Crossroads at the Bay

I’ve spent the better part of this week at the annual Adventist Risk Manage- ment Conference in San Francisco. It was my first time at such an event, and it was nothing like what I expected. Actually, I’m not sure what I expected. Perhaps more than anything, I thought I’d be sitting through long, boring-but-necessary seminars on insurance, economics, and other boring (to me)-but-necessary issues. And (I must be honest), that did happen part of the time. But the experiences I've already described plus yesterday's sessions redeemed the conference for me.

The last day of the Conference was devoted to issues of health and diversity. The sessions were outstanding. They started with Gwen Foster, former health and fitness czar for the city of Philadelphia and Charles Mills, editor of Vibrant Life magazine. Both were interesting, articulate, and challenging. I also attended a seminar on how to establish a wellness program “at your organization.” All three sessions provided food for thought and motivation to get out of my chair and move more.

It was the last session, though, the very last words of the conference, that I am having a hard time shaking. One of the leading motivational speakers in America, Samuel Betances is a diversity trainer and consultant who challenged us to use our diversity to create unity. “When people of different races have reason to work closely on projects where both are indispensible,” he said, “race will not be an issue. . . . When we unite together to pursue a common goal, prejudice disappears.”

He talked about the importance of words, and of reading widely. “Read to expand your horizon, to build your vocabulary, to increase your critical and abstract thinking abilities. Read to be universalized,” he said. He talked about reading the “literature of resiliency,” books about people who “had it tougher than you, people who experienced breakthroughs.” He said we “need words in order to grow” and that the words we read should be those that will change our lives.

He told the story of his own life; how he grew up poor, neglected, and abused; how he dropped out of high school; how he flunked out of military school; how his work supervisor at a hospital, a Christian woman, told him he needed words to get beyond his life situation and how Christian education would give him those words and teach him how to use them. “In academy,” he said, “they are always looking to see if you have gifts the Lord can use.” Certainly the Lord has used him as he graduated with high honors from Harvard, worked with Oprah, and has been a consultant to three US presidents.

Yes, there were moments that I wondered why I was clear across the country from my “real work,” but there were many more that I realized the importance of taking a step back and putting that “real work” into perspective. Exploring my spiritual roots, recognizing my need to be a healthier person physically so I can give with more energy and clarity and generosity and responsibility...that was definitely worth the trip.


Photos: The watercolor painting I won yesterday (!), Gwen Foster, Samuel Betances, details of the floral display in the hotel lobby.

Coming to America

The San Mateo County Courthouse had several exhibits displayed throughout the two stories that were open to us last night. One was about famous entrepreneurs from the county, another was about famous athletes from the county (Olympian Debbie Thomas, NFL player Lynn Swann among others), and one on the immigrants who came to the county. I found this one the most colorful (literally and figuratively) as well as the most interesting.

The major nation- alities immi- grating into the San Mateo County are Chinese, Japanese, and Irish. The pictures here show some of the cultural aspects of these nationalities.

Night Court

Last night, we went to the San Mateo County Courthouse for an evening of mock trials. After spending the day listening to all kinds of legal situations and issues, it was fun to see some of the things we heard put into practice. Literally.

The courthouse itself is beautiful. Built in 1908 it has survived many a shake up (again, literally). It's dome with beautiful stained glass is particularly striking, inside and out, especially after it got dark.

The trial I attended (there were four to choose from) was presided over by a feisty county judge from Florida (Tallahasee) who had given an outstanding presentation earlier in the day. She sees a lot of young people in her courtroom and helped institute a drug court that gets young people into rehab rather than jail as first-time offenders. Her mercy and grace approach to her work was inspiring.

The evening's situation involved a youth pastor who misused his time with a 17 year old youth group member. The lawyers were actual lawyers in their real life, but the rest of the participants were playing roles unfamiliar to them (clerk, jurors, plaintiffs, defendants, etc.).

It was an interesting and, at times, amusing evening. A couple of times the situation caused the judge to break up (a la Carson in his skits), which, in turn, cause laughter and/or applause in the audience. The actual case, of course, was not laughable though, and we learned a lot despite the occasional levity.

Art in the Courtyard

Sunday night's dinner was served in the hotel courtyard after Eleanor Clift's keynote. It was a little brisk, but otherwise, it was a lovely evening.

The food was delicious, and there were dozen photographs,s of paintings, sculptures, and pieces of pottery on display for us to enjoy as we strolled through the (somewhat crowded) courtyard.

I particularly loved the Native American pottery crafted by teenagers from an Indian school in Arizona. I wanted to purchase a piece, but thought I'd get it later when it wasn't so crowded. Turns out I missed my chance. I'll have to go to the website now, although everyone got a lovely small vase or bowl as a welcome gift courtesy of our hosts. All the guest speakers of the conference got larger pieces. What a great gift idea, don't you think?

Love, Death, and Politics

Eleanor Clift, of the McLaughlin Group, was our keynote speaker this evening. She spoke about the changing culture of death in our country, particularly as she lived it when her husband , Tom, died a slow death from kidney cancer three years ago while at the same time she was reporting and commenting on Terry Schiavo's controversial death (which occurred the day after her husband's).

She also talked about how going back to work and writing a book about both deaths was cathartic for her. The book --Two Weeks of Life: a memoir of love, death, and politics-- alternates between these two stories to provide a moving commentary on how we deal, or fail to deal, with dying in modern America." It was a fascinating hour of mostly story, but Q and A as well. Here are some highlights for the latter:

"I wanted to lift the curtain from death," she said. "Advances in medicine in the 21st century have made living and dying a challenge" because our lives are prolonged far longer than they would be if left to natural causes. We live longer, but sometimes our quality of life is diminished with invasive procedures, drugs that diminish our capacities, etc. (Her husband felt guilty for some of the treatment he received and even told one care giver that they could be using their time and the money for his treatment better...which the care giver, of course, refuted.)

"The press on Sarah Palin is appropriate" because we don't know who she is yet. . . . But she's crashed Barak's party . . . It [the campaign] is messy. . . . It depends on who comes to the poll to vote who will determine who wins. Barak needs more young people to get out and vote, otherwise, it may not be enough for him.

"We can't lose" in this election, though. "They're both quality individuals."

This "culture of death" is an interesting thing. Other cultures treat it more openly than we do. We don't have a "grown up" attitude about it. We spend a lot of time and money at the end of our lives because people are afraid of pain and of losing their dignity.

What cautions/advice would she give Joe Biden about debating Sarah Palin? "Don't be condescending." He'll probably overcompensate... but he needs to make clear the contrast between where they stand on the issues. "It's tricky for both of them."

What's different about this election? "There's an excitement about the candidates" that has not been there in recent memory. "And there is a dissatisfaction with the government." "McCain wants to shake things up. Obama wants to find common ground. . . . Whoever wins, they will have to find a way to bring the country together." It's the "seriousness of the election" that has stood out for her.

Through a Glass Darkly

Our bus trip yesterday didn't give us any chances to stop and take pictures. Some of the scenery was breath-taking, particularly as we got up into the mountains. I often take pictures from inside vehicles, something my sister laughs at. sometimes the pictures turn out. I didn't get any pictures in the mountain, but took some of the vineyards and of San Francisco. I cropped out the reflections as much as I could and here is theBut results:

California Here I Come

It's been a long day of travel. I got up at 4:45 this morning to catch a shuttle bus to Logan Airport (Boston) so I could fly out to San Francisco where I'll be spending the next 6 days, mostly attending a Risk Management Conference. I've never been to San Francisco, so I'm excited to be here, although it was a long, long day. Tomorrow and Sunday, I'm going sight-seeing before having to settle down to the meetings, so I'll have many more pictures to post. For now, here's the sunset from my hotel window. Pretty, isn't it?