Protecting and Preserving That Which is Sacred

America’s National Park Service turned one hundred years old last month. To celebrate this, my wife and I  spent a week’s vacation in Voyageurs National Park, a park that extends for fifty-five miles along the Minnesota-Ontario border. The park, officially established in 1975, is named after the French Canadian (voyageur is French for traveler) fur traders who traveled the waters within the park using large canoes in the late 18th and early 19 th centuries.They trapped and transported beaver pelts through the waters of what is now the park to supply the growing fur market in Europe.

Voyageurs is the only national park that is accessible solely by water, as there are no roads in the park. There are over thirty lakes, some as long as twenty miles in length and nine hundred islands. Visitors enter the park by boat and for the first time in our lives we were visitors, spending a week on a small rental house boat. During our week away we motored more than fifty miles, tying up at a different beach site each night. We took along two kayaks as well which allowed for lots of quiet exploration. Perhaps the best part of being in the park is that there are no cell towers within or near the park and so we were totally “off the grid” for seven days. We were both surprised at how deeply satisfying it was to not view one electronic screen for a full week. We found instead, that campfires, the Northern Lights, meteor showers, board games, and long, uninterrupted conversations were good for our souls in ways that we had almost forgotten.

Speaking of being good for the soul, that’s how I think of our Nation al Park Service, and indeed all protected wilderness areas in our states and in our country. There is a spiritual hunger within us that seems to be only satisfied when we spend time outdoors, a fact the people who fought hard to create our National Park System understood well. John Muir, an early conservationist who worked tirelessly to start the National Park Service, described Yosemite National Park in California as “a temple far finer than any made by human hands.” The transcendent and diverse beauty found in parks such as Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Smokies, Denali, Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Bryce, Zion, Everglades, and Voyageurs—just to name a few—profoundly connect us with the spiritual source of all creation. These sacred places transport us out of our everyday worlds to places that are eternal and timeless.

Spending a week in Voyageurs National Park reminded me also of the fact that all that is sacred is a gift from the Creator and needs to be cherished. We are not the creators of the sacred; our role is rather to steward and protect that which is sacred. My wife and  I were  able to enjoy one particular national park because others worked diligently to preserve and protect that wilderness area.

voyageurs-national-park

The need to protect that which is sacred in life goes beyond the need to  protect and preserve natural wilderness sanctuaries. When we work  to honor and preserve the sacred sanctuaries of our friendships and our families, we are creating places for ourselves and others to experience the transcendent and spiritual aspects of life as well. I’ll close with one other important insight we relearned on our recent vacation. The enjoyment of the sacred sanctuaries of nature and of relationships is greatly enhanced by getting away from our electronic screens and devices and rediscovering what it feels like to be wholly present to the spiritual reality that is around, between, and within us when we take the time to truly notice

A Wholistic Approach to Success

All across America children are heading back to school.  There are always mixed feelings associated with this annual end of summer/beginning of fall rite of passage.  There is the excitement of a new school year—perhaps even a new school—and the excitement of reconnecting with friends.  There is all regret over losing the slower, unstructured rhythms of summer.  And then there is the one topic that almost all children and parents—and probably even a few teachers—are dreading, and that is the topic of homework. The debate over the escalation of homework, both the amount assigned and the appropriateness of homework for young children, has been increasing for some time.  Enter Mrs. Young into this debate.  Mrs. Young is a second grade teacher in Godley, Texas who shared the note pictured above with the parents of her students at a “Meet the Teacher” night last week.  One of the parents posted the note on Facebook and it has now been viewed by millions of people on line.

My wife, Holly, is now a marriage and family therapist and is the lead author of our Living Compass Teen and Parent resources.  Before doing this work though, she taught for many years in the classroom, in multiple grades ranging from kindergarten to high school.  She shared Mrs. Young’s note on her own Facebook page and asked for feedback from her friends around the country—many of whom are currently parents of school age children and teachers.  It’s safe to say that posting this note elicited more feedback than almost anything else she has ever posted.  All of it was supportive of Mrs. Young’s approach, yet not completely.  Several people argued for the importance of at least some meaningful homework, but stressed that the balance that Mrs. Young is seeking to create for students and families needs to be applauded.

In case you find it difficult to read the note pictured above, here is what Mrs. Young recommends that students and families do together to replace homework time.  “I ask that you spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success. Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside, and get your child to bed early.”  Note that she is still very concerned about the growth and development of her students.  She just happens to believe that there are other factors in addition to school work that contribute to a student’s success.

I happen to agree with the spirit of Mrs. Young’s holistic approach to success.  In fact, I think her recommendations are quite helpful for adults as well.  Who amongst us couldn’t benefit from spending more time connecting with family and friends, reading, playing outside, and getting plenty of sleep? That’s a nightly homework routine that I believe can help both kids and adults to succeed.

Olympic Villages

Our daughters began attending the University of Utah in Salt Lake City just a year and a half after the city had hosted the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.  The Olympic organizers had made an arrangement with the university  to build the Olympic Village to house the athletes right on the university’s campus. This was a win for both organizations as it was centrally located for the sporting events andfter the Olympics the network of buildings were converted into dormitories for  undergraduate students.  Our daughters lived in those buildings and to date that is my one and only experience of an Olympic Village.  While the athletes were long gone, there were countless photos of them eating in the dining hall, with one such shot containing all of their signatures. I love the Olympics and so have watched many hours of coverage over the last two weeks. I simply marvel at the diversity of athletic gifts that are represented in the athletes as they compete in events that could not be more different from one another. Just stop and think for a moment about the different skills needed to compete as a runner, a shot putter, a fencer, a gymnast on a balance beam, a swimmer, a volleyball player, a badminton player, a wrestler, a weight lifter, a diver, a shooter, a sailor, or a table tennis player.

In the midst of all the diversity of skill, there is one common trait I see in almost every athlete  who is interviewed right after they have competed.  Nearly every competitor first thanks their own Olympic village.  By that, I am not referring to the actual Olympic Village where they are staying in Rio, but the village of people who have supported them on their journey to Rio. Without those people giving their support they would  never have made it to the Olympics.  Included amongst those members of the athlete's personal Olympic village being thanked are any or all of the following: parents, family, coaches, team mates, clubs where they train, famous athletes who preceded them to whom they looked up to when they were young. And sometimes the village even includes, “All the people in my home country.”  Occasionally, there is a very emotional moment when an athlete thanks someone specific in their village who has passed away, but whose presence they feel as they compete.

There is a passage in the Bible that sounds very much like the Olympic athletes when they talk about their personal villages of support.  In the Letter to the Hebrews, found in the New Testament, the writer inspires people of faith to keep running the race that is set before them, no matter how challenging that race may be, and to remember that as they run their race to take courage in the fact that they are “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.” (Hebrews 12:1).  A great cloud of witnesses sounds a lot like a personal Olympic Village to me.

So it seems that no matter what kind of race we are running, whether an Olympic race, or just the day by day journey that constitutes life for the human race, our ability to persevere is a combination of individual effort and the cloud of witnesses that surround and support us.  I, for one, take great comfort in knowing and feeling that those witnesses, both living and those who have passed on, are with me every step of the way.

A Balanced Portfolio

Later today I will have the honor of preaching a homily at the funeral for Ab NIcholas, a dear friend and mentor of mine.  Ab died peacefully, but unexpectedly, in his sleep last week at the age of 85.  Ab and his wife Nancy are the primary benefactors of the foundation that has made possible the creation of the Living Compass Wellness Initiative. Those of us who are a part of Living Compass are most grateful to be able to carry on Ab’s legacy, which has always involved a strong commitment to helping others. Ab’s obituary was featured on the front page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this past Sunday.  You can read it here.  http://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2016/08/04/albert-o-ab-nicholas-dies/88273344/

Ab grew up in Rockford, IL with two loving parents whose influence on him was profound. He talked about his parents on a regular basis and never forgot the sacrifices they made for he and his two brothers.  After hours of practicing at his local Boys and Girls Club and then playing in high school he earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Wisconsin. He played on the school’s team from 1948-1951, winning first all Big Ten team honors in his junior and senior years, and second team All-American is senior year.

A few years later Ab started the Nicholas Company in 1967 with the launching of the Nicholas Fund, which is now a part of a family of six Nicholas mutual funds.  Starting with very little, the Nicholas Funds have grown in value to over five billion dollars under management.  Ab continued to co-manage this fund with his son David until the day he passed away.

With this professional success Ab, here in his beloved Wisconsin, became a very well known public person,something that always amazed him and he never could quite comprehend.  ashat truly defined Ab though was his private life, his commitment to his faith and to his family.   He and his wife Nancy were married for 63 years and he would have said that together their three children and seven grandchildren were the most meaningful and important investments they ever made.

Ab was a lifetime member of the Episcopal Church and his Christian faith was the center of his life.  He never missed church on Sundays, and regularly attended weekday services, too.

He always credited his faith with keeping him humble and grounded, and keeping him oriented toward what was most important in life, living an honorable and generous life.

I will never forget the conversations Ab and I would have about faith and wellness and how closely the principles that undergird them are the same as those that apply to the world of investing. When Living Compass was first being developed, Ab wanted to understand all of the concepts that are taught in the materials.  I explained that one essential aspect of wellness was having a sense of balance by nurturing and tending to all areas of wellness, including spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, and vocational wellness.

I’ll never forget how excited he was when he heard all this because, as he went on to explain, a commitment to balance is also one of the keys to good investing.  He explained that it is essential to have a balanced portfolio and not ever be overly invested in any one stock, or one in sector of the economy.  He went on to say that it was important to review a portfolio balance on a regular basis because things change and it is important to adapt as needed. A balanced approach to both investing and to wellness is important we agreed.

Ab had one of the most balanced portfolios of any person I know,and by that I not only referring to his financial investments , but to his life investments as well.  His balanced life portfolio can be seen in the strong investments he made to his marriage, children, and grandchildren, to his physical well-being, his spiritual well-being , and in his commitment to generosity to many places within the wider community.

In honor of Ab, I invite each of usl to reflect on our life investments, and to examine how balanced our portfolios are. With Ab’s passing  have been doing that myself  this week, and I have come to realize, for example, that I want to invest more time and energy to my community and neighborhood.  I need to invest  in that area of my wellness portfolio, and in Ab’s honor I am committing to make that happen.  What about you?  What area of wellness could benefit from your investing a little more time and energy?

 I close with my expression of gratitude for the ways in which Ab Nicholas has invested in the work of Living Compass.  May we continue to honor his gift in all that we do each and every day, for many years to come.  Thank you Ab for your generosity and your example, but thank you most of all for your friendship.  

Inspiring Others

 Scott is on vacation this week and so we are sharing a column that he wrote right after the 2012 Summer Olympics.  Note that this column begins with a story about Michael Phelps who will be the flag bearer for the US Olympic team in Rio for the opening ceremonies later today.   My wife, Holly, who loves swimming laps, was at the pool yesterday and witnessed a powerful example of just how important role models can be.  Three ten-year old boys were getting ready to jump into the pool to race each other to the other end.  As she watched them, she noticed that each of the boys was bending over and warming up by doing the Michael Phelps’ arm flap.  And of course, being ten year old boys, they immediately began to argue over which one had the right to pretend they were Michael Phelps.  The life guard threw out the names of other famous swimmers in an attempt to settle the disagreement, but they all wanted to be Phelps.   Clearly these boys, like many of us, have been avid fans of the summer games in London.

Excellence is contagious.  When we witness it--when we are fortunate to be close to it--it rubs off on us.  It inspires us to want to be excellent, too.  This past weekend I had the good fortune to be surrounded by excellence and it has inspired me throughout the week.

My wife and I rode in the Wisconsin MS Bike Ride this past weekend.  The ride is a two day fundraising event involving 1,400 riders who travel up to two hundred miles across Wisconsin from Milwaukee to Whitewater on Saturday and from Whitewater on to Madison on Sunday.   This year riders once again raised over one million dollars to help eliminate MS.  This was our second time participating in the ride and I can say it was, again, one of the most inspiring experiences I have ever had.

There were definitely some amazing cyclists participating in this fundraising event,   men and women with exceptional skills and stamina.  Throughout the weekend as they rode by me I would try to pick up some tips on form or on drafting and, like the boys my wife witnessed at the pool yesterday, I would try to imitate some of their habits in an attempt to improve my own riding.  Their skills and physical excellence were contagious indeed.

As inspiring as the physical excellence of my fellow riders was this past weekend, they are not the people that continue to inspire me five days later.  There was another show of strength that I was privileged to witness up close that I have also been trying to imitate this week.  The weekend bike ride for MS provided me with numerous opportunities to talk with people who are battling MS and/or their loved ones who are supporting them in their battle with MS.

The emotional and spiritual determination, courage, and strength of the people I met with MS, along with supportive friends and family, was as inspiring as anything I have seen in the Olympics.   Having lunch with four young husbands of women who have MS and listening to their stories of commitment, love, and devotion to their wives was transformative.   I found the strength of character that has been both developed and revealed while both battling MS and supporting a loved one with the disease to be contagious.  I want more of what they have. I aspire to the emotional and spiritual excellence that I see in them.  I want to imitate their emotional and spiritual strength as much as those ten-year old boys at the pool want to imitate Michael Phelps.  They are true role models for me.

Who inspires you to excellence, whether it be physically, emotionally, or spiritually? Who are you in a position to inspire?   This past weekend reminded me that we all have the capacity to inspire excellence in others in a variety of unique ways.  In our families, our friendships, our work teams, and our congregations we have many opportunities to inspire one another.

Nancy, Dee, Judy, and Mary are four of the people that inspired me this week. Upon finishing the MS Bike Ride on Sunday, these four MS survivors, sitting in chairs waiting to sign each rider's bib number as a sign of appreciation for participating in the event, each gave me a hug and autographed my number.  At that moment those autographs meant more to me than one from Michael Phelps or any other Olympic athlete because they are the quiet heroes who face adversity each day and keep bravely moving on.  I share their story in hopes that their strength might inspire you as much as it has inspired me.