Mentoring

Since my career as an educator and human services professional began at age 20, I have always been blessed to work with people younger than I am.  In the past 46 years, I have worked with talented, passionate people who are often younger in years but not in wisdom.  Wisdom for me has never been at the top of the graduate school hierarchy.  It has always been in the heart, soul and body of each individual life story.

I find joy in connecting young and old; in finding answers to social and educational challenges.  The energy is abundant and effervescent.  I believe we need to join together to address our shared responsibility for the future.  Together, we are the future.  We are our future.

I love mentoring young adults.  Mentoring is a two way street.  This mentality allows us to inspire the best in each other.  I love helping people find their voice.  There is great reward and meaning in sharing the authenticity and vulnerability of our voice.  As mentors, we have the honor and privilege to create a safe and emotional space for a young voice to blossom and feel its truth.

In young voices are sounds of hope.  We need the sound of hope, now!  I am inspired by youthful voices.  I am inspired by hope.  We need to be inspired, now!

We must knock down all of our perceived walls of difference and 

meet together in a safe emotional space.  

From this safe space, we will create wisdom.

Sanctuary

Sanctuary in it's original meaning, is a sacred place.  It is historically seen as a place of relief and safety.  In challenging times, people have often sought physical and emotional safety.  We live in those challenging times now.

Sanctuary is essential to life.  Sometimes I find it in the pages of a book.  Often I find it in a meditation, prayer, and the loving listening of a friend.  I always find sanctuary in the loving arms of my wife Sandra and the loving presence of our daughter Ashley.  Seeking sanctuary is not optional.  Today we are often overcome by rushing, pressure, stress, us versus them, hate speech, racism, and sexism.  We all need sanctuary to recover from the oppression of violence.

Here is a beautiful song by Carrie Newcomer "Sanctuary"

https://www.newcomerpalmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/06-Sanctuary.mp3

Peace

My life continues to be meaningful

I am blessed.  I love my life.  I am becoming old.  At 66, I don't mentally process as quickly and am slower at finding my beloved vocabulary.  My life is full of grace.  I am no longer graceful.  I fall down and I sometimes struggle to get up.  I get up, I rise because of the grace of God, I rise with the support of great therapists, I rise with the loving support of family and friends.

I still have some fears.  I still fear the passing of our special needs daughter.  I feel the fear when I can not find Sandra.  I know how blessed I am to be alive.  Many people I know have not made it to my age.  I love the viewpoint from my late 60's. 

I have no interest in fighting against aging.  Aging is a natural state of human growth and development.  I actually find some joy in saying "I am getting old."  I am still making connections, I am still building relationships, I am learning and I am still creating.  I particularly love connecting with young, passionate, caring minds.  I think our relationship benefits both the young and the old.  My life is a blessing, my life is a vocation.  I feel called to do this Work.  My life continues to be meaningful. 

Practice

"To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now." 

- Fred Rogers

Our life experience is a limitless journey of practice and progress, not perfection.  We are all in relationship in this journey of making mistakes and learning.  We all have different life learning styles and we all learn our life lessons at different rates of speed.  We all must remember each of us is doing the best we can, with what we know at the moment.

I seek to lovingly accept you as you are in that moment.  Even though you may be different than me and hard for me to understand.  It would be easier for me if you were like me but it would be far less interesting and neither of us would grow or learn anything new.

Our relationships along life's journey allow us each to keep practicing.

Practice, practice, practice

Progress, progress, progress

Improvement, improvement, improvement

Pain can be a teacher in the process of growth

"All the world is full of suffering.  It is also full of overcoming."

- Helen Keller

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  

We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

- Teilhard de Chardin

Essential to our spiritual nature, we have within us the ability to rise above all challenge.  As human beings, we have felt pain, disappointment, loss and grief.  All these experiences teach us how to choose in the future.  What today is painful, tomorrow we can chose differently and grow.  Suffering is life reminding us we can make a change.

If a relationship is hurtful, we need to make a change.  If we are not happy about going to work, it is time to look for another option.  If our body or mind is in pain, it is time to make adjustments and get help.

Pain can be a teacher in the process of growth.