Adversity can bring out the very best! (Thoughts about dealing with cancer)

Last Sunday afternoon Sam Donaldson, the veteran newsman from ABC and a survivor of lymphoma, was here to help our health system colleagues, patients, and friends from the community celebrate with 155 cancer survivors (my own mother among them) all of whom have survived cancer for at least five years -- and all treated by our new Center for Cancer Care here in Goshen. The CCC program was established only approximately six years ago, but has already brought us national attention and, fortunately for us, attracted some "world class" cancer doctors, and some very special accreditation, as well. (See the news release summarizing these developments at: http://www.goshenhealth.com/news/news_releases.asp?item=543 )

Mr. Donaldson predicted that what we have here in Goshen may very well become the next "Mayo Clinic" -- starting in a very small town but growing rapidly because of the quality of care and cutting edge approaches to treatment. I don't know about that -- time will tell. What I do know is that I feel privileged to work here in this capacity and to be a real part of what's happening. However, what stood out in my mind was something else Sam said that earlier today really "struck home."

Mr. Donaldson affirmed a fact -- that there has NEVER been a cancer that someone hasn't survived. This profound thought figured prominently in his own story and in the type of attitude and relationship he had with his own cancer doctor -- it is a message of hope, indeed.

Then a few days later I encountered the story that truly grabbed my attention -- an unfolding autobiographical account by 23 year-old Alicia Parlette in a 7-part series in the San Francisco Chronicle. When I came across it at first, midweek, I thought I was too busy to read it because of the length, but she drew me in after the first page. It's a story of her own fight with a very rare form of cancer, a certain type of sarcoma, which was discovered while she was working as a copy editor at the SFC. Her self-disclosure is a poignant witness to the importance that family, friends and faith have become -- especially when the news is bad.

I absorbed the first four installments right away, and have kept up daily ever since. Her journal surveys the emotional and spiritual map of a young cancer patient like nothing I've ever quite read before -- and is extremely relevant to my own work in spiritual care here with the Goshen Health System

Not only is it a powerful read, but what really was the kicker for me on Wednesday was to hear, in her own voice, her reflections and responses regarding the new directions her life has taken over the past three months -- during an interview with Alex Chadwick, which originally aired Tuesday on NPR's program "Day to Day." You can listen to her yourself at NPR's archive of programs online; they also have a link to Alicia's journal installments the SF Chronicle is publishing daily and which are stored on their own online archives. Find that link to the series in the upper left corner of NPR's website at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4683792

or you can read them directly at http://sfgate.com/alicia . On Thursday, after being duly inspired by what I had just read in that day's installment, I sent Alicia an e-mail link to a special card I created for her to see --at least I hope she'll see it-- in response that emotionally and spiritually-charged section of her saga. Anyone reading as far as the end of installment #5 will understand this card's significance:

http://tinyurl.com/cq3rw

By the way, you can copy this link and send it along to anyone else you wish at any time, as a word of encouragement or reassurance, since I intentionally created the card for that purpose. I deliberately didn't personalize" the card itself with Alicia's name. I created it with my
personal subscription to the artist Jacquie Lawson's website, so it will last pretty much "in perpetuity" * housed indefinitely at a certain section of the internet, even if my subscription eventually runs out. In other words, this link will always "work" when clicked upon, and without ANY associated advertisements (unlike most cards you get or see nowadays...)

Today, Saturday, I see that ABC News has made Alicia Parlette the "Person of the Week!" Wow. Read their summary here: http://tinyurl.com/dl9ur

Inspiring.

- Clair

This could well be another "tipping point" in American history

"The Downing Street Memo" case is FINALLY building up a head of steam. I watched President Bush's attempts to wriggle away from the truth it reveals (an impeachable offence, actually) in the June 7 press conference with Tony Blair. Williams Rivers Pitt is spot on as he traces this case, and its implications, in an eloquent yet factual fashion at: http://tinyurl.com/cbav4

As the pressure on the US media moguls has finally bubbled up strong enough to force their cooperation in prying open this issue, it would seem that an excellent strategy would now be to take some of GWB's advice-in his own words: "See, in my line of work, you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."

But this time it's a whole lot more than propaganda. A massive coalition of activist groups have come together to form the "After Downing Street Coalition" which seeks coverage of this issue in the media and accountability from Congress and the administration. Their website http://www.afterdowningstreet.org contains the original source document together with excellent analysis; especially noteworthy is a freshly posted chapter from Ray McGovern's forthcoming book, "Sham Dunk: Cooking Intelligence for the President." (For more on Mr. McGovern, see my note below. *)

Rep. John Conyers and 88 other House members have delivered a letter to Bush demanding answers, and nearly 200,000 Americans have already signed their support for this letter. The signatures list is growing by leaps and bounds; according to John Conyers website, lately at the rate of approximately ten signatures per minute.

Some historians of the Vietnam War era deem that a major "tipping point" for America then was the magazine cover showing the 75 people who had died in Vietnam the previous week -- because it finally brought the face of the war home to the people. 911 was an attack on our own soil and many people are still worried stiff that something may happen to them and their children; that they need THIS president and his administration to protect them. Otherwise why would so many smart women vote for Bush against their own self interest except out of fear for their families?

The truth is most Americans still don't read blogs; in fact, sadly, most people today don't even pay much attention anymore to newspapers. They simply don't want to take the time. So they digest whatever is fed to them on their favorite television channel or talk radio station. It's also likely that the phrase "The Downing Street Memo" doesn't really communicate to listeners very well as to what it is all about -- it just sounds like something that only concerns the British, and it, like other "smoking guns" that we have all seen come and go along the way, hasn't interested the general public very much, allowing the major media outlets to keep the lid on it -- thus far. But no more.

When key media sources start to screw up enough courage and independence from their parent company owners to do a full scale review of the time frame of this memo and the other pre-Iraq invasion set-ups (including a reminder to the American people about Richard Clarke's story about Bush coming to him right after 9/11 and asking how they could tie the attack to Iraq) then something substantial might happen.

So, my friends, this could very well be "the moment!" We now all have the opportunity to help keep those Minutes in the forefront. I think June of 2005 could well go down in history as "the tipping point" in this Iraq War and the demise of the administration of GWB.

If you want to sign the "Downing Street Memo" letter calling for straightforward answers from the President, and be kept up to date with a coordinated strategy keep in touch with this website: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org

As Mr. Pitt says in his last paragraph: "Large majorities of Americans, in every poll, believe the Iraq invasion was unnecessary and the casualties thus far inflicted to be unacceptable. For the first time, the poll numbers show that a clear majority of the American people no longer believe that George W. Bush is keeping them safe. Bi-partisan coalitions are forming in Congress to demand that the US withdraw from Iraq and give that nation back to the people who live there, and those coalitions are edging towards majority-sized numbers. Legislation has been presented demanding withdrawal and more is in the offing."

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* Ray McGovern’s 27-year career as a CIA analyst spanned administrations from John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush. Ray is now co-director of the Servant Leadership School, which provides training and other support for those seeking ways to be in relationship with the marginalized poor. The School is one of ten Jubilee Ministries, not-for-profit organizations inspired by the ecumenical Church of the Saviour and established in an inner-city neighborhood in Washington, DC.

At his CIA retirement ceremony, Ray received the Intelligence Commendation Medal and a letter from then-president George H. W. Bush wishing him well in his transition to non-profit work in inner-city Washington. Ray served on the board of Bread for the City from 1989-94, the latter two years as president, before becoming co-director of the Servant Leadership School.

Friday afternoon this week an advance chapter entitled "Sham Dunk: Cooking Intelligence for the President" from Ray McGovern's forthcoming two-volume set on the Iraq war, "Neo-CONNED!" and "Neo-CONNED! Again", published by Light in the Darkness Publications, was posted at www.AfterDowningStreet.org This comprehensive two-volume work deals with the run-up to and aftermath of the Iraq war containing groundbreaking and uncompromising analysis from 84 different contributors. Read this key chapter (a PDF version is also available) at: http://tinyurl.com/d6jo6

The substance of this book, as it becomes more widely read, will make it increasingly difficult for President Bush to wriggle away from probing reporters' questions regarding the "Downing Street Minutes" issue, as he did Tuesday this week.

--Clair Hochstetler

It's hard to fool around with suffering, pain...and death

I started out the day scheming how to pull a fast one on the other readers of one of my favorite e-lists. I posted this: http://tinyurl.com/6yw44 and it did take a few by surprise - before they realized what date it was...heh, heh!

However, this day didn't go as planned. Unexpected "developments", both at home and in the news, kept sucking me in with all sorts of juxtaposing themes that are not to be fooled with. People all over the world tonight are thinking and praying about the best way to deal with the injustice of pain, suffering, and death. It's a sweeping choice: to deny the inevitability of suffering and pain...and sometimes death...or to embrace it and learn from it.

My dear wife, Carole Anne, could not talk when she awoke this morning, full of fever and phlegm (what an ugly word!) A fine nurse-neighbor and I made her go with me to the doctor this afternoon. She could hardly make a go of it. I tell myself I'm going to be "OK", but I know I'm bracing for the follow-up "punch" in my own body...hoping against hope...some of this stuff can last for days they say. "What a waste of time, this sorry business of being sick," she tells me...

I try to tend to an anxious family who hears that a loved one has been in a terrible accident, but they don't know that she died, and that the body had been taken from "the field" to some other place. Yet they show up here, and we can't officially tell them anything, until the "right people" arrive. How to offer comfort in such a situation when we know the truth, but the truth can't even be told? That's ironic.

I find out later this afternoon, by reading my email, that an extremely talented and professional chaplain friend in another state got RIFed at his hospital today -- it literally felt, to him and his friends, like a kick in the stomach, all the joy just sucked away. They were making him clean out his desk just hours later. Wishing it were but a cruel April Fool's joke, we feel helpless in the face of it all, except to communicate the sorrow. Ironic, since he tends to be such a joyous fellow. The familiar tag line on his emails was this quote: "You need chaos within, to give birth to a dancing star." - Friedrich Nietzsche. Ironic, too.

That should be plenty of chaos for one day. But as I write this 20-20 is interviewing live, a hospice chaplain commenting on the state of the Pope. He lies on his bed of affliction, filled with his characteristic deep serenity as he suffers through the last hours of his life, refusing to be taken to a hospital -- asking to have the story of Jesus' death and burial read to him, knowing his end is near, while millions are praying for his recovery. Ironic indeed.

Meanwhile Michael Schiavo and his deceased wife's parents wrangle over their own funeral plans for Terri - a battle that just won't quit. No peace there yet, and not likely to come for quite some time. More than ironic, just really, really sad.

What are we learning about the best way to face the prospects of suffering, pain, and the end of our lives? Lots of moral, ethical, and spiritual issues to deal with. I would say there is plenty of fodder for the sermons this weekend...

I sure don't want to miss Nightline this evening, after reading the following:

POPE JOHN PAUL II'S LAST GREAT LESSON
April 1, 2005

Today is the sort of day that gives television producers gray hair. It began about 3 a.m. when the beeper went off at my bedside: the Pope is dead. I crawled out of bed, got on the phone, got on the computer...the beeper went off again: the Pope is not dead. It has been that kind of day. We have no idea who our guests will be, because a number of people are only comfortable speaking if it is known that Pope John Paul II has died. By late afternoon it's time to commit to a broadcast that can hold up whatever the news.

And so tonight we focus on the pope's very public display of the suffering that comes with his illness. It is clearly his last great chance to teach.

The lesson is that suffering is a fact of life, that suffering is to be embraced. Accepting suffering can make us more understanding of the suffering of our fellow man. That's the subject. Guests to be determined later.

And then we will devote the last part of the broadcast to an extraordinary moment. It happened in Los Angeles in 1987. A vigorous, athletic Pope John Paul II jumped from the stage to embrace the suffering of a young man who was born without arms. It brought many of us to tears today. We promise that it will live with you for a long time.

Tom Bettag & the "Nightline" Staff, Executive Producer, ABC News Washington Bureau

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No, I guess its not good idea to fool around with suffering and pain. But it's a great idea to show that you really care.

I was informed today about how the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization launched its brand new website today, chock full of timely resources to help us try to deal with all these themes personally:

For one thing, an extensive section on Advance Care Planning (yes, including free, and accurate, Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney forms applicable to each and every state.) Plus many more topics like: Caregiving, Dealing with Pain, Financial Planning, Hospice Care, Grief, etc. (I checked out their extensive menus dropping down from each of the links at the top of their home page -- all pretty solid stuff. Enough to keep us all from fooling around with "denial" and prepare for whatever might befall us in the future:

http://www.caringinfo.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

I really like the tone of the acronymn they have there, good pointers for finding meaning in our lives and putting our trust in the future, come what may!

L - learn
I - implement
V - voice
E - engage

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Like my favorite hymn says:

My life flows on in endless song, above Earth's lamentation.
I hear the sweet though far off hymn, it hails a new creation.
No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that Rock I'm clinging.
Since Love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?

No foolin' !

Clair

These "Veterans For Peace"

are concerned.

Are you?

Regarding the Elkhart County, IN - Iraq Vigil from 7-8 pm on March 19

Go to http://tinyurl.com/4tarl and punch in your zip code. There you will find a very brief description of each vigil now being organized in your own region for Saturday, March 19, 2005, the 2nd anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Since no one else had came forward and it was only a week away, I finally registered as a host/organizer for Elkhart County, IN, composed the description for the Sojourner's website regarding what I envisioned happening locally, and began to conceptualize planning and other publicity for such an event.

So, here is the next step for interested readers in this and nearby communities: I've already sent the following information to the local media. Please feel free to share this rather widely among your own network of friends, church email lists and community organizations -- especially since this was not issued in time for any Sunday morning church bulletins:

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A special candlelight vigil will be held from 7-8 pm, March 19 outside (surrounding) the Elkhart County Courthouse, in conjunction with hundreds of similar vigils being held across the country on this day. The local vigil's purposes are to call on people of all faiths from Goshen and the surrounding communities to come together:

1) to remember and pray for the dead (1500 Americans; tens of thousands Iraqis, among soldiers and civilians) and the many wounded (10,000 Americans, countless Iraqis)

2) to mourn the immense financial and human cost of this war both domestically and in Iraq on the second anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion. (U.S. citizens have also suffered on the domestic front, as crucial programs that benefit low-income families have been threatened and the already- ballooning national deficit has swelled to compensate for the cost of war.)

3) to experience renewal of moral and spiritual strength, as we collectively pray together for lasting peace and true security at home and abroad.

The vigil will involve special readings and prayers, silent reflection, and participation from a cross section of persons in the community. It is being organized by people who believe that God is neither a Democrat nor a Republican – by people who desire to include the young and the aging, war veterans, persons with family members or relatives in Iraq, peace workers who have served in Iraq, and any others directly affected by this war. Plan to join in and bring your candle (and drip protector), your friend(s), and a prayerful spirit on that hour.

For further information, go to http://tinyurl.com/47754

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Some personal thoughts on the matter:

This invitation is inclusive and overt because too often we have not been intentional enough within our communication networks about inviting members of different faiths...or those with direct involvement in the military, their families, war veterans, Iraqis, peace workers, and any others directly affected by the war in Iraq.

It is my hope that certain willing members of these groups can be identified in our community who will make themselves available to briefly share from their own perspective during this vigil, in keeping with the overall objectives as stated above. Such an experience has the potential to open up new lines of authentic communication within our community, especially during and immediately after the vigil.

Some may express a desire to participate, but will need to deal with fear of social consequences later. They will need to hear your personal word of encouragement and your knowledge of who all is invited in order to feel safe to participate. There is no substitute for motivation derived from your personal relationship.

It would also be nice if we could fill up all the sidewalks surrounding the courthouse that evening! It will be good to let the public know there is a strong concern in our community regarding the various ways this war has powerfully impacted the lives of people, both here and abroad!

People are not really required to sign up ahead of time to attend this Elkhart County vigil, but it could help those of us organizing it to anticipate the size and scope of literature needs and other aspects in planning if they do. To do so, go to: http://tinyurl.com/47754


“…What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

Clair Hochstetler
clair.Hochstetler@verizon.net