How I Found Jesus on the Job

Corporate America can be unforgiving when we look to find Jesus on the job. His spiritual philosophy has been lost in the competition to survive and prosper. I have seen moral and ethical values fade and I have known many, whose greed has won the battle between the hours of eight to five. Slowly, a shift is unfolding and people are awakening to the reality that loosing your soul on the job -- is not the path to inner happiness.

My journey began in Corporate America thirty-four years ago. From the beginning, my goal much like many people has been to work hard, pursue a career that brings satisfaction, and in return, earn a decent living. My road has been full of blessings and challenges. There have been times; I’ve had to confront the fact that I found myself going down the wrong path. I’ve had positions where I felt completely under utilized, not valued, and confused when confronted by people who demonstrate a competitive spirit. I have watched strong leaders focus on the demands of running a public company, only to leave their morals at the door.

As a Christian, I never felt comfortable openly expressing my need to follow the example set by Jesus to overcome the challenges I face on the job. Instead, God has found me seeking His answers in private. Working in a job that is unfulfilling, has only served to deflate my spirit and confirm I have so much more to give before I reach my full potential.

Sometimes it takes a life-changing event to hear God’s dreams for us. Two years ago, I was working in a toxic environment for a controlling manager who called herself a Christian, but seemed conflicted about how to lead others in the work place. In 2008, it had become clear to me I had lost my way. I found myself restless, stressed out and unhappy with my work. It was during this low point I was diagnosed with cancer. Hearing those words changes everything. Time stands still and you realize in that moment you have a choice in how you want to live your life. From that moment forward, I chose to live my life with clear intention.

A week later, I began daily radiation and chemotherapy treatments. I went into the office through my first round of chemo, but soon found it necessary to work from home. My absense from the office became a source of conflict and the support and compassion I had hoped to find from my manager, never materialized. Following my last round of chemo, I was hospitalized and once I came home, I was unable to get out of bed for anothertwo-weeks. It was during this stillness, I came to terms with the fact it was time to change my focus.

One of the most difficult things to do is to change the way we imagine our place in life. Nothing is more challenging. On the other hand, once this change takes place, nothing could be more revitalizing, because your eyes open to a different world.

I asked Jesus to step in and help me redirect my career. I was ready to live out my passion and commit to my writing. I promised to dedicate whatever time I have left to focusing on my love for writing and ultimately serving others. I didn’t know how I would make my dream a reality. All I could do was pray every day that He would show me a new way.

Within days, His plan for the second phase of my life revealed itself during a routine walk with my neighbor. I shared my thoughts and desire for a new writing career with my friend. She responded by sharing that she had just heard from a long time family friend, who was writing his autobiography and in need of an editor. One year later, I look back over my yearlong association with this wise 88-year old man, and I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to contribute to the writing of his incredible life story.

I am now cancer free and feel fortunate to finally be living my dream. Today, Jesus is with me every day on the Job. I believe it was as easy as asking Him into my heart and being open to the possibility that He would redirect my life and allow me to fulfill my purpose.

In the Still of the Night

Photo by Kevin S. Andersen

In the still of the night, God has laid bare the beauty and many wonders of my world. The silloutte of the moons glow casts a backdrop expanding my internal life perspective. The moons powerful pull, not only controls the changing ocean tides, it continues to change me on a deep cellular level.

Inner peace is the gift so many easily over look. Its value opens doors and changes lives forever. Peace found its way into my soul, once I had an opportunity to start life over. For me it came at a high price. Cancer taught me never again to overlook the power of NOW. I am learning to live my life boldly, to overcome fear, to feel compassion, to appreciate the wonder of nature, to remain loyal to my faith in God and to reach out and connect to the people who touch my heart.

Life is fleeting. We each look back at some point and wonder where the time has gone. It all comes down to honoring the importance of living our lives with purpose and exploring how to connect with the life energy that is part of our ever-expanding universe. I feel this connection in the still of the night and wonder how many others have learned to experience its power.

My friend Linda, who tonight is on the edge of passing, understands all of this. Her courage to let go, comes from this inner peace and a heart felt connection to this world and the next. She lived life and learned how to live it boldly, without fear, full of compassion, with an appreciation for nature and held on to her faith in a higher power promising her life here on earth is only the beginning. Linda has fought a long and valent battle against The Dragon. She may have lost the fight, but she did so with grace. Linda taught me how to live and when my time comes, how to die. Good night my friend, let the moons glow take you home.

New Beginnings

Today is the day for new beginnings. Tradition tells us every January 1st is our one “do-over” day. Whatever miss-steps we took last year, goals that did not come to pass, or dreams that did not materalize, are not lost. Today we are given the gift of new beginnings, starting over – stronger for the wisdom and lessons learned in 2009.

2010 ushers in a new decade. That in itself is reason to reevaluate and prioritize what is important and commit to changing our lives in ways that will bring stability, happiness, comfort, and love once again into our lives. How difficult can that be? I am sure I make my life much more complicated than it needs to be. If I could change anything, it would be to simplify my life.

As I began to ask the people around me, “what made life so difficult in 2009,” the consensus was that we allowed the greed of others to take control of our lives. It seemed greed was everywhere, running rampant across America and around the world. We learned our political leaders could not protect us because many of them are full of greed, serving their own political agendas. We saw the financial markets tumble and bring so many of us to our knees. We put our money in places we did not truly understand, trusting others to increase our wealth, yet found they had no ethics. Collectively we chose to believe there was no bubble and that living in America guarenteed our financial success. Now looking back, we can see it was us who lost their way. We put our faith in men who use their power to appease their greed. It is time for a new way. The lesson before us is, we have a responsibility to protect ourselves from those who can and will destroy our way of life if given the opportunity.

Today as I reflect on the lessons I learned in 2009, I commit to let go of my resentments against those filled with greed. It is encombant upon me to take responsibility for the stability of my financial future.

On this day of new beginnings, I also commit to improving my health. A cancer diagnosis taught me that it is the corner stone of living my best life now. I say it is time we all come to terms with the fact that our food is pumped full of hormones and sprayed with pesticides and that our bodies cannot sustain this amount of toxic overload. I now understand that the FDA is incapable of protecting my health, as long as it remains controlled by giant companies like Monsanto. Protecting myself means I must begin to eat organic food, drink only bottled water.

Starting today, I pledge to begin juicing and eating raw organic food, eliminating meat from my diet, to discontinue using my microwave oven just because it’s convenient, detoxing by body from toxins, and making the switch from storing my food in plastic to glass containers. 2010 is the year to take responsibility for my health. Doing so will require a shift in thinking to assure my long-term health.  I want this for all the people I love, but I have learned we must want it for ourselves first. So, I pray you will take an active interest in learning about what is in the food you eat and take your power back by putting your health first.

Finally, I pledge that 2010 will become my year for “going deeper.” Going deeper will remind me that I want to make a point of squeezing more out of life every day, to feel my emotions more deeply, to love more passionately, to share myself with others more freely and to follow my dreams in ways that will bring deeper long-lasting happiness into the world.

On this day of new beginnings, what are the things you vow to change?

A Day for Giving Thanks

Today was a cold crisp day in the Northwest, the rain had finally subsided and I could see a spot of blue sky over downtown Seattle. This was my opportunity to see downtown dressed up for the holiday’s before I leave town.

It wasn’t snowing but there was a definate chill in the air. As I walked down the street, people were bundled up in big winter coats; some wore hats and gloves and most were lugging holiday packages. The major department stores are geared up for the Holiday Parade scheduled to hit the streets of downtown Seattle this Friday. All the large picture windows are decorated and lights twinke brightly for as far as the eye can see.

Beyond the beautifully decorated windows and the twinkely lights, I saw a community struggeling to survive. I wasn’t prepared to see large numbers of homeless people standing on street corners holding signs begging people to give. Their eyes spoke volumes of their pain and lonliness. For them, I imagine Christmas is just another day. There will be no tree or presents to buy, no homes to decorate or friends to entertain. I turned the corner and came face to face with a man sitting in a wheel chair. He had no coat just a shirit and torn thin blanket across his lap, his clothes were worn, his hair in tangels. He just held a tin can. No sign. Looking at him said it all. As I walked past him, I turned and looked into his tired crystal blue eyes. Where did he go at night I wondered? Did he have food for tonight? How did his life go so wrong that he ended up on the streets begging for change?

I walked another block and suddenly I realized I had lost my interest in looking in store windows for the beauty of Christmas. 2009 has not been a good year for America. The economy appears to have affected everyone, except maybe the man pulling out of the parking lot of the Rainer Club this afternoon in his new shiny red Porsche.

I walked back to my car and drove home. Coming across the bridge over Lake Washington, I looked south to see Mt. Rainer in all her glory. She was covered in snow surrounded in a light pink hue standing proudly as a symbol of the incredible beauty of this region. The vision was magestic and I began to give thanks for all the positive aspects of my life.

I am thankful I can get in a nice warm car and drive home from the streets of downtown and know that I have a beautiful place to sleep tonight. I am thankful I have food to eat and warm clothes to wear. I am thankful I overcame cancer and had family and friends to take care of me when I was sick. I am thankful God has blessed me with many gifts that give me the ability to earn a living - even during this difficult economy. I am thankful life has not left me jaded and bitter and that I have the capacity to have compassion for others less fortunate. I am thankful I have family and friends who love and support me through the good times and the bad.

This Thanksgiving don’t overlook what you are thankful for.

The Power of Place

As the sun sets over the Olympic Mountains I feel the seasons change from fall to winter. The air is brisk across my face as a slow moving wind blows off the waters of Lake Washington. Seattle’s pewter skies cast a dramatic backdrop to the billows of white rolling clouds moving north, blanketing the Olympic penninsula. The peace one feels here is tied to the land, the water and string of islands that line the coast from Seattle to Canada.

Closing my eyes, I hear the whispers of the Indian people whose culture is so connected with the spirit of this country. They understand how to listen to the spirit of nature, allowing it to guide them and embrace the harmony every spirit craves.

Driving out of Los Angeles, I slowly could feel a weight being lifted as I traveled north beyond the intensity of the city and its traffic nightmere. My restless mind could not be satisfied after overcoming my life’s biggest challenge. A cancer diagnosis had ignited my passion to reconnect with who I have become. The need to slow down and no longer take life for granted was impossible surrounded by distraction. Living in the midst of it, life is hard to evaluate when you find yourself in a fish bowl. Lying in bed following my last chemo treatment, I had glimpses of all that my life could be.

Separation from my disconnected life had become a necessity. God had intervened and blessed me with an opportunity to return to the Pacific N.W. to heal and reconnect with my lifes passion. The work I am doing here is valueable and honors a living legend, who at 88 is writing his life story. Our meeting was by chance, yet it has served to reinvigorate my interest in the world.

I have learned life is a delicate balance. The happiness we all seek lies in our ability to reconnect with our spirit. It takes time, commitment and concentration to disconnect from the noise of our world. Without doing so, we are lost. As I prepare to make my journey home, my confidence remains high that I have learned the value of listening to my spirit and to trust my feelings. Contentment is found in nature, in the relationships you value in your life, in carving out time for yourself and in the compassion and love you give to others. This is the power of our humanity – embrace it.