Mission Revised, Renewed
“As a faith based organization, we enrich communities by providing financially affordable and ecologically sustainable housing for seniors and people with special housing needs.”
The Consecra Board of Directors revisited and revised our mission statement and they have agreed on the statement above.
The work of developing or revising a mission statement is deceptive. When finished a good mission statement should appear simple and direct. However, the development process is a tug-o-war involving difficult choices about values, services, people and priorities.
Mission statements declare what an organization does and, equally important, what an organization doesn’t do. Useful mission statements are brief, memorable, and guide organizations in making difficult decisions.
Our revised mission statement celebrates our faith heritage. Consecra was founded in 1895 by 13 German pastors who saw a need for housing for seniors. Throughout the past 117 years Consecra has been guided by our faith based values to serve the needy where we find them. We are still connected to the church and our faith guides our mission.
Consecra not only enriches our housing communities, but the community that surrounds our buildings. We care for the people of the larger community and many of our staff and residents volunteer in their local communities. We work hard at making a better world.
The housing we provide is financially affordable. We serve those who cannot afford to live elsewhere. Our residents are people in need and it is our honor to provide safe affordable housing for these people.
The housing we provide is ecologically sustainable. Eco-friendly cleaning supplies, recycling programs, better lighting choices and solar energy are among the many ways we care for the planet while caring for people.
We serve seniors and people with special housing needs. Like our predecessor pastors we care for vulnerable people in our communities. Often it is the elderly in our communities that need special care. We design our senior housing so that our residents may have a safe, affordable, and dignified home. We also provide safe, affordable homes where persons with physical and mental disabilities may live in dignity.
I’m proud of our mission and am committed to living that mission each day. Will you join me?
_____________
Tim Rhodes is President/CEO of Consecra Housing Network. Your reply to this blog is most welcome. You may write Tim at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
What? Another Video!
Today Consecra releases our fourth video: “Building a Happy and Active Community.” This fourth video highlights Consecra’s work that helps our residents remain happy and independent in their communities. Appearing in the video are Consecra employees and staff.
View the new video at Consecra.org or on YouTube. You can now view all four videos at Consecra.org. Be sure to share them with your friends and neighbors.
A big “thank you” again to Lillian Carter, Matt Ivantic, and Darea Seifer for their wonderful work helping design the videos for maximum impact. The first video will be featured at the upcoming meeting of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ.
What mood are you creating?
The other day I went to get my hair cut. There is no point in carrying hair like mine into a fancy salon. So I went to one of the “quick cut” places. I like these because they are fast and the results are usually not too atrocious.
Walking into the place my goal was speed. I wanted a quick haircut. The shop wanted a relationship. They wanted to know my full name, phone number, e-mail, zip code, and stylist preference. Again, I wanted a quick haircut. I grudgingly gave them my name. Nothing more. I don’t want a relationship, I want a haircut. No, I don’t want sparkling or still water—I’m sufficiently hydrated to get my hair cut. I don’t have a preferred stylist—I’m happy with haircut roulette. For me, the difference between a bad haircut and a good haircut is a few days growth.
When I was introduced to the stylist du jour I caught her name as Broomhilda. I know that wasn’t what her mother named her, but this woman exuded power and efficiency. She also reeked of a bad attitude.
Situating me in her salon station, Broomhilda scowled to her neighbor, “I told you I’d get a bad attitude.”
I deserved that. I failed to be polite and a few moments cooperation on my part would have stopped my bad karma from infecting the whole shop. I created a situation where a woman I’ve offended is lunging sharp scissors about my ears. I remember my grandfather telling me, “Don’t aggravate the barber, it might lead to a bloody mess.”
We often infest our workplace or home with our bad attitude. We can choose how we’ll be treated by how we treat others. If you set your mood to grouchy the whole world will growl at you. Choose to be happy and others will join you and the whole day will be much better.
Changing tacks I engaged Broomy in a few pleasantries and tried to soothe her mood. She efficiently cut my hair and moved me on into my day. And my styling doesn’t look at all bad! I’d like to use this stylist again, but I dare not go into the shop and ask for Broomhilda.
Dave Opitz, Consecra’s Director of Housing Development, and I love the flood of statistics now emerging about the aging Boomers. Below is a taste of current senior statistics.
Since Consecra provides safe affordable housing for elders, it helps us to know and respond to the dynamic elder environment. We are preparing Consecra to receive this flood by keeping our buildings in great repair and adding sustainable features that will make our elder resident’s lives more comfortable.
The Orwellian sounding “Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics” shares more about the aging in their report, Older Americans 2012: Key Indicators of Well- Being. The 200 page report is a mind numbing catalogue of the burgeoning elder population in the U.S. Here are some of their findings:
Consecra is proud of Greg Schnur. Greg was honored by Life Services Network (LSN) for his work on Consecra’s sustainable initiatives and providing residents with greater mobility.
Greg is the Senior Lead Maintenance Technician for Greencastle of Barrington and he helps facilitate Consecra’s commitment to environmental sustainability. New light fixtures for the resident apartments and common areas are among the many ways Greg’s work at Greencastle of Barrington helps the environment and saves our residents money.
During his six years at Greencastle of Barrington, Greg has continuously sought to improve the lives of the residents. In the past year he has helped spearhead a process that will provide a new emergency power generator and a new roof for Greencastle, lovely landscaping and a new garden area to update the outdoor space, as well as new kitchen and bathroom floors in all resident apartments. He will spend the next year getting this work done and further upgrading the resident experience.
I saw Greg at the LSN convention and he was bubbling with new ideas for Consecra to improve our services to residents. Greg is always looking for the next great innovation.
Congratulations Greg!
Consecra’s Third Video is launched today. Featuring our residents and employees, this video is titled Healthy & Supportive Living. The video shows how our communities help our residents live healthier by participating in an active lifestyle. Tai Chi classes and health checkups are also highlighted.
The video launched today is the third in a series. One more video to go and in it we share about how our communities are active places for our residents. These videos will help us tell our story to our current and prospective residents as well as our partners.
The response to our videos has been overwhelmingly positive. Residents enjoy seeing themselves and their friends on the web and our staff is proud of how well the videos share our ministry. People who are considering moving into our communities have expressed how much they appreciate this window into the affordable housing world.
You may link to the third video through our website www.consecra.org or on YouTube through this link. Remember, you can also share the video through Facebook, twitter, Tmbler or your favorite social network.
Cut. Print. Enjoy!
Tim
p.s. My next post will feature a Consecra employee who received a well deserved award! Tim Rhodes is President/CEO of Consecra Housing Network. Your reply to this blog is most welcome. You may write Tim at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Today we launch our second Youtube video. This video is titled The Comfort and Community of Home. The video relates how our Consecra communities are places that people call home. The homey atmosphere, the kind people and the lovely settings in our communities are emphasized.
The video launched today is the second in a series. The first video emphasized our mission. Two more videos will be launched soon. The next video is about how we offer healthy and supportive living in our communities. And finally we will share about how our communities are active places for our residents. These videos will help us tell our story to our current and prospective residents as well as our partners.
You may link to the second video through our website www.consecra.org or on YouTube through this link. Remember, you can also share the video through Facebook, twitter, Tmbler or your favorite social network.
Many of you have written to share how the first video made you feel wonderful and how it clearly expressed our mission. We are ever grateful for your feedback and welcome your musings on the second video.
Follow up to last week’s message on stress: a few moments ago several people in the Oak Brook office placed some bubble wrap on the floor and danced to the popping sound. (I may have been among the dancers.) Dancing and bubble wrap are great stress relievers.Tim Rhodes is President/CEO of Consecra Housing Network. Your reply to this blog is most welcome. You may write Tim at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Not too recently I read a headline stating, “Stress Ball Factory Worker Attacks Boss.” The story is sadder and more complex than the headline, but it got me to thinking about stress at work.
There is always stress at work; deadlines, co-workers, work life imbalance, people, etc. We all have stress at work and we all have solutions available to help manage our work stress. Below are some popular ways to reduce stress. I encourage you to read more about stress relief and adopt your own methods.
Get Active: The Mayo Clinic cites physical activity as the number one way to help you release stress. “Physical activity pumps up your feel-good endorphins and refocuses your mind on your body's movements; improving your mood and helping the day's irritations fade away.” When things are too tight at work take a walk. Moving around grants you a new perspective.
Organize Your Work: We all know that we plan and God laughs. However setting realistic goals for yourself helps you sense you are in charge of your time. Prioritize your work and leave time for interruptions. Learn to protect your time. When faced with a big project set aside time so you can work without interruptions.
Learn to Listen: Misunderstandings cause abundant stress. We can avoid many misunderstandings by carefully listening to what other people are actually saying, not what we think they are saying. Deep, attentive and active listening takes practice and is a skill worth developing. We often find that by listening we reduce misunderstandings and develop empathy that can lead to solutions.
Listen to Relaxing Music: Classical music can help reduce the frenetic pace in your mind. Classical music isn’t for everyone so pick your music. You might even consider purchasing a CD from St. Peter’s Church, England.
England's 12th-century St. Peter's Church, East Blatchington is renowned for its eerie quiet. The Guardian reports that Church officials created a 30-minute CD of near-total silence. Those who have heard it said they could make out only the occasional squeaking of footsteps on the wooden floor and the very distant hum of passing cars. A parishioner said, "People sometimes like to sit down and just have a bit of peace and quiet." The church sells the CDs as a fundraiser and is getting orders from around the world.
How can we be happy? Find meaning.
People who find their work and home lives meaningful are generally happier. That is the conclusion of a 3,000 person survey conducted by Marshall and Kelly Goldsmith and published in Business Week. They add that “our experience of happiness and meaning in life appears to have more to do with who we are than where we are.”
For me, my favorite days are the ones where I’ve worked hard, listened attentively and cared deeply. I may be exhausted, but I feel that the day has been productive and joyful.
Happiness at work has little to do with the type of work we do or the number of hours we work or don’t work. The Goldsmiths report that “satisfaction at work increased only if both the amount of happiness and meaning experienced by employees simultaneously increased.” Similarly, people who found meaning outside of work reported that they were happier at home.
How we spend our time makes a big difference in how happy we are. The Goldsmiths offer some “Take Aways” from their research:
The Goldsmiths have one solid suggestion to improve our happiness at work. They suggest we ask ourselves “What can I do to increase my experience of happiness and meaning at work?” Then do that.
Today we launch our first YouTube video. This video is titled Your Home for Independent Living and features our residents and staff telling about Consecra’s Mission and how we strengthen communities through faithful living, teaching and learning. There are lovely representations of our residents, communities and, of course, our good looking staff.
The video launched today is the first in a series. Three more videos will be launched over the next two months. The next video tells how our communities are comfortable places to call home. Then we will launch a video about how we offer healthy and supportive living in our communities. And finally we will share about how our communities are active places for our residents. These videos will help us tell our story to our current and prospective residents as well as partners.
You may link to the first video through our website www.consecra.org or on YouTube through this link. Remember, you can also share the video through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or your favorite social network.
How often do we focus on the stops and fail to see the goes? There is much joy to be experienced in our lives. We curse the cold when we could celebrate the snow. We grumble about the drab days, but do we celebrate the sunny ones? We cringe at the rain and forget to smile at the flowers.
“Earth laughs in flowers” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. This next week I’m going to look through the browns and greys of the melting winter and seek out the laughing moments. I’ll cheer the green lights. When at the red light, I’ll try to be happy for the people who are going through on the green. I’ll seek out the flowers and laugh with the earth.
Will you join me?
A boy, his troubles and his gifts, was the splendid center story of a speech given by Rev. Matthias Dargel. I met Dargel at a recent conference of the Council for Health and Human Services Ministries. He is a man of abundant capacity, heart and wit.
His compelling tale originates from the German social service agency where Dargel is the administrator. Among the many ministries Dargel’s agency performs is the care of children who find themselves in trouble with the courts.
His story:
A boy took parts of a bicycle and parts of a motor scooter and combined the parts to make a motorized bike. As the boy sped through the streets on his successful contraption he was apprehended by the police for speeding. His motorbike was confiscated and he was fined for excessive speed. (Dargel wryly indicates that the story contains no mention of brakes.)
That the boy was fined was appropriate because he was speeding. The boy knew what he did was wrong. What the boy didn’t know was that he has gifts. It takes powerful gifts for a boy to match the parts of a bicycle and motor scooter and make a motorbike. And a motorbike so fast the boy got a ticket!
Dargel then stunned his audience by stating the truth that “it is a form of atheism if you believe there is a child without gifts.” The clarity and simplicity of this truth arrests us every time we are willing to dismiss someone as disruptive, delinquent or damaged while failing to see the gifts in that person.
It is an expression of faith to look for the gifts in the people we meet. The gifts may be as evident as a speeding motorbike or as subtle as compassionate healing. Look deeply at people for their gifts. Look especially hard for those gifts in people who frustrate, disappoint or oppose you. Then seek to activate those gifts for the benefit of all.
As we face what seems to be the inevitable sequestration, Barbara Gay of LeadingAge writes about what to expect and how HUD is preparing. LeadingAge is a 6,000 member organization focusing on advocacy, education, and applied research to support the overall health and wellbeing of seniors, children, and those with special needs. Consecra is a member organization of LeadingAge.
Since the vast majority of Consecra’s funding comes through HUD I hope you’ll find this update instructive. Yet the update, like the political process, is long on speculation and short on hope.
As Ms. Gay says, “Sorry to be so iffy, but that’s the best we've got.”
Published On: Feb 22, 2013
When Congress returns next week, we will see the now familiar Washington finger-pointing minuet over whose fault the March 1 across-the-board spending cuts will be. Less likely will be useful bipartisan action to avert the cuts. What most folks expect is that sequestration will go into effect, but that Congress will somehow make things all better sometime in March when it takes up the continuing resolution that will be necessary to keep the federal government in operation for the remainder of the fiscal year. The present funding measure expires March 27. Questions on Sequestration
A couple of questions have come up about sequestration:
How HUD is Preparing
Here is the latest information gleaned from meetings with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
Until Congress ultimately acts, or doesn't, it is very hard to tell what will happen. HUD has yet to issue any detailed info, though we’re told they have been doing lots of internal scenario-planning exercises.
Here are a couple educated guesses:
It’s all a guessing game for now, but cuts of some sort, and need for clear congressional action to protect HUD subsidy and other senior housing grant programs are clear.
Contact Congress
Please communicate with your legislators about your concerns and preferences. Let them know that potential impacts to aging services deserve to be seriously considered.
On March 19th I will visit with our federal legislators while in Washington, D.C. for the LeadingAge conference.
A friend has just given me a new way to view seeing. My friend Pete has new sight through corneal transplants. The new corneas were gifts from selfless donors who wanted to extend their being by donating their tissues and organs after death.
Pete is a generous man who loves his family, his fellow workers, his church and his charitable work. He is a board member of the Illinois Eye Bank and a dedicated advocate for organ and tissue donation.
During his freshman year of college Pete began to notice problems with his eyesight. Glasses did not aid his sight and contact lenses were of little help. Pete was soon diagnosed with keratoconus a disease that reshapes the cornea. His ophthalmologist discussed the probable need of a corneal transplant. Pete received his first transplant in the 1980s. About that transplant he says, “I felt a tremendous sense of gratitude for the donor and the donor family.”
Seeing anew is how Pete talks about his transplants. He received his first transplant about the time that he began his family. The “new eyes” helped Pete see his family grow and develop. He could watch ballgames and recitals, see what his children were seeing and delight in early seasons of their lives.
Three decades later Pete received another sight restoring transplant and is seeing better than ever. He now speaks of seeing anew in this next phase of this life. Pete and his wife, Sandi, will soon enjoy their empty nest as their children now began their families. Through a new set of eyes Pete will see the delights of children in love, of grandchildren playing, and the later seasons of his life.
Pete’s perspective is delightful. He offers us the chance to see that our lives happen in phases and that the eyes we used to see in years past are different than the eyes we use to see today. Through the decades we change and our views change.
As part of this volunteer work with the Illinois Eye Bank, Pete contacts families of people who have donated their corneas to thank them for the giving another person the gift of sight. His gratitude is authentic because he has new sight.
Want to give someone new sight? Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network is the federally designated organ procurement agency where you can register to donate your organs and tissues—including your corneas. You can read more about Pete’s work with the Illinois Eye Bank in Vision, fall/winter 2012 page 5.
Update from an earlier blog—I’ve heard from Sally, the new friend with whom I shared a taxi. More to come….
It was my great pleasure to participate in the rededication of the renovated sanctuary in the Mayfield Congregational United Church of Christ in Sycamore, Illinois. The service occurred last Sunday and the tiny church was packed with people and faith. After the service a biscuit and gravy brunch was served.
The ravages of time and strong prairie winds caused the Church’s sanctuary ceiling to become unstable. During the week of March 25, 2012 the ceiling of the church collapsed causing significant damage to the sanctuary and its furnishing. Wood, asbestos, plaster, lights and material crashed onto the altar, pulpit and pews. Fortunately no one was present or injured during the collapse.
The small congregation pulled together and never once considered anything but continuing to minister and rebuild. The faithful knew that their past was precious and that they could create a new future from the rubble. They mustered their faithful strength and began meeting in a borrowed chapel at a nearby UCC church. The congregation found new strength in the midst of the tragedy.
Less than eleven months later the congregation began worshiping again in their rebuilt space that today is lovelier and more functional than their old space. There is a gracefully curved ceiling, beautiful oak crown molding, new lighting and lovely new carpets. (I’m such a housing geek that the only pictures I took were of a fantastically thin and efficient radiant heating system.) The congregation has installed reminders of the collapse into the new space. A local craftsman took discarded timbers and fashioned lovely offering plates, candle sticks and a new cross that hangs at the front of the church. The cross bears the nail scars where the timber was fastened to the ceiling.
Our lives often collapse around us. A friend’s death, a job loss, a diagnosis, a failed relationship can crush us and cover us in debris littered with pain, sorrow, and regret. Yet we can create new strength in the midst of our pain. Bearing the scars of collapse, we can recall the precious pieces of our past and build something new from the rubble. The new future we create might be more beautiful than the past we loved.
A rainy evening taxi ride from O’Hare Airport to my home provided a chance meeting with an interesting woman named Sally. Sally directs marketing for LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson company. Sally and I shared a taxi.
Seeking to idly pass the time I told Sally my version of the invention of Band-Aids which involves a Johnson & Johnson Vice-President. Sally claimed that she knows the granddaughter of the woman who invented Band-Aids.
Giving Sally my card I asked her to write me back and let me know if she could determine if her story and mine matched. I have yet to hear from my new friend Sally.
My version of the invention of Band-Aids:
Earle Dickson was a cotton buyer for the Johnson & Johnson Company when, in 1921, he invented the Band-Aid. His wife Josephine, an inexperienced cook, was always cutting her fingers while preparing food. The bandages Dickson made for his wife consisted of a piece of gauze and a strip adhesive tape cut to size. Mrs. Dickson would apply the gauze and tape separately.
Dickson noticed that the gauze and adhesive tape soon fell off his wife’s fingers. He decided to invent something that would stay in place and better protect her small wounds. Dickson took a piece of gauze and attached it to the center of a piece of tape. He then covered the product with crinoline to keep it sterile.
His boss, James Johnson, saw Earle Dickson's invention and decided to manufacture it for the public with the name “Band-Aid.” Johnson made Dickson a vice-president of Johnson & Johnson.
Dickson’s Band-Aid reminds me of the maxim: “necessity is the mother of invention.” And how this maxim applies to senior care.
Filling exhibition floor at the recent LeadingAge convention in Denver, Colorado were great inventions that will help seniors live safer and happier lives. Among the new products I saw was a bed that splits in two so a senior can sit in the bed as if it were a chair. I also stood on a floor that cushions a senior’s fall without breaking the senior’s limbs. (I was prohibited from taking a test fall.) Already in use were medicine dispensers and in-home blood pressure monitors that wirelessly connect with a doctor’s office. The show even had showers that permit a senior to experience a full “lather, rinse and repeat” cycle while sitting still.
I’m excited by the new ways technology is improving the lives of seniors. I think we’ll all live better lives through these technologies.
By the way, if you happen to share a taxi with my new friend Sally, please greet her for me and tell her she owes me a note about the inventor of Band-Aids.
Julie Harley worked with us for 10 years in the 1980s and 90s. She served as Vice President of Ministry and Mission for Lifelink. Julie was a constant presence of grace and joy. She inspired many of us through her selflessness, compassion and humor. During her time with us she was also the active mother of two wonderful daughters, a marathon runner and athlete.
From 2010-2012 Julie served on the Consecra Board of Directors and, for a time, as our Board Chair. She led our ministry while serving as Lead Pastor of First United Church of Oak Park, Illinois and while sending her two daughters to college.
In November Julie was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Since the diagnosis her life has turned upside down. She has retired from her pastorate and now focuses on living a life of grace. Her talking and hand movements have become slow and labored. She moves about in a motorized wheelchair and has a troop of over 100 volunteer care givers who help Julie with her everyday needs.
Julie still abounds with humor, determination and faith. She laughs about the absurdities of her circumstances and is open about her struggles. She’s not mad at God. God didn’t cause the ALS. She is glad of God’s companionship in the struggles of life and death.
I have the great honor to be friends with Julie since the early 1990s. She humbles, challenges and inspires me. I am grateful for the near presence of God in my friend.
Here are links to two articles about Julie and her inspiring journey. One from the Chicago Tribune, and another from Oakpark.com.
Problem solving often involves alternative thinking. When we think we’re stuck between two forces in strong opposition, we can achieve our goals by reshaping the situation for success. Sometimes we need to create the alternative. Cheryl, my patient spouse, recently told me a delightful story about how a McDonald’s owner extricated himself from an “impossible” situation. Below I expand on Cheryl’s telling of the McDonald’s story. I found an early version of the story in a 1971 New York Times piece. (Ray Kroc by J. Anthony Lukas, 1971, New York Times)
On May 4, 1970, soldiers from the Ohio National Guard encountered Kent State University students protesting against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia. The Guardsmen opened fire on the unarmed students killing four and wounding nine others.
The day after the shooting, students from Southern Illinois University marched into the McDonald’s restaurant in Carbondale, Illinois, demanding that the restaurant’s U.S. flag be lowered to half-staff. The students wanted to honor the Kent State students. The Manager complied.
The angry students returned to the McDonald’s and threatened to burn the restaurant unless the flag was again lowered. The McDonald’s Manager called McDonald’s President, Fred Turner, and pled his case. Turner thought a moment and said, “Tell you what you do. The next delivery truck that arrives, have the driver back into the flag pole and knock it down.” The next truck backed into the pole and knocked it down.
Stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place? Can you see the problem, but not the solution? The next time you feel stuck, ask yourself, “Where’s the flagpole and how do I knock it down?”
Tim Rhodes is President/CEO of Consecra Housing Network. Your reply to this blog is most welcome. You may write Tim at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Everyday preventive actions are steps that people can take to help slow the spread of germs that cause respiratory illness, like flu. These include the following personal and community actions:
You can read more advice from the CDC here.
Here is a video distributed by our UCC partner, Advocate Health Care. In the video an Advocate doctor discusses ways to stay healthy during cold and flu season.
Be well.
Congratulations to the 2012 Divine Proportions Award recipients: the Consecra team at CASL Senior Housing in Chicago, Illinois! The Consecra accounting staff presented this honor to the CASL team on December 14 at the Chicago Area Holiday gathering.
The Divine Proportions Award is a Consecra award honoring a housing community that merits the consideration of the judging panel for the way the community cares for the residents, works as a team, and is operated with divine proportions. The accounting staff judges and presents the award.
The Divine Proportions Award features a lovely crystal traveling trophy. This trophy will be proudly displayed at the CASL community until the next year. The trophy will then return to the holiday party and be given to the next community. Beyond the lovely trophy a monetary award of $50.00 per employee was presented to the CASL staff. The employees may do anything they wish with the funds and they are encouraged to be creative in the use of the funds.
The Divine Proportions Award is granted to the community that displays exceptional respect for residents and staff, sound fiscal management, and disciplined work to improve the community. Among the many criteria the accounting staff felt the CASL team excelled in was professionalism, promptness and clarity of communication.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”*
I believe that we can change ourselves and our communities for the better. I believe that we can create the peaceful dignified communities we crave; we can end hunger and homelessness. I believe that we can be vigorous agents of change if we will only free ourselves to be the change we desire.
To be agents of change we must act. I’ve adopted a new phrase, “Pray or get off your knees.” You’ve probably heard less devout versions of this homely phrase, but it essentially means “quit dawdling and get on with it.” Do the work. Chase your dream. Resolve to imagine yourself doing what you don’t think you can do. Then do it. What is holding you back—other than you?
Not too recently I was riding in the sardine section of a plane on a cross country flight. My ample seatmate decided to tell me of the world’s horrors and of her disappointment that God permitted these atrocities. She assumed she would go to heaven (an opinion I can’t wholly endorse). Upon arrival in the great beyond she thought she might have a conversation with God. She wanted to ask why God permitted so many people to die of hunger and violence. Then she resolved to spend eternity in silence because she feared God might ask her the same question.±
*This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain, but the nautical theme, grammar, syntax, and sentiment are not Twainian. In 1989, writer H. Jackson Brown Jr. attributed this quote to his mother and, since Mark Twain died in 1910, I doubt that Twain was Brown’s mother.
±I did not originate this story and I don’t know who did. Therefore, I will attribute it to Mark Twain.
Howard Thurman was born in the early 20th Century and raised by his grandmother, a former slave. He graduated from Morehouse College and became a powerful voice for peace, hope, and racial understanding.
Thurman’s poetry and prose often bless my spirit and lift my ambitions to greater goals. In his wonderful work, The Mood of Christmas, Thurman shares the following poem to call us forward from Christmas:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.
The tragic slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School is fresh upon my heart. The Newton deaths are compounded by senseless burden of precious children killed daily in our cities and towns. The deaths mount and despair climbs. All the carnage is unfathomable and our grief is deep.
For many people the holidays are filled with valleys of grief. Amid the holidays of cheer I have friends who are suffering death, divorce, failing health, confusion, job loss, homelessness, fear and other valleys in winter’s gloom. For me, this year’s valleys are a little deeper than usual.
A pastor friend of mine says, “Christmas either accelerates your joy or accelerates your pain.” Knowing this, he takes time each December to write a personal letter to everyone who he knows to be in a holiday valley. He writes people who have suffered a death or significant loss in the past year. In his letter, my friend reminds the recipients that they are not alone in their feelings.
President Obama expressed this sentiment beautifully in Sunday’s memorial service, “I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts. I can only hope it helps for you to know that you’re not alone in your grief.”
Resilience abides in shared suffering. In the valley we feel alone. Yet, if we know that others have trod this valley, we gain the resilience to walk through the valley and climb to the ridge of hope. Our shared suffering provides us shared resilience.
If you are in a holiday valley I ardently pray that your holidays will be caressed with tenderness and that you may know the resilient power of hope.
In church on Sunday we sang the great Christmas hymn, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear. The third verse reads:
And you, beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way, with painful steps and slow,
Look, now, for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing:
O rest beside the weary road and hear the angel sing.Tim
Very soon someone will ask you if you’re making any New Year’s resolutions. I like resolutions. I think everyone should resolve to do ten things and actually accomplish two. Better some than none!
To get you started on your resolutions I have some suggestions for improvement.
1. Turn off that reality show and spend some time with people in your reality. How:
2. Make your social network silly. How:
3. Consistently do one thing to better the ecology. How:
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. Take reusable bags to the grocery, turn off your computer and monitor when not in use, print on both sides of the paper or don’t use bottled water.
4. Volunteer once in the next three months. How:
Call the local food bank, ask your Facebook friends what they do, sign up to help in your faith community & etc. Do it. You’ll be happier and so will someone else.
5. Pray or get off your knees. How:
You’ve been putting it off long enough. You know what it is. Decide now. If it is worth doing—do it. If it isn’t worth doing—drop it.
Those are my suggestions. Now you fill out the rest. And have fun!
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I’d love to read your list. E-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .Tim ______________
Optimists live longer. Pessimists only seem to live longer. An article published in the November 2004 JAMA, states that self-described optimists had a lower risk of death, including death-related cardio vascular troubles. The study found that seniors aged 65-85 years old with high levels of optimism had a 55% lower risk of death than pessimists. Optimistic men faired slightly better than optimistic women. Pessimists were also more likely to have increased risk factors such as smoking, obesity or hypertension. How seniors see the world may help them stay optimistic. A National Council on Aging survey found that 75% of seniors aged 60-69 expect their quality of life to stay the same or improve over the next 10 years. 70% say their lives have been normal or better than normal over the past year. 92% of seniors in the survey say they manage stress well. Cornell University researcher, Dr. Karl Pillemer, states that older people are better able to regulate their emotions and focus on sources of pleasure.
Some people in our senior communities are cranky pessimists, but most are sunny optimists. I don’t know about you, but I prefer the optimists. It is always fun to be greeted by happy people sitting just inside the door of our communities. They offer a smile and wave. These optimists help make the whole community happier.
A few Christmases ago one of my brothers gave me a singing fish. The large mouth bass sang in a Bob Marley voice, “Don’t worry, be happy.” I need to hunt that fish up, put some fresh batteries in it and hang him where he’ll greet me each morning. I might live longer—and happier.
The first swells of the senior tsunami are here. We, as Consecra and a society, need to plan and be ready for the bigger wave.
The 22 year old today will be the 60 year old in 2050. World wide, in 1950 there were 205 million people aged 60 and older; today there are almost 810 million. In 10 years it will be 1 billion; 2 billion by 2050. In the U.S. 11.5 percent of the population is 60 or older; by 2050 it will be 21.8 percent. (Aging in the twenty-first century, a celebration and a challenge).
Recently it was my pleasure to dialogue with Joe Coughlin, Director of the MIT AgeLab. He had several intuitive notions about seniors and a few provocative ideas. Here are some…
At Consecra we are working to imagine, innovate and build quality affordable rental housing for 21st Century seniors. This housing will be future friendly, tech savvy, and adaptable to the emerging ways seniors will live.
The Mayflower came aground on December 21, 1620 at Plymouth Rock. One hundred and three colonists arrived from Holland to start a new life. Each morning the men came off the tiny ship to work. They first built a common house to which the sick and dying were transferred. They placed their four little cannon in a weak fort and then built two little rows of houses. In March of 1621 the whole company was finally ashore and in April the ship sailed away.
Throughout the winter, more than half the people died of disease or starvation. At the end of the winter, the pilgrim band was so starved that their daily ration was five kernels of corn per person per day. In the spring the friendly natives, lead by Chief Massasoit and Squanto, helped the tiny group plant grain and procure wild game. They planted 20 acres of maize, six acres of barley and some peas. The October harvest proved bountiful. The maize and barley did well, but the peas dried in the scorching sun. Governor Bradford ordered a three-day celebration. The colonists invited Chief Massasoit and his friends. Ninety natives joined the 50 colonists for a great feast of wild game and rich fruits of the harvest.
I try to remember this story each time I celebrate thanksgiving. It makes me more thankful. May you and yours have a most blessed Thanksgiving.
Let me also share a thanksgiving prayer with you. Ann Bel Geddes wrote it. You might want to use it around your table.
For all the good things I do have and for all the good things I have had and for all the good things I will have, for what I am, for what I have been, for what I can be, for what I shall be, Thank you, God.
We have much to learn from older people. (btw: “old” starts at 20 years older than your current age.) When I was 14, a 72 year old man named Herman infused me with a dogged work ethic and the wisdom to reuse serviceable items. He wasn’t a hoarder, he was a saver and re-user.
In my youth we recycled plastic bread bags by wearing them inside of our winter boots to keep our feet dry—if the boot leaked you didn’t throw it out; you used a bread bag. In the 1970s our Boy Scout troop participated in massive recycling drives where we filled semi-trailers with cans, bottles and newspapers. We had fun, fulfilled our civic duty, and were certain we were helping the environment.
The seniors in our Consecra communities teach us much about “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” This past summer I visited with a resident who kept the water in her recycled bottle cool by using a hospital sock for a drink koozie. She was ingeniously frugal.
Many Consecra seniors were born in the great depression of the 1930s and then lived with rationing during WWII. Today, they teach us to recycle our papers, cans, bottles and cooking oils. At Greencastle of Bayonet Point our residents save their cooking oil. They pour the oil into a large container (right) behind the building. Pasco County filters these oils and then uses them as bio-diesel to operate county vehicles.
Current research indicates that today’s Millennials are less concerned about the environment than past generations. Based on two longstanding national surveys of high school seniors and college freshmen, Dr. Jean Twenge and her colleagues found young people trust others less, their interest in government has declined and they spend less time thinking about social problems. Steepest of all the declines was a concern for the environment and taking personal action to save it.
My beloved daughters are Millennials and I have every confidence most Millennials will match current seniors in caring for the environment. Out of necessity we will all learn to conserve water, care for the air we breathe and think of ourselves as part of the living organism that is the “third rock from the sun.” And, perhaps, we will all learn to use warm socks for drink koozies.
“There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.”—Marshall McLuhan
Halloween morning I voted. Figuring this was the best way to frighten my neighbors; I drove to my early polling place and voted. The polling clerk gave me a sticker indicating I voted.
Walking away from the polling place I thought of the time in 2008 when I sat at a raucous dinner table in Nepal. The men I dined with talked eagerly of family, faith, law and politics. The man sitting to my right had a purple finger that looked as if he had whacked it with a hammer. I asked him what he did to his finger. He lifted his hand, looked me in the eye, and said, “I voted out my king.” The ink on his finger indicated he voted.
Just before we arrived in Nepal, the citizenry voted to remove the monarchy and install a constitutional democracy. The Nepalese leaders were in the difficult process of drafting a constitution.
Meeting this man changed how I think about voting and citizenship. Since meeting this man, I consider voting a personal honor and civic duty.
People who enter our lives change us. They may change as little as our momentary mood or they may change our entire outlook on life.
Everyone who comes through the doors into our affordable housing communities impacts us. We are remade, renewed and reformed by the people who come into our communities. They change who we are in subtle or profound ways. Are we open to that change?
Sometimes a spry person comes forward infusing us with a cheery outlook on life. Sometimes a person challenges us to be or do more and we welcome the challenge. Sometimes a person enwraps us in a blanket of care filling us with ease. And yes, the demanding people can cover us with anxiety that makes us cranky and impatient.
The most effective we can be with others is to patiently meet them where they are. Listening with our ears and heart, we communicate that the other person is valued and together we may produce from this moment a better relationship and future. And we make a friend.
There is an old story about Abraham Lincoln that might be true. After the canon of the civil war finished their killing the Lincolns were at a formal reception. An elderly woman scolded the President for being friendly to a member of the Confederacy. “How can you be friendly with the enemy?” she demanded to know. “Madam,” Lincoln replied, “By making the enemy our friend we defeat him.
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Over the last couple of months it has been my great pleasure to visit with most of the people who work with Consecra. I’m always proud of the work we do and the way we do that work. We can always improve, but what we do we do well.
One of the upcoming areas of improvement for Consecra is a website upgrade. On the upgraded site each Consecra community will have a dedicated webpage with information and photos. The site will also include four videos and a blog. What you’re reading now is the first edition of the blog.
I hope to use this weekly blog to inform, challenge and inspire those who happen upon this writing. I also hope to keep the reader abreast of things happening in the affordable housing arena. I’ll post about
Some people at Consecra have been kind enough to remark that they had liked the weekly e-mails I used to send. I hope you will find this blog equally interesting.
What do you think? I hope you’ll be prompted to respond to my musings and will post your responses. I’m deeply interested in what you think about and how Consecra effects you.
I expect some of my work will be good and some will be better. I take Mark Twain as my example. In 1885 he jotted the following in his notebook: “My works are like water. The works of the great masters are like wine. But everyone drinks water.”
