A key element of pastoral care is to "hear" what someone is saying.. that obviously didn't happen here. But then I suppose there are some days or situations when the focus is not there.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Pastoral Care at it's best?
A key element of pastoral care is to "hear" what someone is saying.. that obviously didn't happen here. But then I suppose there are some days or situations when the focus is not there.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
"No one dies from having their medication stopped"
This is a comment overheard at rounds the other day. One doctor was counseling another about stopping a certian medication and then explained that during his rotation of training in England, that the chief doctor would get a referal and would review the chart and then immediately stop all medications. He would then say "let's come back tomorrow and see how they are doing". Usually the person was better the next day. The doctor went on to comment to the other that here in North America, we are fixated on medications. "When you call geriatrician over there, they stop meds, here they review the chart and probably add another one."
I wonder about this. Interesting comment that it is. There are some patients that benefit from certain drugs treatments but most would probably do fine without. Years ago, we didn't do so much treatment with drugs, (of course someone might argue that years ago, we didn't have the diseases that we do now.)
I thought it was an interesting comment on the evolution of healthcare.
Cracked Pot
Someone sent me this in an email. I like it. It has a good message that we need to be reminded of from time to time.
Friday, April 18, 2008
A shared meal helps bridge two solitudes
A United Church minister from South Africa brings a 'truth and reconciliation' model to the city's poorest neighbourhood in hope it will nurture healing between 'haves' and 'have nots'
Lori Culbert
Vancouver Sun
Friday, April 18, 2008
CREDIT: Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun
Frank Delorme, an employee at First United Church on East Hastings, says the number of needy relying on the church has doubled in the past two years, 'with no end in sight.'
CREDIT: Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun
Rev. Ric Matthews sees parallels between apartheid and the polarization of mainstream society and the poor.
DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE - First United Church on East Hastings has long been a sanctuary for the needy: By day, about 100 homeless people nap in the pews, and at night even more sex-trade workers come in seeking dinner.
It's a place of refuge, but one that no longer fulfils the most traditional role of a church: Sunday sermons.
The congregation had a long history of being inclusive and enlightened, but it was increasingly feeling alienated by the growing number of addicted and mentally ill people seeking help from the church. The congregation dwindled to such a small number that it was disbanded last June after more than 100 years of worship.
When the last minister left, First United searched for a replacement to carry on its mission work. The unconventional role was filled in August by Rev. Ric Matthews, a South African who sees parallels between apartheid in his home country and the polarization of the former congregation and the more troubled residents of the Downtown Eastside.
"There's an invisible wall here between the poor and the mainstream," said Matthews, who worked in inner-city churches in Johannesburg, where he witnessed extreme poverty and violence.
A soft-spoken, thoughtful man, Matthews was also involved in justice and reconciliation work in South Africa. He believes a model of inclusion -- bringing people of different backgrounds together, instead of allowing separation to increase -- will heal Vancouver's poorest neighbourhood.
To that end, the church is now holding "celebration of life" dinners every Wednesday, meant to attract a mix of residents and other clients of all backgrounds and religious affiliations.
The goal is to reduce alienation by not distinguishing between those who need charity and those who donate to charities, but to make them one group. His Wednesday dinners appear to be working so far, attracting 50 to 100 people an evening.
His idea takes its roots from South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission which, much like native healing circles, had the power to bring opponents together and, ideally, embrace each other's stories, despite their differences, he said.
Matthews, who moved to Vancouver 10 years ago to work with industries to repair injustices in the workplace, says the Downtown Eastside is at the cusp of change because of increased attention on the poor living conditions in the neighbourhood.
"There's too much pressure [from] the Olympics, too much publicity. There's a sense that something needs to be done," he said.
Future decisions could make the area healthier and more inclusive, or more entrenched and alienated. Recent efforts by the province to increase social housing are well-intentioned, he said, but could further "erode" the area by continuing to divide the have-nots from the haves.
Instead, Matthews argues for housing models akin to a "commune": a mix of market and subsidized housing, possibly including a shelter and a detox facility. There would be separate, secure entrances for the different types of residents, but in the core of the building could be a daycare and a meeting room where once a week residents meet for dinner.
"I have no doubt people will look at it and say I'm nuts," he said. "But I think we have the opportunity here to do the same stuff [as the truth commission]. Is it a wild, ridiculous vision? Maybe. But it's worth a go."
For now, his church -- the last stop for many of Vancouver's most marginalized drug addicts and mentally ill, who have been banned from other places due to irrational behaviour -- is brightening itself up with paint, encouraging clients to clean up after themselves and trying to be more inclusive to all.
Frank Delorme, a church employee and a man who embodies change, says he sees the mood and tone shifting in the church -- especially at the new Wednesday night dinners.
"When the people come in, they want to be here rather than being forced to come in just because there is food," said Delorme, 47, a former drug addict with a troubled past who is now sober and single-handedly raising four children.
The church is closed overnight, but between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. about 100 homeless men, vulnerable women and the working poor sleep in the pews and on the floor surrounding the pulpit. Between 200 and 300 people a day come inside to pick up food, clothing and toiletries, and welfare cheques.
WISH (Women's Information Safe House) runs a drop-in centre for sex-trade workers at night in another area of the church and serves them dinner, but is also not open around the clock.
The number of needy relying on the church has doubled over the past two years, Delorme said, with no end in sight. "I don't know why we have so many hurt people. The plans our city and government has over the next 10 years, I don't know where we will be," he said.
"I've been down here 20 years, and I still see an 'us' and 'them' mentality."
It's a sign, the longtime resident of social housing argues, of the need for drastic change.
Whether the change reflects the vision of First United's new missionary remains to be seen.
lculbert@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
A United Church minister from South Africa brings a 'truth and reconciliation' model to the city's poorest neighbourhood in hope it will nurture healing between 'haves' and 'have nots'
Lori Culbert
Vancouver Sun
Friday, April 18, 2008
CREDIT: Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun
Frank Delorme, an employee at First United Church on East Hastings, says the number of needy relying on the church has doubled in the past two years, 'with no end in sight.'
CREDIT: Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun
Rev. Ric Matthews sees parallels between apartheid and the polarization of mainstream society and the poor.
DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE - First United Church on East Hastings has long been a sanctuary for the needy: By day, about 100 homeless people nap in the pews, and at night even more sex-trade workers come in seeking dinner.It's a place of refuge, but one that no longer fulfils the most traditional role of a church: Sunday sermons.
The congregation had a long history of being inclusive and enlightened, but it was increasingly feeling alienated by the growing number of addicted and mentally ill people seeking help from the church. The congregation dwindled to such a small number that it was disbanded last June after more than 100 years of worship.
When the last minister left, First United searched for a replacement to carry on its mission work. The unconventional role was filled in August by Rev. Ric Matthews, a South African who sees parallels between apartheid in his home country and the polarization of the former congregation and the more troubled residents of the Downtown Eastside.
"There's an invisible wall here between the poor and the mainstream," said Matthews, who worked in inner-city churches in Johannesburg, where he witnessed extreme poverty and violence.
A soft-spoken, thoughtful man, Matthews was also involved in justice and reconciliation work in South Africa. He believes a model of inclusion -- bringing people of different backgrounds together, instead of allowing separation to increase -- will heal Vancouver's poorest neighbourhood.
To that end, the church is now holding "celebration of life" dinners every Wednesday, meant to attract a mix of residents and other clients of all backgrounds and religious affiliations.
The goal is to reduce alienation by not distinguishing between those who need charity and those who donate to charities, but to make them one group. His Wednesday dinners appear to be working so far, attracting 50 to 100 people an evening.
His idea takes its roots from South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission which, much like native healing circles, had the power to bring opponents together and, ideally, embrace each other's stories, despite their differences, he said.
Matthews, who moved to Vancouver 10 years ago to work with industries to repair injustices in the workplace, says the Downtown Eastside is at the cusp of change because of increased attention on the poor living conditions in the neighbourhood.
"There's too much pressure [from] the Olympics, too much publicity. There's a sense that something needs to be done," he said.
Future decisions could make the area healthier and more inclusive, or more entrenched and alienated. Recent efforts by the province to increase social housing are well-intentioned, he said, but could further "erode" the area by continuing to divide the have-nots from the haves.
Instead, Matthews argues for housing models akin to a "commune": a mix of market and subsidized housing, possibly including a shelter and a detox facility. There would be separate, secure entrances for the different types of residents, but in the core of the building could be a daycare and a meeting room where once a week residents meet for dinner.
"I have no doubt people will look at it and say I'm nuts," he said. "But I think we have the opportunity here to do the same stuff [as the truth commission]. Is it a wild, ridiculous vision? Maybe. But it's worth a go."
For now, his church -- the last stop for many of Vancouver's most marginalized drug addicts and mentally ill, who have been banned from other places due to irrational behaviour -- is brightening itself up with paint, encouraging clients to clean up after themselves and trying to be more inclusive to all.
Frank Delorme, a church employee and a man who embodies change, says he sees the mood and tone shifting in the church -- especially at the new Wednesday night dinners.
"When the people come in, they want to be here rather than being forced to come in just because there is food," said Delorme, 47, a former drug addict with a troubled past who is now sober and single-handedly raising four children.
The church is closed overnight, but between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. about 100 homeless men, vulnerable women and the working poor sleep in the pews and on the floor surrounding the pulpit. Between 200 and 300 people a day come inside to pick up food, clothing and toiletries, and welfare cheques.
WISH (Women's Information Safe House) runs a drop-in centre for sex-trade workers at night in another area of the church and serves them dinner, but is also not open around the clock.
The number of needy relying on the church has doubled over the past two years, Delorme said, with no end in sight. "I don't know why we have so many hurt people. The plans our city and government has over the next 10 years, I don't know where we will be," he said.
"I've been down here 20 years, and I still see an 'us' and 'them' mentality."
It's a sign, the longtime resident of social housing argues, of the need for drastic change.
Whether the change reflects the vision of First United's new missionary remains to be seen.
lculbert@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
Question about "urban spirituality"
I have an educational project. Once a month, I post things on a bulletin board in my hospital. I use this to engage the patients, staff and those who frequent the area. To inspire or educuate about spiritual issues. I have been trying to think of topics related to spirituality for the coming months. One of my colleagues suggested the theme of urban spirituality. So I would like to hear from you, what is urban spirituality? In the changing times of our world, spirituality has many different meanings and styles of expression. How do we live out our spiritual life/express our spirituality in the context of a large city? i.e. Hong Kong, Toronto, New York.
where do you experience the spiritual in the urban context? Through activity or scene?
I look forward to input.
where do you experience the spiritual in the urban context? Through activity or scene?
I look forward to input.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Now I've heard it all...
I suppose it's not that wierd, it makes sense really. Just never thought I'd see it.
Victoria funeral parlour promotes green burial option option
Biodegradable casket materials include cardboard, cotton
Darron Kloster
Canwest News Service
Thursday, April 17, 2008
CREDIT: Darren Stone, Canwest News Service
Chris Benesch, manager of Victoria's Sands Funeral Chapel, is marketing biodegradable caskets, which have been big sellers.
VICTORIA -- People can now reduce their environmental footprint even after they've stopped walking the earth.
A Victoria funeral parlour is promoting cardboard caskets covered in wood veneer and urns made of compressed cotton, rice and other biodegradable materials to provide the dearly departed and their loved ones a greener burial option.
Fabric-covered cardboard caskets have been around for years, but have never looked this good or been so environmentally appealing, says Chris Benesch, manager of Sands Funeral Chapel, a division of Toronto-based Arbor Memorial Services.
"People want eye appeal and not to spend a whole lot, like a mortgage, so this gives them a good option if they are having a viewing," says Benesch.
"These days, the environmental issues are important, especially to the generation that is now burying their parents."
As a second-generation funeral director, Benesch said "My first impression was 'Wow, that's cardboard?' "
The caskets, manufactured in China and imported by Pan Pacific Paper Caskets in Vancouver, support up to 225 kilograms (almost 500 pounds) but only weigh 20 to 30 kilograms, depending on the model. Made from 100 per cent recycled cardboard and pressed in honeycomb style to provide strength, the coffins currently come in quite convincing imitations of oak, mahogany and pine.
Cardboard caskets also require less time and fuel in the cremation process, which reduces emissions, said Benesch. B.C. is the North American leader in cremation, with more than 80 per cent of clients choosing it as an alternative to burial.
Retail prices of the cardboard caskets are only about 15 per cent below the real-wood counterparts, said Benesch, who expects the prices to fall as volume increases. Traditional caskets at Sand's range from a $13,000, stainless-steel model and $5,800 for solid cherry to the traditional unlined pine box, which sells for $895.
Funeral service firms are joining companies worldwide providing green options for consumers.
Europeans are ahead of the curve, providing everything from pay-per-view funerals so mourners do not have to travel to services, to a process being offered in Sweden and Germany called Promessa Organic, where the deceased is submerged in liquid nitrogen and sound waves reduce the brittle remains to powder.
Closer to home, Royal Oak Burial Park in Saanich -- the largest community-owned cemetery in B.C. at 55 hectares -- is setting aside one-third of a hectare for a natural burial site, the first of its kind in Canada and scheduled to open in the fall.
Under the guidelines for burial, only bodies without embalming will be allowed and they can be wrapped in a simple shroud or in a biodegradable casket. Concrete liners, which cover caskets in traditional burying, will not be permitted and wildflowers, shrubs and plants will substitute traditional steel and stone grave markers.
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
Victoria funeral parlour promotes green burial option option
Biodegradable casket materials include cardboard, cotton
Darron Kloster
Canwest News Service
Thursday, April 17, 2008
CREDIT: Darren Stone, Canwest News Service
Chris Benesch, manager of Victoria's Sands Funeral Chapel, is marketing biodegradable caskets, which have been big sellers.
VICTORIA -- People can now reduce their environmental footprint even after they've stopped walking the earth.
A Victoria funeral parlour is promoting cardboard caskets covered in wood veneer and urns made of compressed cotton, rice and other biodegradable materials to provide the dearly departed and their loved ones a greener burial option.
Fabric-covered cardboard caskets have been around for years, but have never looked this good or been so environmentally appealing, says Chris Benesch, manager of Sands Funeral Chapel, a division of Toronto-based Arbor Memorial Services.
"People want eye appeal and not to spend a whole lot, like a mortgage, so this gives them a good option if they are having a viewing," says Benesch.
"These days, the environmental issues are important, especially to the generation that is now burying their parents."
As a second-generation funeral director, Benesch said "My first impression was 'Wow, that's cardboard?' "
The caskets, manufactured in China and imported by Pan Pacific Paper Caskets in Vancouver, support up to 225 kilograms (almost 500 pounds) but only weigh 20 to 30 kilograms, depending on the model. Made from 100 per cent recycled cardboard and pressed in honeycomb style to provide strength, the coffins currently come in quite convincing imitations of oak, mahogany and pine.
Cardboard caskets also require less time and fuel in the cremation process, which reduces emissions, said Benesch. B.C. is the North American leader in cremation, with more than 80 per cent of clients choosing it as an alternative to burial.
Retail prices of the cardboard caskets are only about 15 per cent below the real-wood counterparts, said Benesch, who expects the prices to fall as volume increases. Traditional caskets at Sand's range from a $13,000, stainless-steel model and $5,800 for solid cherry to the traditional unlined pine box, which sells for $895.
Funeral service firms are joining companies worldwide providing green options for consumers.
Europeans are ahead of the curve, providing everything from pay-per-view funerals so mourners do not have to travel to services, to a process being offered in Sweden and Germany called Promessa Organic, where the deceased is submerged in liquid nitrogen and sound waves reduce the brittle remains to powder.
Closer to home, Royal Oak Burial Park in Saanich -- the largest community-owned cemetery in B.C. at 55 hectares -- is setting aside one-third of a hectare for a natural burial site, the first of its kind in Canada and scheduled to open in the fall.
Under the guidelines for burial, only bodies without embalming will be allowed and they can be wrapped in a simple shroud or in a biodegradable casket. Concrete liners, which cover caskets in traditional burying, will not be permitted and wildflowers, shrubs and plants will substitute traditional steel and stone grave markers.
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Different version of the Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer
(from the New Zealand Prayer Book)
Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever. Amen
(from the New Zealand Prayer Book)
Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever. Amen
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Blizzard of the World
This is from a workshop I attended earlier this year.
The Blizzard of the World
from: A Hidden Wholeness: the journey toward the Undivided Life
Dr. Palmer Parker
The blizzard of the world
has crossed the threshold
and it has overturned
the order of the soul.
-Leonard Cohen
There was a time when farmers on the Great Plains, at the first sign of a blizzard, would run a rope from the back door out to the barn. They all knew stories of people who had wandered off and been frozen to death, having lost sight of home in a whiteout while still in their own backyards.
Today we live in a blizzard of another sort. It swirls around us as economic injustice, ecological ruin, political and spiritual violence, and their inevitable outcome, war. It swirls within us as fear and frenzy, greed and deceit, and indifference to the suffering of others. We all know stories of people who have wandered off into this madness and have been separated from their own souls, losing their moral bearings and even their mortal lives: they make headlines because they take so many innocents down with them.
The lost ones come from every walk of life: clergy and corporate executives, politicians and people on the street, celebrities and schoolchildren. Some of us fear that we, or those we love will become lost in the storm. Some are lost at this moment and are trying to find the way home. Some are lost withour knowing it. And some are using the blizzard as cover while cycnically exploiting its chaos for private gain.
So it is easy to believe that the "blizzard of the the world" has overturned "the order of the soul", easy to believe that that the soul -- that life-giving core of human self, with its hunger for truth and justice, love and forgiveness-- has lost all power to guide our lives.
But my own experience of the blizzard, which includes getting lost in it more often than I like to admit, tells me that it is not so. The soul's order can never be destroyed. It imay be obscured by the whiteout. We may forget, or deny, that its guidance is close at hand. And yet we are still in the soul's backyard, which chance after chance to regain our bearings.
What is your blizzard?
What forms does it take when you lose sight of your home in your own backyard?
How would you name the strands of your rope?
What is it about your rope that helps you find your way back home?
from: A Hidden Wholeness: the journey toward the Undivided Life
Dr. Palmer Parker
The blizzard of the world
has crossed the threshold
and it has overturned
the order of the soul.
-Leonard Cohen
There was a time when farmers on the Great Plains, at the first sign of a blizzard, would run a rope from the back door out to the barn. They all knew stories of people who had wandered off and been frozen to death, having lost sight of home in a whiteout while still in their own backyards.
Today we live in a blizzard of another sort. It swirls around us as economic injustice, ecological ruin, political and spiritual violence, and their inevitable outcome, war. It swirls within us as fear and frenzy, greed and deceit, and indifference to the suffering of others. We all know stories of people who have wandered off into this madness and have been separated from their own souls, losing their moral bearings and even their mortal lives: they make headlines because they take so many innocents down with them.
The lost ones come from every walk of life: clergy and corporate executives, politicians and people on the street, celebrities and schoolchildren. Some of us fear that we, or those we love will become lost in the storm. Some are lost at this moment and are trying to find the way home. Some are lost withour knowing it. And some are using the blizzard as cover while cycnically exploiting its chaos for private gain.
So it is easy to believe that the "blizzard of the the world" has overturned "the order of the soul", easy to believe that that the soul -- that life-giving core of human self, with its hunger for truth and justice, love and forgiveness-- has lost all power to guide our lives.
But my own experience of the blizzard, which includes getting lost in it more often than I like to admit, tells me that it is not so. The soul's order can never be destroyed. It imay be obscured by the whiteout. We may forget, or deny, that its guidance is close at hand. And yet we are still in the soul's backyard, which chance after chance to regain our bearings.
What is your blizzard?
What forms does it take when you lose sight of your home in your own backyard?
How would you name the strands of your rope?
What is it about your rope that helps you find your way back home?
Wierd News... items from print
I have a colleague who found some wierd items and passed them on to me.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
A blessing for hospitality
Yesterday I was asked to provide the blessing for the reopening of a wing in my hospital. I didn't realize it was going to a big event until I read the itinerary that said I was to be introduced by the CEO and there was a government rep as well. Talk about nervous. I stressed over what to wear.. in the end it was fine. Despite the TV camera pointed at me.
This is the blessing that I gave.. interestingly enough, most of the speakers had this theme.. about hospitality and acceptance that they found from the team there. The blessing is from Henri Nouwen's book "Reaching Out".
Words of Henri Nouwen
"Hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where strangers can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people but to offer them space where change can take place. Hospitality wants to offer friendship without binding the guest and freedom without leaving the guests alone."
In this place we seek to offer hospitality to those who enter these doors.
I offer this blessing
Bless this place and those who provide and receive medical services here,
For the lives that are touched and shared in this place.
Bless those who enter these doors.
May they find healing and renewal,
May they find comfort and know peace.
May they find an inviting space where hospitality reigns.
"Hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where strangers can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people but to offer them space where change can take place. Hospitality wants to offer friendship without binding the guest and freedom without leaving the guests alone."
In this place we seek to offer hospitality to those who enter these doors.
I offer this blessing
Bless this place and those who provide and receive medical services here,
For the lives that are touched and shared in this place.
Bless those who enter these doors.
May they find healing and renewal,
May they find comfort and know peace.
May they find an inviting space where hospitality reigns.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Commentary on Newspaper articles
This is an article from today's paper. And people wonder why we aren't more friendly in today's society.
Man stabbed after saying friendly hello on Toronto bus
Linda Nguyen
Canwest News Service
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
A 30-year-old man who was stabbed three times Monday did nothing wrong but say hello to his attacker on a public transit bus, Toronto police say.
"This attack was unprovoked. It was a very weird thing," Toronto police Det. Jim Brons said Tuesday. "There's nothing that the victim could have done. It was a very isolated incident."
Brons, who has been with the force for 20 years, said it's the first case of its kind he's worked on in the city.
Investigators say the man and the suspect were passengers on a transit bus in the city's north end Monday.
The two were sitting side by side when they made eye contact.
"The victim was going to work and the suspect got on the bus afterwards," he said. "The suspect looked at the victim and the victim decided to say hi to him. He didn't respond. Ten minutes later, the suspect blew up at him and asked him why he said hi when they didn't know each other."
Brons said the victim apologized while the two men were still on the bus. He apologized again, telling the suspect that he meant nothing by the greeting when he got off the bus around 12:30 p.m.
"He apologized to him on the bus and looked straight forward, hoping the guy didn't get off with him," he said. "But when they both got on the sidewalk, the suspect took out a knife and stabbed him three times. Then he didn't even run away. He just walked off like nothing happened."
The man fell to the ground after he was stabbed on the side of his body. He was taken to hospital and received numerous stitches.
"He's doing relatively well," Brons said. "But he's absolutely shocked at what happened. Who would expect something like this to happen when you're riding the bus to work?"
Brons said not much could have been done to prevent the incident. "Who would think that you would say hi to someone and that someone would react in this way?" Police are looking for a six-foot, two-inch black male, aged 18 to 20.
Linda Nguyen
Canwest News Service
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
A 30-year-old man who was stabbed three times Monday did nothing wrong but say hello to his attacker on a public transit bus, Toronto police say.
"This attack was unprovoked. It was a very weird thing," Toronto police Det. Jim Brons said Tuesday. "There's nothing that the victim could have done. It was a very isolated incident."
Brons, who has been with the force for 20 years, said it's the first case of its kind he's worked on in the city.
Investigators say the man and the suspect were passengers on a transit bus in the city's north end Monday.
The two were sitting side by side when they made eye contact.
"The victim was going to work and the suspect got on the bus afterwards," he said. "The suspect looked at the victim and the victim decided to say hi to him. He didn't respond. Ten minutes later, the suspect blew up at him and asked him why he said hi when they didn't know each other."
Brons said the victim apologized while the two men were still on the bus. He apologized again, telling the suspect that he meant nothing by the greeting when he got off the bus around 12:30 p.m.
"He apologized to him on the bus and looked straight forward, hoping the guy didn't get off with him," he said. "But when they both got on the sidewalk, the suspect took out a knife and stabbed him three times. Then he didn't even run away. He just walked off like nothing happened."
The man fell to the ground after he was stabbed on the side of his body. He was taken to hospital and received numerous stitches.
"He's doing relatively well," Brons said. "But he's absolutely shocked at what happened. Who would expect something like this to happen when you're riding the bus to work?"
Brons said not much could have been done to prevent the incident. "Who would think that you would say hi to someone and that someone would react in this way?" Police are looking for a six-foot, two-inch black male, aged 18 to 20.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
A different take on "Favorite Things"
According to various web sources, Julie Andrews supposedly sang this version on her 69fh birthday. This is considered an urban legend, but I enjoyed the lyrics nonetheless. I found them posted on a wall in one of my clinical areas at work. (I found myself singing the tune as I read the "new" lyrics.
Taking the tune from the legendary movie Sound Of Music the lyrics of the song
were deliberately changed for the entertainment of her blue hair audience.
Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets, and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, when the hips break, When the eyes grow dim, Then I remember the great life I've had, And then I don't feel so bad.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Book review
One of many books that I have purchased with intent to read is "Pastoral Care Under the Cross: God in the Midst of Suffering" written by Richard C. Eyer. So far, I love what I am reading as it is written from the theological context of chaplaincy. I have found it a rare publication that is written specifically from the pastoral care/chaplaincy perspective.In the first paragraph of this book, I defined pastoral care as the "uninvited spiritual nurturing" that a pastor provides. It is uninvited in the sense that the person needing pastoral care often does not request it. ... need to understand in the context of 'helplessness or loss of control over one's life'. Someone has said that the willingness to live with our own helpless may well turn out to be called faith. That does not make living with helplessness any easier, but it does put helplessness into holy perspective, a useful beginning for both pastor and parishioner. ... the challenge for pastoral care is to move the sufferer from feelings of helplessness to a holy perspective. Holy perspective is that interpretation arrive at by pastor and suffering parishioner which is both sensitive to feelings and looks beyond feelings to Truth. Truth is not merely what pastor or parishioner feels personally but what God says to us in Jesus Christ, the meaning of which is revealed in the written Word. "
"Pastoral care consists not in removing some one's suffering but in helping the sufferer understand his or her suffering in the light of the cross. Apart from the cross, the sufferer experiences a meaningless and out-of-control world that offers no hope.. " Basically, Eyer differentiates the message of the cross as rooted in self-exploration with the purpose of the individual to define the weakness within and to confess and grow from learning of one's weakness, to root it out, whereas pop psychology elevates the self-exploration with the propose of celebrating our weaknesses. Eyer goes on to distinguish the difference of what he calls "theology of the cross" and "theology of glory" using the Lord's prayer as example. One line of the Lord's Prayer is "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Eyer argues that many people hold to the thinking of "theology of glory"
when it comes to this line, stating that while "thy will be done" refers to our acknowledgement of our individual weakness and acknowledging that God walks with us in our suffering, versus trying to bend God's will to our desires.
" The theology of the cross says that God comes to us through our weakness and suffering, on the cross and in our own sufferings. The theology of the cross says, 'My grace is sufficient for you,..' the theology of glory on the other hand says that God is to be found, not in the weakness but in power and strength, and therefore we should look for him in signs of health, success, and outward victory over life's ills. .. If we do not understand the distinction, we will gravitate towards a theology of glory in which our culture believes God works through the self-affirmation of pop psychology and instant gratification. We will begin to demand that God justify himself to us in our sufferings by giving us healing and success."
"Pastoral care consists not in removing some one's suffering but in helping the sufferer understand his or her suffering in the light of the cross. Apart from the cross, the sufferer experiences a meaningless and out-of-control world that offers no hope.. " Basically, Eyer differentiates the message of the cross as rooted in self-exploration with the purpose of the individual to define the weakness within and to confess and grow from learning of one's weakness, to root it out, whereas pop psychology elevates the self-exploration with the propose of celebrating our weaknesses. Eyer goes on to distinguish the difference of what he calls "theology of the cross" and "theology of glory" using the Lord's prayer as example. One line of the Lord's Prayer is "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Eyer argues that many people hold to the thinking of "theology of glory"
when it comes to this line, stating that while "thy will be done" refers to our acknowledgement of our individual weakness and acknowledging that God walks with us in our suffering, versus trying to bend God's will to our desires.
" The theology of the cross says that God comes to us through our weakness and suffering, on the cross and in our own sufferings. The theology of the cross says, 'My grace is sufficient for you,..' the theology of glory on the other hand says that God is to be found, not in the weakness but in power and strength, and therefore we should look for him in signs of health, success, and outward victory over life's ills. .. If we do not understand the distinction, we will gravitate towards a theology of glory in which our culture believes God works through the self-affirmation of pop psychology and instant gratification. We will begin to demand that God justify himself to us in our sufferings by giving us healing and success."
That is quite the statement and it rings true. How often have I had patients tell me that God will fix it because "I told him to". I do agree that God does heal and that miracles occur, but sometimes people hold too rigid to the "theology of glory" stance and aren't willing to see that sometimes, God is saying "I'm here , walking with you." or that the answer to their demand is "no, there will be healing, just not that way".
I look forward to seeing how this book continues and what other challenges to perspective will arise.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Life's Lesson #3964
A quote I found says.. conversation and dialogue are not the same thing. Today I learned another one of life's lessons. I was on a break with a co-worker and we were talking about life and work. I re-learned a lesson about the use of jargon. Every group or discipline has one. We were talking about income tax, and RRSPs. I mentioned that I get tax break because I am clergy when the other person started counting off her fingers.."what is clergy? what is chaplain? What's a congregation? what is reverend?" And I thought to myself.. you're kidding right? Oh yeh. I forgot. I'm taking it for granted that everyone else has had my experiences and hence understood what I do. I paused a bit too long in trying to answer as I haven't had to explain terminology in a while. I'm used to not understanding all of the jargon in my workplace, but it is different when directly asked about seemingly "simple" terms, and yet failing to put into words what that means.
This conversation seems to be ongoing as spirituality and God aren't always on the periphery of the thoughts of others even though it permeates mine. Some acknowledge but have no words for it, while others never contemplate.
This conversation seems to be ongoing as spirituality and God aren't always on the periphery of the thoughts of others even though it permeates mine. Some acknowledge but have no words for it, while others never contemplate.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Why don't we...?
Yep. It's been a while since I've updated. I know things have been busy lately. You know, the kind where you don't even have time to sit and take a breather. I haven't been able to read my newspaper at break until yesterday!! (I usually sit with a cup of tea and do the crosswords.) Not only has it been busy at work, but wierd too. I have been asked to deal with some wierd referals. The kind that make you scratch your head, the kind that make you wonder what is with this messed up world, the kind that make you go "huh?"I deal with a "traumatic" event in the life of a friend. Her cat, who was one of the few things that loved her, her baby, died in her arms after an illness. She felt guilt that she had caused it, or hadn't done enough to look after her "baby" as she has been dealing with her own health. Knowing this woman's story as I do, I understand why it shocked her so. It can just be so draining at times to see such raw grief.
This week, I was asked to see the son of a patient. The son wanted to see me to help ensure the salvation of his ailing mother. It was causing a rift in the family as he wanted me to talk to her and make sure that when she had prayed to accept Jesus years or months before, that it was "genuine". Currently she was expressing doubts about her beliefs. I had to tell him that even though we Christians are concerned about the salvation of the masses, there is a time and place for everything, and this was not the time. Death is not necessarily a time to focus on this issue. He had been focusing and working on this issue for most of her life so I basically told him that for the sake of the overall situation, that he should go to his mother and tell her that he loved her, and to tell her what he loved about her most, and to reminisce with her and her family. To share the happy memories, rather than to mar the family relations with an obvious source of tension.
You know, I remember earlier in my career that a man was given a few months to live. So he rented the country club and had a party. It was like the farewell before the funeral, so that the family and friends could share memories with him rather than after he had passed. I hope that I get a chance to enjoy the same. Mind you, we should probably think about doing this even today. To tell our loved ones how much we care for them, that they mean to us. Doesn't it feel good to hear wonderful things, or thank you's, even the simple "good job", or "I love it when you..." Why we don't think to do this enough but instead wait until the end, to cram it all in, that mystifies me.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
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