"Thank you, God, for another glorious day in paradise and another chance to excel in life!" This is the way I greet every morning when the new day begins, and the way I greet each group I talk to every week at the medical center's S.T.A.R. (Stress, Trauma, Addiction, Recovery) Wellness Program. The people I address range in age from around 20 and on up. Why are they in the unit? Their reasons are as varied as the folks who sit before me. They are every color, men and women, straight and gay, active and retired military, civilian, gay and straight, religious, spiritual and not so much. For each group I let them know, right from the start, I cannot teach them anything, I am only there to open their minds to possibilities; to help them to think. Thus starts my hour with them and my goal for getting each of them to go from, "Why am I listening to this guy?" to being engaged in listening and participating. This can often be the challenge, and I love a challenge.
If you’d like to continue reading about this little weekly piece of my heaven, please follow the attached link and I try not to bore: My Weekly "Chaplain's Group"