Presidential Prayer Breakfast

I take the 16th street bus to work and then head west walking towards Connecticut Ave, where my office is. The roads were all blocked off with police vehicles, especially outside the Washington Hilton, which is directly across from my building on T street. It didn't occur to me until reading through the White House blog postings that arrive in my Google Reader that President Obama and the First Lady Michelle and hundreds of others were there for the National Prayer Breakfast.

His speech is wonderful. It really calls on us to recognize and cling to our commonalities, no matter our faith backgrounds, so that our nation and our world can truly benefit from it. this is a nice segment from the speech....

"There is no doubt that the very nature of faith means that some of our beliefs will never be the same. We read from different texts. We follow different edicts. We subscribe to different accounts of how we came to be here and where we’re going next – and some subscribe to no faith at all.

But no matter what we choose to believe, let us remember that there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know.

We know too that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all great religions together. Jesus told us to "love thy neighbor as thyself." The Torah commands, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow." In Islam, there is a hadith that reads "None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." And the same is true for Buddhists and Hindus; for followers of Confucius and for humanists. It is, of course, the Golden Rule – the call to love one another; to understand one another; to treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.

It is an ancient rule; a simple rule; but also one of the most challenging. For it asks each of us to take some measure of responsibility for the well-being of people we may not know or worship with or agree with on every issue. Sometimes, it asks us to reconcile with bitter enemies or resolve ancient hatreds. And that requires a living, breathing, active faith. It requires us not only to believe, but to do – to give something of ourselves for the benefit of others and the betterment of our world.

In this way, the particular faith that motivates each of us can promote a greater good for all of us."

I'm excited to hear how our new President is going to leverage well established faith-based organizations during his administration to work for change. He's announced an Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to get this going.

Keep up to speed with daily happenings in the Obama administration here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/

Lessons from a little black squirrel

I've become especially appreciative of still moments I've had even while working in the city. During my daily walks I discovered the Spanish steps. Now I go there almost daily, retreating into a haven from the noisy traffic, construction and chatty lunching business folk on Connecticut Ave.

So yesterday during my 30 minute lunch break, my mind was filled with needless thoughts and worries as I sat down on the wall next to the fountain. I quickly pulled out my homemade hummus sandwich from my L.L. Bean lunch bag, knowing that now, I only had about 15 minutes to eat before I had to get back to the desk and phones. Just as I was about to chomp down I saw a little black squirrel inching its way across the steps below me. Every few seconds it stopped and look up at me. It eventually made its way to a tree not too far from me on the left. Again, it inched its way up the tree about 4 feet and it stopped and sat down, its long fluffy dark tail cascading off a branch. And then, it turned its gaze toward me. Eery, right?

It sounds bizarre, but my busy mind calmed down instantly and I couldn't help but return the gaze. I think our acknowledgment of one another (if that's what it was) lasted about 10 minutes. I thought it so strange that this squirrel was all alone and not playing or moving rapidly through the trees. Has anyone else ever seen a squirrel so calm and focused?

This odd, but pleasant incidence fits into my spiritual exploration at this time of life. I just bought the newest issue of Ode titled the Silence Issue, which presents articles relating to peace and quiet and the need to lessen the world's noise pollution. I'm also reminded of what I've learned from reading Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love (in which she describes her experience in complete silence at an Indian ashram), my meditation lessons in Thailand last summer, and also the practice of "being present" as explained by Eckhart Tolle in his book A New Earth.

That little squirrel gave me a wake up call alerting me to the fact that even though I was in quiet and peaceful place, I had let my mind keep me from really appreciating and enjoying where I was. It was a good reminder to fully be with the space of wherever I am, not dwelling in my thoughts.

Morgan's bench

At the end of my stay in San Diego, I was fortunate to get to La Jolla for a visit to Morgan's bench. Morgan is my first cousin who passed on too early and last September my Aunt Laura and her kids used donated money to install a bench overlooking the La Jolla coast, Morgan's favorite location. My friend Charissa, her brother Nate and his wife Suzanne (in picture) were very kind and generous with their time and drove me up there. The bench is located just below the Torrey Pines Gliderport where many come to para-sail of the cliffs over the ocean. The location couldn't be more beautiful.

When I first approached the bench, there was an attractive young man (about my age) sitting there studying intently his Spanish textbook (a bit serendipitous, I'd say;). I told him that he was sitting on my cousin's bench - which, thinking of it now, could have sounded a little odd. I pointed out the plaque in front of the bench and introduced myself as Morgan's cousin. To my surprise, he didn't get up and leave. It was really great though because I showed him the Tupperware box with the journal and pictures that are under the bench and he was really curious. He'd thought someone had left it there by accident. He respectively sat there and listened as I talked about my memories of Morgan, the memorial service, and comments about our family in general. He also wanted to see the pictures. We both commented on how there are benches like these all over the place but there is rarely any story provided about the person's life. He and the others walked down to the cliff so I could sit and write in the journal.

Afterwards, Nate and Suzanne (who live in the San Diego area) expressed how grateful they were to not only know of the bench but also to discover the opportunity to para-sail, something they've always wanted to do, but never knew about this site. They said they're excited to go back and also to visit the bench again. So, I'm really grateful for my Aunt Laura (Morgan's mom) and others who got this idea put into reality. I believe it is in the perfect place and very much appreciated.