Speaking of Spirit

The date of 9/11 is one that lives in infamy. The pain of that day is still palpable for us. However, what I would like to share today is the memory of the days after. I vividly remember hearing about the attack to the towers. I was in the basement of the doctor's office where I worked as a wellness practitioner for York Hospital. My daughter called hysterical. I did what I could do to calm her. After I hung up, I began to feel fear like I have never known before or since. However, there were patients waiting for me and I couldn't abandon them. I left the office praying for a sign that all would be well. As I crossed the parking lot, I saw one of the bushes that days before was a mass of twigs, in bloom.  Puzzled, I took a closer look. The bush was covered in Monarch butterflies. Instantly, I felt peace pour through me.  As the day wore on and the during the days immediately following, I saw and heard about so many acts of compassion and kindness that my heart overflowed. In t...

This past week, I watched the documentary by Wim Wenders on Pope Francis - A Man of His Word. Unlike some documentaries that I have seen, Wenders allows his camera to tell the story and for his subjects to speak to the camera, close and personal. In this instance, the result was inspiring, affirming and enlightening. Seeing art as a ministry, as an ability to serve others - to enlighten, heal, inspire, affirm, encourage and support - is in itself an eye-opener. Too often in our modern world, there are those who see artists as people who don't have "real" jobs. How different things would be if we began to understand that art, in all its forms, is a calling - a ministry - that must be shared, even when it means that it goes unrecognized or appreciated.   I think of Vincent Van Gogh. A genius in his own right, yet totally unappreciated, with the exception of his brother, Theo, until after his death.  Now, he is considered one of the great masters of Impressionism. How ...