Don’t we help birth the world
each time
we give someone confidence
to build what they see with their heart?
Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening
A couple of days ago I went to witness my niece, Jen, being sworn in as a chaplain for the Ann Arbor Police Department. Jen’s brother, Chris, a police officer in Irving, Texas, near Dallas, was not able to make it to Michigan for the ceremony, so my sister, Janis, had the honor of pinning on Jen’s badge.
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| Jen giving her badge to Janis. |
I found the ceremony to be very touching, both because I love Jen and Janis, and because the words shared by the Chief of Police and the head Chaplain spoke to me directly of my own calling. “This is not a job that will be recognized or given accolades, but know that we very much value what you do.” “While I have been doing this ministry, I have grown more than in all the previous experience in my full time work as a pastor.”
While it remains to be seen what experiences Jen will have in her work as chaplain—her unique opportunities to serve and her unique challenges to face—these messages of truth resonate deeply in my core, and they describe the work I have been called to as author, teacher, healer, and minister.
We both live very busy lives, and do not often see one another with skin on, so the drive over to Ann Arbor was a delightful opportunity to spend time with Janis. Her husband, Larry, drove, and we arrived safely in good time, found parking, and (with the kind assistance of some local residents), we set off in search of lunch. What we found at Zingerman’s Deli was more than just food, it was an experience!
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| Zingerman’s Delicatessen 422 Detroit St. Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 |
Upon our arrival, we were treated to a “tour” of both the Deli, and the Coffeehouse Next Door. The rule of the day was service with a genuine smile, and the instruction was nothing short of a miracle of manifestation: “Anything you see that you would like to taste, you can. Just ask for a sample!”
After a couple of yummy samples of cheeses, we ordered our sandwiches, and settled at a picnic table outside the Coffeehouse, to enjoy our lunch and the cool breeze. I went into the Coffeehouse and returned with a plate of samples of four different desserts for us to enjoy. Zingerman’s is definitely somewhere I would return to, if only in my heart and mind!
It is this precious idea of seeing with our hearts Mark Nepo was writing about. He described how his grandmother would help instruct him in doing the things and living each day in a way that was building a welcome tomorrow.
“See it here,” pointing to my forehead, and then she would take my little hands and say, “Now see it here.” Then she would say, “And soon, it will be here.” With this she would look around the room. (September 2)
When we were making plans to go to Ann Arbor for Jen’s ceremony, we did not know Zingerman’s Deli even existed. I do know that when we were setting the time to leave for Ann Arbor, I had the intention that we would arrive in time to find a place to enjoy some lunch before meeting Jen at 12:30. I did not know the two women coming across the parking lot just as we were getting out of the car would give us such a good suggestion. But while I did not need to know, everything is known. “I go before you to prepare a place for you….”
Jen is in my prayers as she begins this ministry. I know intimately how answering a call to a nontraditional ministry is not always easy. But I also know intimately that the blessings will be there for Jen’s life, as they are for each of us as we say YES to the call of the divine in our lives.
Blessings have been ever present, even when my being ordained an Interfaith Minister of Reunion had been misunderstood (and sometimes it was even judged or criticized, and had even been denied as being of God).
Today, I saw this powerful quotation that encourages us each to live from a core of emotional strength as we have the confidence to build what we see in our hearts. It is from “Savoring Our Sobriety” Emotional Sobriety: The Next Frontier:
“If we are to find spiritual growth and serenity, we must dress our minds each morning as carefully as we dress our bodies. Only then can today become the glorious tomorrow we looked forward to yesterday.”
