness, your being there while someone goes on breathing in and out, whether it matters or not. Usually given enough time, there’ll be something that’ll click, that’ll help that person get out of that frame of mind and move on to something else since that frame of mind never lasts. Maybe it’ll be something quite simple: being needed by someone or finding some small pleasure that’ll help that person feel he can go on. Having shared in these moments of loneliness, I come to a sort of conclusion that the answer, if there is one, is tied up with human compassion. That’s it. We are here to be there for someone else. u u u u u
Find a purpose in life so big it will challenge every capacity to be at your best!
Providence Beginnings case study: The difference we can make Patient “A” was a 22-year-old female at seven weeks gestation when she was referred to Providence Beginnings by Healthy Start, who had used the Providence Beginnings risk screen to classify the patient as high risk (psychosocial stress score = 34, positive response to all three March of Dimes abuse questions). The patient admitted physical violence between her and her boyfriend (each of them had physically attacked the other, and she had been forced to have sexual relations). She was living in a chaotic home situation with her boyfriend and two transient males, and there was high drug and alcohol use in the home. The Providence Beginnings nurse case manager connected Patient “A” with counseling and classes for anger control; she also arranged for a community health nurse and for help with transportation to classes and prenatal care visits. The case manager called the patient once per week, and the patient developed a healthy emotional bond with the case manager, calling her frequently for advice and support. The patient’s boyfriend (father of the baby) gradually became more supportive of her; the patient also began to communicate with her mother to resolve a long-standing animosity due to family problems during her childhood. Patient “A” and her boyfriend eventually evicted the transient roommates and moved into a nicer apartment with her mother. When the patient developed gestational diabetes, the case manager supported her in following nutritional guidelines to control the diabetes. Patient “A” delivered a healthy 7 lb. 3 oz. daughter at full term. The case manager assisted her in choosing a pediatrician and scheduling an appointment for the new baby. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 11
Beginning Age Quod Agis … “Do well whatever you do”
A “
t some point in our life, we recognize that there is something we are good at and something we enjoy doing. Our heart speaks to us, and we respond to that desire to contribute to something greater than ourselves. In Providence, we have become familiar with this sensation as our “call.” It is more than a job, more than a career, something that our friends and even family may not understand, and it truly guides the events of our life. Stepping off into the abyss of a call can be terrifying, and at the same time it provides a sense of grace that I am doing what I was meant to do and somehow, some way I will figure out a way with other companions on this journey.
Swim into the teeth of the shark. Jack Van Pelt (my dad)
”
Why are you here? Can you remember the call to health care? Can you remember why you chose Providence? Can you remember the call you received when you “got the job”? Can you remember your very first day on the job? The sense of excitement? You might have purchased new clothes. (I did; Joan and I picked out my first business suit. A pretty ugly plaid with flaring pants.) You did everything you could do to make a good impression and please every person you came in contact with. Think back for just a minute. Can you feel that spirit again, or has time worn away that thrill, that excitement? Now look around you. Do you realize the role you play in probably the most important institutions in each of our communities? We have the privilege to serve at the first breath of a new baby and to hold the hand of someone whose journey through life is now complete. History On the new frontier, the sisters grew homesick and depressed. Mother Joseph had difficulty keeping up their spirits and could readily understand why the first band of sisters had fled the country shortly after arriving. In 1856 Mother Joseph observed, “Beginnings are always trying, and here the devil is so enraged he frightens me.” As time passed, progress ensued; systems and structures emerged. The sisters relied heavily upon a “Little Medical Guide,” published by the Mother House of the Sisters of Providence in Montreal and regularly updated to help sisters everywhere care for the sick. The sisters were urged to hold regular assembly meetings “to discuss new things in
12 l All that I know of tomorrow
medicine and better ways to make beds, do the cleaning, put on bandages, air rooms, and so forth.” “And they were charged to get along with each other and the hired help of the hospital.” Dr. William Jones, an early medical staff leader at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, described it this way at the dedication of the second St. Vincent site, and this is true for all of our ministries: “A great hospital, like a great university, is something more than a collection of buildings and their furniture. They are merely the outer covering, the abiding place of the real thing. It must have history, traditions, achievements behind it, and a promising future before it. To thousands of people, it is something more than a name. In thousands of homes, it is a household word. It is a place where some member of the family has been cared for in an illness or attended in an injury. To thousands of poor, it is a place that gave them refuge when overtaken by sickness or when struck down by accident. It is an ornament and a credit to the city and a proper subject of pride.” You have been preparing for this moment your entire life. All the education, all the management training, the blood, sweat and tears of meetings, successes, failures, emotions good and bad. Today, more than 60,000 colleagues depend
on us to lead them to the next 150 years. Today we are called once again to exemplify the type of leader you expected on your very first day. Sister Yvonne LeBlanc continues in the back of my mind …“That’s why we hired YOU.” u u u u u
Let this moment be. Live it in all of its fullness and beauty. “In this moment is everything you are, right here and now. The possibilities open to you are more than can be counted. Let the best, most authentic and most sincere of those possibilities fill your imagination. And bring them fully to life as you bring your best to this moment. Realize how absurd it would be to burden yourself with any limiting thoughts. For they are nothing more than faint echoes from the past. In this moment is where you live and where you can take positive, powerful action. Whatever has happened before is over with now, and you’re here to make a difference in the way this moment is. You can choose to make this moment a great one. And now is when you do!” Ralph Marston
All that I know of tomorrow l 13
Help us to Believe in Beginnings Adapted from “Guerrillas of Grace” by Ted Loder
O God, help us to believe in beginnings and help us to make beginnings: To begin going out of our weary minds into fresh dreams, daring to make our own bold tracks in the land of now; To begin questioning the unquestionable that we may know the truth; To begin sacrificing that we may accomplish justice; To begin risking that we may make peace; To begin loving that we may realize joy. O God, help us to believe in beginnings, to be a beginning, So that we may not just grow old, but grow new each day of this wild, amazing life you call us to live. u u u u u
We are not called to be right Adapted from a sermon of Bud Thurston shared by Barbara Blakeley
We are not called to be right. We are called to be responsible, To make the best choice we know how in every given situation, trusting God will bring something creative out of what happens. We are responsible to try to seek what love would indicate. Weigh consequences, assess probabilities, take the most loving and wise course of action; Then trust. God stays with us to forgive us and to pick the pieces up, once again, and to give us a chance, once again, to build bridges all over again, to be able to try and try … once again. Life may be better or worse. If it gets worse, help us to remember it always changes. The dark skies hide a sun that is still bright. As we enjoy success, be humble and give thanks for our blessings. Be responsible, trust in God. u u u u u
14 l All that I know of tomorrow
The Journey Mary Oliver
One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice – though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles. “Mend my life!” each voice cried. But you didn’t stop. You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible. It was already late enough, and a wild night, and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
But little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world, determined to do the only thing you could do – determined to save the only life you could save. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 15
Begin Based on Stephen Covey, “The 7 habits of Highly Effective People”
To begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day with deepest values firmly in mind. Then when the challenges come, I can make my decision based on those values. I can act with integrity. I don’t have to react to the emotion, the circumstance. I can be truly – value driven – because my values are clear. u u u u u
The Path Mahatma Gandhi
I know the path: It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it. I weep when I slip. God’s word is: “The one who strives never perishes.” I have implicit faith in that promise. Though, therefore, from my weakness I fail a thousand times, I shall not lose faith. u u u u u
“
It must be good ’cause bad things don’t draw crowds. Chuck Berry
16 l All that I know of tomorrow
”
Commitment From “the Scottish Himalayan Expedition” by W. H. Murray
Until one is committed There is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, Always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), There is one elementary truth, The ignorance of which kills countless ideas And splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself, Then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one That would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, Raising in one’s favour all manner Of unforeseen incidents and meetings And material assistance, Which no man could have dreamt Would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect For one of Goethe’s couplets: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 17
Learning
O
nce we begin our journey, learning becomes a lifelong exercise. In my life I have been most impressed by the Jesuit model of learning. The model is deeply rooted in simple yet profound steps to discipline a thought process that ties a combination of theory, practice and experience into learning. In its simplest form, the steps are “Context, Experience, Reflection, Action and Evaluation.” Upon completing this cycle, we begin again in the decision process to consistently refine our decisions in the context of our greater goals. As a young manager, I found this tool extremely helpful. Our journey of leadership has begun. It is a long journey, and we must be patient, balanced in our approach. Our skills must be constantly honed. Our impact on the world around us can grow. Open our eyes and our hearts to learning ways in which to manage and lead in the context or spirit of our Providence Mission and values.
“
18 l All that I know of tomorrow
”
Mama didn’t raise no fool. Les Claypool, Primus
Patient Trust in Ourselves and the Slow Work of God Adapted from “Trust In the Slow Work Of God” by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, 1881-1955, Jesuit, Paleontologist, Biologist, Philosopher and Visionary
A
bove all, trust in the slow work of God. We are, quite naturally, impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability – And that it may take a very long time. And so I think it is with you. Your ideas mature gradually – let them grow, Let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today What time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) Will make you tomorrow. Only God could say what this new spirit Gradually forming within you will be. Give our Lord the benefit of believing That his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of Feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete. u u u u u
“
Become who you are, who you are meant to be.
”
Thomas Merton
All that I know of tomorrow l 19
In Our Longing Unknown
In our longing for love and trust, Life may be better or worse. If it gets worse, help us to remember it always changes. The dark skies hide a sun that is still bright. If it gets better, Let the brightness not blind us to your goodness And in our gladness let us not forget you who is the Source of all joy, of all trust, and of all love. Some place from within, Trust God in the darkness without evidence to assure us of his presence. u u u u u
W
hile we place all our confidence in God, we must act if success is dependent on our own expectations!
Catherine McAuley, foundress, Sisters of Mercy u u u u u
T
he one guiding you leads you into a country fruitful and promising. You are standing on the edge of a good land. Be grateful and never forget your guide.
From Deuteronomy 8 u u u u u
20 l All that I know of tomorrow
Slow Me Down, Lord Orin Crain
S
low me down, Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me the calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams. Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking minute vacations ‌ of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat the dog, to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, that I may know the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than measuring its speed. Let me look upwards into the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well. Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values that I may grow toward the star of my greater destiny. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 21
Today
T
oday will call each of us to make our particular contributions to the moment. There is no guarantee that we will enjoy every experience, but we can be certain each one of them will teach us something we’re ready to learn because “when the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Little reflection is necessary for us to realize that our most troubling times have generally been responsible for our greatest growth. Our achievements are always accompanied by periods of frustration, occasional loss of direction, even momentary despair because the actual results miss the mark of our hopes. However, the passage of time makes clear that these actual results benefit us far more than those we’d hoped for. Our personal vision is narrow and limiting. We can’t really imagine what’s in store for us. The most we can do is trust that our experiences have our best interests in tow. I’ll remember: Today I’m a student, and my experiences are my teachers.
“
If it’s such a good deal, why they givin’ it to me?
”
Jack Van Pelt
22 l All that I know of tomorrow
SWAY
Hope
Sway is built into tall building so they won’t break. Rigid structures are never as strong as flexible ones. The strongest minds are also the most nimble, the most ready to change and to include new information.
Hope looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst.
We only see one little slice of reality. How can we know what’s right for others? Our spirits will be strong to the extent that we can keep them flexible, ready to incorporate new energies and to make fresh associations.
Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot.
To be flexible doesn’t mean to be wishy-washy or indecisive; often people who refuse to grow will say they want to “remain flexible.” But one can be flexible and still have strong direction, generosity and broad tolerance for others’ growth. What cannot bend may break. u u u u u
Smile A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business – and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and nature’s best antidote for trouble. Yet, it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen. For it is something that is no earthly good to anybody until it is given away!
Hope opens doors where despair closes them.
Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God and basic goodness of humankind. Hope “lights a candle” instead of “cursing the darkness.” Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities. Hope cherishes no illusions, nor does it yield to cynicism. Hope sets big goals and is not frustrated by repeated difficulties or setbacks. Hope pushes ahead when it would be easy to quit. Hope puts up with modest gains, realizing that “the longest journey starts with the first step.” Hope accepts misunderstandings as the price for serving the greater good of others. Hope is a good loser because it has the divine assurance of final victory. u u u u u
And if someone is too tired to give you a smile, just give them one of yours anyway. For nobody needs a smile as much as those who have none left to give. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 23
An Admirable Man In memory of Jim Sartor, St. Vincent Hospital
If a man is honest with others and with himself … If he receives gratefully and gives quietly … If he is gentle enough to feel, and strong enough to show his feelings … If he is slow to see the faults of others, but quick to discover their goodness … If he is cheerful in difficult times and modest in success … If he does his best to be true to his beliefs … Then he is truly an admirable man.
T
he following is a prayer that the intrepid English explorer Sir Francis Drake wrote in his ship’s log over 400 years ago. May these words inspire all of us who share in the Mission of Providence Health & Services and who navigate the shoals and currents along the way, charting our course by the starpoints with compassionate love for the poor, humility, simplicity and charity: Disturb us, O God, when we are too well pleased with ourselves; When our dreams have come true, when we have arrived safely. Disturb us, O God, when with the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst for the abundance of life;
u u u u u
Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity. And in the efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision Of the new heaven to dim. Disturb us, O God, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas Where storms will show your mastery; Where losing sight of land, we ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; And to push us in the future In strength, courage, hope and love. Amen u u u u u
24 l All that I know of tomorrow
A PSALM OF NEW WINE SKINS Comfortable and well-worn are my daily paths whose edges have grown gray with constant use. My daily speech is a collection of old words worn down at the heels by repeated use. My language and deeds, addicted to habit, prefer the taste of old wine, the feel of weathered skin. Come and awaken me, Spirit of the new. Come and refresh me, Creator of green life. Come and inspire me, Risen Son, You who make all things new: I am too young to be dead, to be stagnant in spirit. High are the walls that guard the old, the tried and secure ways of yesterday that protect me from the dreaded plague, the feared heresy of change.
For all change is a danger to the trusted order, the threadbare traditions that are maintained by the narrow ruts of rituals. Yet how can an everlastingly new covenant retain its freshness and vitality without injections of the new, the daring and the untried? Come, O You who are ever-new, wrap my heart in new skin, ever flexible to be reformed by Your Spirit. Set my feet to fresh paths this day: Inspire me to speak original and lifegiving words and to creatively give shape to the new. Come and teach me how to dance with delight whenever you send a new melody my way.
u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 25
RISK Brittany Blakeley
H
old on in the darkness though no gleam of light breaks through. Keep on dreaming dreams although they never quite come true. Keep on moving forward though you don’t know what’s ahead. Keep on keeping on though it’s a lonely road ahead.
wring your hands look around call next door swallow bite your nails smile slightly check the time pace
Keep on looking up toward the goal you have in view. Keep on at the task God has given you to do. Keep on in the hope that there are better times in store. Keep on praying for the thing that you are waiting for.
clench your teeth breathe shortly smell the air listen
Blessings come to those who in the turmoil of events Seek to see the goodness of the Will of Providence. Hold to this and never doubt. Keep head and spirits high. You’ll discover that the storm was only passing by.
coast is clear stand alone be not afraid race
u u u u u
O Lord God, Who has called us your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden and through perils unknown: Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us. Amen The Lutheran Book of Worship u u u u u
u u u u u
Lord, give us faith that right makes might. Grant, O merciful God, that with malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as you give us to see the right, we may strive to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. Adapted from Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address u u u u u
26 l All that I know of tomorrow
Being authentic is to be our real selves in the external world. Being authentic is being ourselves as we engage with others. Being authentic is not hiding behind a mask, not faking what we think or feel. Being authentic is living with honesty and integrity. Being authentic is matching our inner reality with its outward expressions. u u u u u
Many Gifts, One Spirit (1 Cor 12:4-13)
T
here are different gifts but the same Spirit; there are different ministries but the same Lord; there are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one the Spirit gives wisdom in discourse, to another the power to express knowledge. Through the Spirit one receives faith; by the same Spirit another is given the gift of healing, and still another miraculous powers. It is one and the same Spirit who produces all these gifts, distributing them to each as he will. The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 27
Take time An Old Irish Prayer
Take time to Work, it is the price of success. Take time to Think, it is the source of power. Take time to Play, it is the secret of perpetual youth. Take time to Read, it is the foundation of wisdom. Take time to be Friendly, it is the road to happiness. Take time to Dream, it is hitching your wagon to a star. Take time to Love and Be Loved, it is the privilege of the Gods. Take time to Look Around, the day is too short to be selfish. Take time to Laugh, it is the music of the soul.
To Live Everything Rainer Marie Rilke, Letters to a young poet
Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart ... Try to love the questions themselves ... Do not now seek the answers which cannot be given because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, Live along some distant day into the answers. u u u u u
u u u u u
“Truth came knocking at my door and I said, ‘Go away, I am too busy looking for the truth!’” Robert Pirsig, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” u u u u u
28 l All that I know of tomorrow
BE REBORN Tim Fallon
Today, each day, all days – be reborn. Return to nakedness before your Creator. Walk in the garden and listen to each song and sound anew. Hear your name again, and yet for the first time Know the cry you first uttered. Invest yourself as much in each word as you did in your first. Discover again the newness of life: the freshness of air the coolness of water the power of the wind. Discover again the mystery of God, the unity of all that is. Live in the present – live it all, dare to experience it totally, to embrace it, to break into it – even if it breaks you. Yet, remember your history – not nostalgically, as though you could return to it or would like to, but gratefully because you have been so gifted, blessed and loved and because you have loved much, touched many and come to be you. Remember, too, the pains and hurting – search them for redemption: If you find the sorrow turned to joy, the despair changed to hope, and death transformed to life, then rejoice and give God praise and thanks. If not, continue waiting and trust in God’s providence.
Know your years as but a moment – not to negate their worth but to see the beauty, delicacy, preciousness and potential of a moment each moment, this moment. Embrace the future hopefully and move forward – not lacking in direction but willing to chart a new course as you feel the Spirit’s breath blowing gently through your soul.
Be open to change, surprise and especially pain – for your vulnerability must not pass, but deepen.
Seek the solitude that you long for, even if you are afraid – it will not do violence to your intimacy, but will cause it and you to be reborn.
Be reborn, yet admire your being, and continue your becoming. And as you walk, walk always in the presence of love ...
u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 29
What is leadership? Its qualities are difficult to define. But they are not so difficult to indentify.
L
eaders don’t force other people to go along with them. They bring them along. Leaders get commitment from others by giving it themselves, by building an environment that encourages creativity, and by operating with honesty and fairness.
Leaders demand much of others, but also give much of themselves. They are ambitious – not only for themselves, but also for those who work with them. They seek to attract, retain and develop other people to their full abilities. Good leaders aren’t “lone rangers.” They recognize that an organization’s strategies for success require the combined talents and efforts of many people. Leadership is the catalyst for transforming those talents into results. Leaders know that when there are two opinions on an issue, one is not bound to be wrong. They recognize that hustle and rush are the allies of superficiality. They are open to new ideas, but they explore their ramifications thoroughly. Successful leaders are emotionally and intellectually oriented to the future – not wedded to the past. They have a hunger to take responsibility, to innovate and to initiate. They are not content with merely taking care of what’s already there. They want to move forward to create something new.
30 l All that I know of tomorrow
Leaders provide answers as well as direction, offer strength as well as dedication, and speak from experience as well as understanding of the problems they face and the people they work with. Leaders are flexible rather than dogmatic. They believe in unity rather than conformity. And they strive to achieve consensus out of conflict. Leadership is all about getting people consistently to give their best, helping them to grow to their fullest potential and motivating them to work toward a common good. Leaders make the right things happen when they’re supposed to. A good leader, an effective leader, is one who has respect. Respect is something you have to have in order to get. A leader who has respect for other people at all levels of the organization, for the work they do, and for their abilities, aspirations and needs, will find respect is returned. And all concerned will be motivated to work together. u u u u u
To Be a Leader Dee Bernhardt
To be a leader is to be vulnerable – to meet the disapproving stares of others with the joy and certainty of God’s infinite love;
To be a leader is to be free – to welcome recurring waves of change with the awe and wonder of a child;
To be a leader is to be imperfect – to enjoy the enriching process of a new challenge with the hope and confidence of the Master;
To be a leader is to be empowering – to share the exhilarating power of information in the establishment of inter-connectedness;
To be a leader is to be naive – to believe the very best of all people in the love and acceptance of our Savior;
To be a leader is to be humble – to give the inestimable gift of flexibility with the grace and forgiveness of God;
To be a leader is to be trusting – to disregard dire projections of gloom for the joy and creativity of our Creator;
To be a leader is to be whole – to know the startling reality that I am central, yet peripheral, in God’s plan for the world;
To be a leader is to be honest – to own our sinfulness with the sincerity and authenticity of the Spirit;
To be a leader is to be weak – to understand that I can rest in the hollow of God’s hand only in the total yielding and complete trusting of my child’s heart.
To be a leader is to be unique – to accept the wonderful gift of self, in the knowledge and understanding of community;
“
u u u u u
”
I wish I was half the person my dog thinks I am. Unknown
All that I know of tomorrow l 31
If
Adapted from Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream – and not make dreams your master; If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet triumph and disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build `em up with worn-out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run – Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And – which is more – you’ll be a Leader, my friend! u u u u u
“
Nobody loves me but my mother, and she might be jivin’, too! B.B. King
32 l All that I know of tomorrow
”
LET US SHINE
From “A return to love” by Marianne Williamson, 1992
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. u u u u u
F
rom the ends of the earth, my Lord, I am calling home my scattered powers: My hope, my faith, my love.
Guard us well, from settling in with our answers. Make of us a wondering, far-sighted, Questioning, restless people. And give us the feet of pilgrims On this journey unfinished. Amen Adapted from ”Seasons of Your Heart“ by Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B. u u u u u
C
hange starts not in the future but in the present, not in Washington or on Wall Street but where I stand. It begins not in the isolated dramatic gesture or the petition signed but in the ordinary actions of life, how I live minute to minute, what I do with my life, what I notice, what I respond to, the care and attention with which I listen, the way in which I respond. What I want to bring out is how a pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that.
Jim Forest, “What I Learned About Justice From Dorothy Day,” Salt of the Earth, July/August 1995. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 33
The Reign of God is not only beyond our efforts; it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying the reign of God always lies beyond us. This is what we are about: We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, Knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
ANYWAY People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the head builder and the worker. We are the workers, not the head builders; Leaders, not messiahs.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
Adapted from a prayer by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. u u u u u
u u u u u
“ 34 l All that I know of tomorrow
”
It ain’t love, but it ain’t bad. Slade
Excerpt from
“Leadership as Covenant, Charism and Communion”
Deborah Savage
W
ithin the Catholic tradition, we have worked to identify the proper mechanisms for insuring the dignity of workers is preserved and their potential respected. But in pursuing systems that do so, we must also ask what the implications of the Catholic tradition are for our understanding of leadership itself. What type of leader is necessary for the principles of participation and subsidiarity to become manifest in any organization? What kind of leader is needed to govern such an organization? A genuine leader must speak the truth and so, the leader must possess the gift of prophecy for the “edification, exhortation, and consolation of the community” they lead. They will need it in order to bear witness to the truth of the current situation and to envision the future of the organization, to inspire in times of opportunity, and to comfort in times of difficulty. A leader’s job is to continually create a ‘’structural tension” that “generates a tendency to move from the actual state to the desired state.” It is not enough to only have a vision. A leader will need “wisdom for practical truths” so that the gap between the current reality and the vision of the future state can be bridged. They will need to be able to act in practical ways to ensure that the organization survives to fulfill its mission and serve its constituents.
The Secret of Success
A
young man asked Socrates the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning. They met. Socrates asked the young man to walk with him toward the river. When the water got up to their necks, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The boy struggled to get out, but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Socrates pulled his head out of the water, and the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, “What did you want the most when you were there?” The boy replied, “Air.” Socrates said, “That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it.” There is no other secret. A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results. u u u u u
The motivation to succeed comes from the burning desire to achieve a purpose.
u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 35
You Can Do Anything You Must Do If you want a thing bad enough To go out and fight for it, Work day and night for it, Give up your time and your peace and your sleep for it; If only desire of it Makes your aim strong enough Never to tire of it, If life seems all empty and useless without it And all that you scheme and you dream is about it, If gladly you’ll sweat for it, Fret for it, Plan for it, Pray with all your strength for it, If you’ll simply go after the thing that you want, With all your capacity, Strength and sagacity, Faith, hope and confidence; stern pertinacity, If neither cold nor poverty, famished and gaunt, Nor sickness, nor pain, Of body or brain, Can turn you away from the aim that you want, If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it, You’ll get it. u u u u u
36 l All that I know of tomorrow
Life is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference ... I think if I have one message, one thing before I die that most of the world would know, it would be that the event does not determine how to respond to the event. That is a purely personal matter. The way in which we respond will direct and influence the event more than the event itself. Virginia Satir u u u u u
“
”
They called my baby ugly. Unknown
A Dialogued Prayer on the Beatitudes
L
ord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Keep us from being preoccupied with money and worldly goods, and with trying to increase them at the expense of justice.
Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the burdens of others. Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shalt inherit the earth.” Help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world around us. Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled.” Make us thirst for You, the fountain of all holiness, and actively spread your influence in our private lives and in society.
Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn. Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” Free us from our senses and our evil desires, and fix our eyes on you. Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country and in the world. Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right rather than to practice injustice; and do not let us discriminate against our neighbors and oppress and persecute them. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 37
Growing
A
shadow that falls on all leaders on the acceptance of a “call to change” is fear. There are many kinds of fear, and as Parker Palmer writes, especially our fear of the natural chaos of life. A lot of leaders become leaders because they have a lifelong devotion to eliminating all remnants of chaos from the world. They’re trying to order and organize things so thoroughly that the nasty stuff – such as dissent, innovation and challenge – will never bubble up around them. What we forget from our spiritual traditions is that God created out of chaos. Chaos is the precondition to creativity, and any organization that doesn’t have an arena of creative chaos is already half dead. As we embark on our journey together, our heritage speaks to us about fear in several ways. From a scriptural perspective, on several occasions Jesus counseled the frightened apostles as they realized the “call” they knew they had to answer. In the end he replied, “Be not afraid, I am with you!”
38 l All that I know of tomorrow
From our Sisters of Providence, Mother Joseph had to deal with the dreary Pacific Northwest winters, the sinking morale of her sisters, setbacks, primitive conditions and suffering to the point of informing Mother Gamelin, “Beginnings are always trying, and here the devil is so enraged he frightens me.” To her, Monsignor Bourget said, “It seems to me that you should not lose courage in the difficult trials of life, for experience has shown you more than once that we are never better off than when we have apparently reached the limit of our resources.” From my own experience, I have told the story many times of one of my first mentors, Sister Yvonne LeBlanc. In the face of conflicted colleagues, emotional physicians and a demanding public, she has but one simple response: “That’s why we hired YOU.” u u u u u
LEADERSHIP AND VISION
L
eadership is not about function or bureaucracy, but about awakening and empowering human presence. A real leader is someone who awakens individuals to possibilities that they don’t see at all. There is something mysterious in each individual that cannot be reduced to a role or function. In its deepest sense, the spirituality of leadership is really the ministry of service to possibility. Good leaders lead because they somehow inhabit the privilege and burden of vision, and they are called to that kind of a frontier. Behind the facade of your daily life – your role, your function, your image – there is something eternal going on. Real leadership helps people to recognize that there is something at the heart of human presence that can never be functionalized. It targets and focuses on the world of experience. Change takes place at the heart of things, where identity unfolds and where it reflects on and mirrors itself. Persons who are alive and in conversation with their own depths are always revising, changing and moving the old thresholds of meaning within themselves. When we keep the frontiers of possibility open, this is where great change can happen. When a good leader awakens the depth of presence in another and encounters the sacredness and inner world of the other, leadership is truly transformational and healing.
The spiritual leader shapes an achievable, clear and compelling vision that conveys where the organization is going, where the employees are heading, and why they should be proud of the direction. Its core is the organization’s mission. Vision, values and determination add soul to the organization. Without them, organizations react but do not create; they forecast but do not strive. All leaders with vision love what they do and care passionately in sharing a vision. These soaring ideals and values are gifts that inspire – that set fire to the hearts of others in shaping and living the realities of a vision. Spirit of God, make us leaders on fire with your love and committed to shaping a vision for the future of Catholic health care. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 39
The Art of HOPE Wilferd A. Peterson
The well-known maxim, “While there is life, there is hope,” has deeper meaning in reverse: “While there is hope, there is life.” Hope comes first; life follows. Hope gives power to life. Hope rouses life to continue, to expand, to grow, to reach out, to go on.
Hope scales the peak, wrestles with the impossible, achieves the highest aim. Hope discovered America. In the face of unknown seas and the terror of a mutinous crew, Columbus gave the command of hope: “Sail on! Sail on and on!”
Hope sees a light where there isn’t any. Hope lights candles in millions of despairing hearts.
Hope, alone, remained in Pandora’s box after all other blessings had escaped. Greek mythology thus proclaims hope as the indispensable blessing of life.
Hope is the miracle medicine of the mind. It inspires the will to live. Hope is the physician’s strongest ally.
“Hope,” wrote Victor Hugo, “is the word which God has written on the brow of every man.”
Hope is man’s shield and buckler against defeat. “Hope,” wrote Alexander Pope, “springs eternal in the human breast.” And as long as it does, man will triumph and move forward.
As long as a man has hope no situation is hopeless. When you reach the end of your rope, use hope to tie a knot in it – and hang on! u u u u u
Hope never sounds retreat. Hope keeps the banners flying. Hope revives ideals, renews dreams, revitalizes visions.
“
40 l All that I know of tomorrow
”
If you’re going through hell ... KEEP GOING. winston churchill
The Art of THE GREAT LIFE Wilferd A. Peterson
Great men are little men expanded. Great lives are ordinary lives intensified. All lives are potentially great. The art of the great life is marked by emphasis on qualities like these ... It is great to love life. Accept life as a precious gift from the hand of God, and strive to make the most of it. It is great to serve life. The most important thing in life is not what people can do for you but what you can do for people. Lose yourself in a cause bigger than yourself. It is great to be alive to the best in life. To be alive only to material possessions and goals is to live in the shallows. Launch out into the deep where the treasures are! It is great stand for something. Men of principle are the principal men. Character is the bedrock of true greatness. It is great to seek excellence. Aspire to excel in your chosen work. Adopt the creed of the maker of the immortal Stradivarius violins: “Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
It is great to be gentle. The Chinese philosopher LaoTse listed gentleness as the first quality of greatness. In an age of push, use the magnetic pull of gentleness. It is great to have creative zest. Have a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. Have the boundless energy to explore, adventure and experiment with new ideas. It is great to have great aims. Follow the counsel of Daniel Burnham: “Make no little plans; they have no power to stir men’s blood. Make big plans, aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram, once recorded, will never die.” It is great to keep open to the power of the Infinite. As a huge dam converts the power of a mighty river to create electricity and put it to work, so you can convert the golden river of God’s goodness into spiritual electricity to help light the world. It is great to multiply greatness. Feed other minds and help them to grow. Guide them in the art of discovery. Inspire others to live great lives. u u u u u
It is great to have a free mind. Break down the walls of prejudice, fear and limitation. Have the courage to think your own thoughts, speak your own mind and live your own life.
All that I know of tomorrow l 41
Prayer of St. Francis Make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy. Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; It is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. u u u u u
THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS Howard Thurman
When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among brothers, To make music in the heart. u u u u u
“
Let those that love us, love us, and those that don’t love us,
may God turn their hearts; and if He doesn’t turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles, so we may know them by their limping.
”
Irish saying from Sister scholastica Lee, S.P. (on a bad day)
42 l All that I know of tomorrow
Reflection on Community From “Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong” by John O’Donohue
There is a Providence that brought us here and gave us to each other at this time. In and through us a great tapestry of creativity is being woven. It is difficult for us to envisage this. We live such separate and often quite removed lives. Yet behind all the seeming separation, a deeper unity anchors everything. This is one of the powerful intimations of the great religious traditions. The ideal of community is not the forcing together of separate individuals into the spurious unity of community. The great traditions tell us that community somehow already exists. When we come together in compassion and generosity, this hidden belonging begins to come alive between us. Consequently, a community driven by power or too great a flurry of activity and talk will never achieve much more than superficial belonging.
The attempt to force community usually drives the more creative and independent people away. We do not so much build community as if it were some external and objective structure as we let community emerge. In order for community to emerge, we need time, vision and a certain rhythm of silence with each other. It is impossible to grasp what makes community at its heart. We often hear the phrase “community spirit,” which recognizes that community is not so much an invention or construction of its members, but a gift that emerges between them and embraces them. We do not make community. We are born into community. We enter as participants into a drama that is already on. We are required to maintain and, often, reawaken community. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 43
To be of Use Marge Piercy
The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight. They seem to become natives of that element, the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half-submerged balls. I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again. I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest and work in a row and pass the bags along, who stand in the line and haul in their places, who are not parlor generals and field deserters but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out. The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. Greek amphoras for wine or oil, Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums, but you know they were made to be used. The pitcher cries for water to carry, and a person for work that is real. u u u u u
44 l All that I know of tomorrow
Prayer for a Community Blessed are you, God, who have created us and given us life. Blessed are you, who have shed light on our visions and aspirations, and given us the means to find sustenance and to survive. Blessed are you, who have given us the marvelous ways to work and also the challenges and ability to overcome obstacles. Blessed are you, God of the Universe, you guide and unite us, and make it possible for us to work together. Be merciful with those you created; give us peace, harmony and love in this life. Be merciful and benevolent with all who need your guidance and love. Be merciful in your infinite understanding so that we may be united in our shares and hopes
Excerpt from
The Bell and the River
H
er pioneer intuition told her that a living could not be grabbed from this country. The patience of the dependent planter, the diligence of the homemaker, and the convictions of the missionary had to go into the soil of this land before the land would give back wealth and security. To Sister Joseph this was not a few acres to drain of abundance and then desert as had been the fate of the ghost cities along the bonanza trails. She was here to stay; she would never leave. This work of Providence was not a thing confined to time. u u u u u
T
he only limit to our expectations of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. We must move forward with strong and active faith.
Franklin Roosevelt u u u u u
Be merciful so that all communities may live in hope in your light and under your infinite blessing. Amen u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 45
A PROVIDENCE FAITH VISION
T
hrough the centuries, Providence has been the symbol which speaks to us of the creative activity of God, who calls into being, sustains, nourishes, challenges and lures all creation toward its final fulfillment. It is the word which proclaims God’s enduring relationship and involvement with all creation.
Providence is God’s face unfailingly turned toward the world. But the mystery of Providence is even larger and more profound ... For the mystery of Providence is incomplete without our response. Providence is the mystery of God who is actively engaged with us, calling us to enter into the creative activity of creating the face of the earth, and it is the mystery of God who eagerly awaits our human response. Providence is not the mystery of a God who plans everything, handing it down to us creatures. Providence is, rather, the name of the God who makes all things possible. Amen
I
f the Earth were only a few feet in diameter, floating a few feet above a field somewhere, people would come from everywhere to marvel at it. People would walk around it, marveling at its big pools of water, its little pools and the water flowing between the pools. People would marvel at deep rich soil on it, and they would marvel at the very thin layer of gas surrounding it and the water suspended in the gas. The people would marvel at the creatures walking around the surface of the ball, and at the creatures in the water. The people would declare it as sacred because it was the only one, and they would protect it so that it would not be hurt. The ball would be the greatest wonder known, and people would come to pray to it, to be healed, to gain knowledge, to know beauty and to defend it with their lives, because they would somehow know their lives, their own roundness, could be nothing without it.
u u u u u
If the Earth were only a few feet in diameter. u u u u u
46 l All that I know of tomorrow
You are a Providence leader ... Lead! u u u u u
Providence Leader’s Prayer Creator God, we thank you for the privilege of serving your people as leaders in our Providence ministries. Reflecting on our year of new beginnings, may we always be open to your Spirit calling us to change and to grow. Bless our minds with wisdom to know the path you would have us follow. Bless our eyes with vision to see clearly the good you would have us do. Bless our ears to hear your Spirit speaking all around us and within us. Bless our lips with the power to speak the truth with courage and conviction. Bless our hands with the power to heal, to teach and to serve. Bless our hearts with a deep love and compassion for those who come to us in need and for those with whom we serve – The people of Providence. u u u u u
All that I know of tomorrow l 47
All that I know of tomorrow is that Providence will rise before the sun. LACORDAIRE
48 l All that I know of tomorrow
Our Mission As people of Providence, we reveal God’s love for all, especially the poor and vulnerable, through our compassionate service.
Our Core Values Respect, Compassion, Justice, Excellence, Stewardship
Providence Health & Services is an equal-opportunity organization in the provision of health care services and employment opportunities.
13-00652 SAB 3-13