Fwd: New Column From Norris Burkes

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> BEING STRONG WHERE YOU ARE
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> As this century began, I was embedded with the launch crews at Cape Canaveral Air Station. I was their chaplain, providing moral support through counseling, encouragement and a calming presence. Best of all, I got to deliver the launch prayers for the Space Shuttle.
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> One morning in 2000, I drove to the Cape to bring a prayer for the launch crew. The weather was Florida-gorgeous, and from previous conversations with the engineers, I was expecting to hear "go for ignition."
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> However, when I arrived, a bleary-eyed meteorologist whispered some insider's intel.
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> "Bad weather will likely scrub our launch," the lieutenant said.
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> "What!"
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> "The weather is great here, but," she said, pointing to a Doppler radar screen "Spain has thunderstorms."
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> My crumpled face incited more schooling from the LT.
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> "If the mission is aborted after launch, the Shuttle will need a place to land, right?"
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> I nodded.
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> "In that case, we'd have to abort the mission and send the Shuttle to Moron Air Base in Spain. Unfortunately, Spain is having monstrous thunderstorms today."
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> I stood dumbstruck with irony that a weather problem hundreds of miles in the distance could scrub our launch under such beautiful skies.
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> "All we can do is focus on our weather here. We let the folks downrange worry about their weather."
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> The LT's guidance to take care of business first in your own backyard was echoed last week by one of my readers in tiny Walterboro, S.C.
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> Her name is Leslie Montroy. Leslie is a 62-year-old grandmother working at a recycling plant. More importantly, we share the same awesomely cute grandsons.
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> "In this present climate of political upheaval and discourse, I've been feeling helpless and small. Yet, what can I do?" Leslie confessed. "I can't change the presidency or march in a protest.
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> "Then it occurred to me," she added. "What am I passionate about? What is important to me?"
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> I listened fixedly as she told me how she's always been passionate to help the elderly in a local Meals-on-Wheels program. She shared her passion with her coworker, Robert Cooper, and they drafted an idea.
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> Together, they started imagining what it might be like to organize the numerous churches in Walterboro to bring companionship to the elderly.
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> "What if 31 churches in town would send a team out each day to visit the elderly shut ins? Just visit these people and become a listening friend."
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> "Thirty-one days, 31 flavors of churches," I suggested.
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> "Yes," she said with a dutiful chuckle. "I don't know how or if it'll work yet, but I'm trying to find one thing, one problem, or adventure I can become passionate about in my community. If everyone would find a passion for helping in their own backyard, then just maybe we wouldn't feel so helpless."
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> Leslie calls this passion to help, "being strong where you are."
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> "We need to imagine our efforts are like dropping a pebble in a still pond," she explained. "When the ripples advance from our efforts, it might become a chain reaction of passion. We help the elderly and maybe that helps us all.
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> "There's been lots of bad lately that has caused some bad chain reaction," Leslie reflected. "Why can't a good cause ignite a chain reaction too?
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> "I just don't think it takes that much to stop feeling helpless."
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> Leslie's right. We can't control the weather downrange from us. If we turn our focus toward our own backyard, we might just ignite hope and launch the dreams of the next generation – and our shared grandkids.
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> Makes sense to me. After all, it's not rocket science.
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> To see Norris's latest book, "Thriving Beyond Surviving," or to contact him about speaking, visit www.thechaplain.net. Or write him via P.O. Box 247, Elk Grove, Calif., 95759. Twitter @chaplain or call (843) 608-9715.
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