A Second Breath (Part 1)

What you are about to read is not what I had originally intended for my second post to the blog. However I hope you will agree that the interruption is worth reading about. This is what Learning to Breathe is truly about.

From time to time I may share with you some of the moments of my life (and perhaps of others) that have left me breathless. This is one of them…

Today I wish to honor two people that have inspired me in so many ways. That is, they have breathed life into me – in a literal way.

Today, my parents Gloria and Dennis celebrate their 44^th wedding anniversary. But you say, “What is so significant about a 44^th anniversary? Come back when they hit 45, or 50.” Please, read on.

Now if you know me I preach only one sermon (2,341 different ways) always – the power of love. With every beat of my heart I believe that there is no greater more powerful force in all of this universe than LOVE. Any astro-nerd (that is, astrophysicist) will tell you that it is the laws of attraction (i.e. gravity, electromagnetism, nuclear energy) that drive this vast universe of ours. I believe God made it this way – by no mistake. While my astro-nerd friends are still scratching their heads, looking for the next big discovery – what one unifying force drives all laws of attraction – I tell you it is the one that compelled God to create, and share it with us – it is LOVE!! (Yes, the Beatles were right!) For the natural purpose of love is to create (e.g. feelings, families, faith)! While a child I was certain my family would last the test of time because while other families were falling apart around us, my parents resolved to make our family strong enough to stand even through the worst of storms that came our way.

And those storms know no boundaries. Maybe they have huffed and puffed and blown down your door. If so, I am very, very sorry. I believe that much of what is painful and wrong with our world is attributable to the fact that a parent somewhere has failed someone terribly.

But this is one love story that does have a happy ending. You see, one year ago I had the pleasure of officiating at a second wedding ceremony for my parents. (It is on my Best Days Ever list!) No, they hadn’t divorced. My father loved her so, he would not divorce her. They had been separated – for sixteen years.

Witness what true love can do.

I LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD! HAPPY 44TH!

Dennis and Gloria

About iamlearningtobreathe

I am passionate about people. From the time I was a child the places in life that held the most intrigue for me were places of meeting such as churches, hospitals and airports. I count such places among what some may call the "thin places" - where heaven and earth are closest. They are great places for people-watching. Now in adulthood I realize my fondness for such places is cultivated from the emotional charges, whether positive or negative, associated with the times my family would come together. Today, I spend much of my time in the thin places. My kind of work is all about meeting people in those thin places - where the air becomes thin and difficult to breathe, where life becomes abrasive. I am a chaplain working in a healthcare system. The space and time I share with people is precious and sometimes fragile. I often feel forced to play referee between faith and science, even life and death. I am confronted almost daily with some of life's most difficult questions. Sometimes I have a right answer. Sometimes we are asking the wrong questions. Since 2005 I have focused much in the areas of mental health and addiction recovery whereby I am blessed with the challenge of conducting therapy groups. I also volunteer as chaplain for my city police and fire stations. Once I had not believed myself to be a good fit for ministry, unable to emulate what I supposed it to be. Today I am learning through experience that it is a good fit for me. I am finding my way on the path to helping others navigate life. My current pet project forms the foundation for what will likely be a book manuscript, or two. Inspired by the urgings from my colleagues to formalize my hobby, I am contextualizing a reconstructed biblical pneumatology for the contemporary global mindset. In short, it is an undeniable verity about the human family and our spirituality. (The "Coexist" people would love it.) Trust me - it's interesting. I am a husband, father, brother, friend, supporter, writer, teacher, speaker, theologian, and philosopher. Otherwise, I am just learning to breathe like everyone else.

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