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To subscribe to the "Weekly Words of Wellness" and/or to read past columns, visit our website by clicking here.

If you are interested in having Living Compass leaders come to your church in 2013 to offer a Living Compass wellness retreat and a "train the trainers" workshop so that you can offer the Living Compass ministry to your parish on an ongoing basis, please email us at edith@livingcompass.org. Learn more about what Living Compass can do for your church here.

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The word resiliency has always had a special appeal to me. It's a fun word to say and I love the way it sounds, which is hopeful. Even more than how it sounds, I like what it means. To be resilient means to possess the ability to bounce back and recover one's emotional and spiritual center in the midst of difficult conditions. Resiliency is not so much a trait a person possesses, but rather a skill that a person can learn and there are certain habits that a person can cultivate that will help them become more resilient.

This week I had the joy of facilitating a conversation about emotional resiliency in the work place with forty church administrators.. As in many work settings, those in administration are the ones that hold the place together, and when there is stress in the workplace, they are often the ones most directly affected. It doesn't matter where you work--whether in the church or any other setting--stress in the workplace is on the rise. Some of the factors contributing to the increase in stress are that people are working longer hours or multiple jobs, people are taking on more increased workloads, and people are finding that with smartphones, computers, and email it is harder than ever to keep personal time separate from work time.

Perhaps you are one of those who is experiencing stress in the workplace right now, or perhaps you are experiencing stress in your personal or family life. Whatever the nature of your stress here are a few suggestions from some seasoned church administrators that can help any of us become more emotionally resilient in the face of stress.

The first thing we all agreed upon was the importance of awareness--being able to honestly recognize the early warning signs that stress is building up and starting to become a problem in one's life. At our workshop we discussed the question, "What are the signs that stress is becoming a problem in your life?"

Here are some of our answers:

- I get irritable and snap at people, either at work, or at home.
- I have trouble sleeping.I eat poorly, eating comfort food that's not good for me.
- I shut down and pull away from everyone.
- I get sick a lot.
- My allergies get worse.
- I feel anxious and have what feels like a panic attack.
- I cry a lot.
- I work more hours, but get less done because I'm tired and unfocussed.
- I stop exercising--the very thing I need to do more of!

Our group agreed that the earlier we pay attention to these warning signs that we are stressed, the easier it is for us to make the changes or adjustments necessary to recover our emotional balance.

Later when discussing the vital habits that help us strengthen our emotional resiliency, we came up with another important list.

- Develop and nurture one's faith life.
- Exercise on a regular basis, as it will do as much for one's moods as for one's body.
- Create healthy boundaries--know your limits and practice saying, "No."
- Cultivate optimism and remember that whatever we pay attention to is what will grow.
- Create and nurture a strong social support network.
- Resist the urge to either isolate from others, or to become irritable and short with them.
- Keep your sense of humor!

Stress happens. It is ubiquitous these days. Emotional resiliency happens, too.. The key difference though, is that stress happens whether we want it to or not, while emotional resiliency is something that we have to choose to cultivate. I am grateful for our wise group of church administrators for reminding us of the habits and practices we can create to strengthen our resiliency, even in the midst of stressful situations.

I'll close this column with a question that we discussed at our workshop. What's one thing you can do in the days and weeks ahead to help strengthen your emotional resiliency? Feel free to share your thoughts on what help you deal with stress either by responding to this email, or joining the discussion on the Living Compass Facebook page.

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Next week, in honor of Mother's Day, I will continue the annual tradition of discussing famous "momisms"--those pithy, wise sayings that our mother's shared with us on a regular basis. Do you have a favorite momism you would like to see included? If so, please email it to us by simply replying to this email.

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To subscribe to the "Weekly Words of Wellness" and/or to read past columns, visit our website by clicking here.

If you are interested in having Living Compass leaders come to your church or diocese to offer a Living Compass wellness retreat and a "train the trainers" workshop so that you can offer the Living Compass ministry to your parish on an ongoing basis, please email us at edith@livingcompass.org. Learn more about what Living Compass can do for your church here.

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by the Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner, The Samaritan Family Wellness Foundation

In 1980 I ran my first marathon and have run dozens more since then in Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and many other cities. And I have had the honor of running the Boston Marathon twice. In my opinion, the greatest part about marathons is what we runners call "the human race." We relish the fact that the whole human race is represented: young and old and male and female compete together, those who are running and those who compete in wheel chairs as well, sighted and blind runners run side by side, and runners from every corner of the globe run together in races like Boston. And in no other sport do the world's elite athletes in their sport participate in the exact same event as the average, everyday athlete.

When we runners have talked about the whole human race being present at every marathon, we never imagined that description to include the possibility of terrorists, but from this week going forward we will. In Boston this week, it turns out that "the whole human race" included about 25,000 runners, 500,000 spectators and 2 (the best guess at this point) terrorists. Boston is a painful reminder that within the whole human race we find the best and the worst of human behavior.

In the midst of all that I have read and seen this week, the words in the image at the top of this article have stayed with me. "Fear is not the only force at work in the world." I love these words because they honor the fact that fear is indeed part of what we all feel after a terrorist attack, and yet at the same time these words remind us that there are so many other forces at work in the world both before and after an attack like this.. Both the runners and the responders showed us that love, courage, compassion, commitment, discipline, sacrifice, faith, and hope are also very much alive and at work in the world.

We have a saying in Living Compass that says, "whatever we pay attention to is what will grow." For me, this means this week that I am allowing myself to feel my fear, grief, and anger, while at the same time I am giving most of my attention to the countless demonstrations of character and conviction that I have also witnessed this week in Boston.

The valley of the shadow of death is indeed real. Life is horribly unfair at times. Bad things happen to good people. The 23rd psalm does not deny the valley of the shadow of death, while at the same time it reminds us that we do not have to be consumed with fear. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil." I take this to mean that while I will feel fear, I need not get stuck in that feeling. I can walk through that valley of death and of fear and emerge on the other side filled with hope, love, healing, and even forgiveness. That journey through the valley of death and fear is not easy. It takes time, commitment, discipline, and perseverance--something the 23,000 runners at the Boston marathon know a lot about and who in this midst of our fear serve as an inspiration for all of us.

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To subscribe to the "Weekly Words of Wellness" and/or to read past columns, visit our website by clicking here.

If you are interested in having Living Compass leaders come to your church or diocese to offer a Living Compass wellness retreat and a "train the trainers" workshop so that you can offer the Living Compass ministry to your parish on an ongoing basis, please email us at edith@livingcompass.org. Learn more about what Living Compass can do for your church here.

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I learned two very important lessons this week while playing chess with a stranger in Washington Square Park in New York City. I am in New York for several meetings related to Living Compass, including an all-day presentation at General Theological Seminary. I had some free time one sunny afternoon, and being an avid chess player, I walked over and observe some games being played by locals at Washington Square Park. The park's chess players are quite famous and have been featured in many movies, most notably Searching for Bobby Fischer. Playing a game of chess at Washington Park has always been on my bucket list and I'm happy to say it has now been crossed off.

As I approached the chess tables in the southwest corner of the park, I noticed there were several intense games going on. Many had several spectators surrounding them and so I excitedly joined in to watch some very high level chess chess, hoping to learn a thing or two. I walked around for some time, watching several games, when I heard a man call out to me. He motioned me over and asked if I wanted to sit down and play a game. I was delighted to do so. We introduced ourselves and I found out his name was James.

James, whom I had noticed earlier while I had been observing the other games, had been sitting by himself, surrounded by a few bags of what I assumed were all of his worldly possessions. He was now at a chess table with all the pieces set up when he invited me be play. He graciously offered the white pieces, which if you know anything about chess, is always an advantage. I tried to defer, but he would not hear of it. He said he was a regular at the park and I was obviously a guest, and so as a guest I should play the white pieces.

I'm not proud of this, but I was already making the assumption that I was going to be a much better chess player than James based on his appearance, and so that was why I was trying to let him play white to give him the advantage. Again, and I'm embarrassed to admit this, I made the assumption that a person living on the streets probably wouldn't be very good at chess. This was the first lesson I learned--even though it's something I seem to have to relearn over and over again--I cannot judge a person by their appearances. How many times have we all done this, and how many times have we been wrong? Appearances really tell us so little!

I made my first move with white, and I immediately realized I had misjudged James. After I completed my opening move (a Queen's Pawn opening for those of you who are chess players) James looked me in the eye and said, "Now there's one more detail we have to agree on. I play all my games for $10 a game--winner take all." The fact that he said this with a glint in his eye made it clear to me that I was in the presence of a brilliant chess player. I then continued my opening of the game with the Queen's Gambit, which he chose to accept. He then went on to play a variation of defense that I had never seen before, and I play a lot of chess! I kept thinking to myself, "this man is a genius," at the same time I was feeling so embarrassed about how I had prejudged him.

The game went back and forth for a long time. We traded pieces every step of the way and the game was completely even for the first forty-five minutes. I was hanging on as best as I could when he made a brilliant move to capture a passed pawn I had on the far left side of the board. In a close game, the loss of one pawn can be the difference between victory and defeat, and in this case that's exactly what happened. Ten moves later James checkmated me.

I learned two important lessons during my game at Washington Square Park. The first, as stated, is to be more aware of the filters I use, consciously or unconsciously, as I make assumptions about others. They are never helpful and are almost always wrong. Every one of us is much more complex and much deeper than our simple appearance reveals. The second lesson I learned is this: always advance a passed pawn as early in the game as you can. You see, after our game ended, James took the opportunity to teach me this lesson. He recreated from memory the exact set up of the board when he made the decisive winning move. He showed me how I should have played the situation and how I could have forced a tie game if I had played it correctly. The lesson was brilliant. For a good ten minutes he was my teacher and I was his student.

I handed James a twenty dollar bill when I stood up to leave. He said he wasn't sure he could make change for a twenty. I said there was no need for change--that ten dollars was for his victory, and the other ten dollars was for the lesson about how to advance a passed pawn correctly. I refrained from mentioning that the more important lesson he had taught me that day, about prejudging others, was priceless.
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To subscribe to the "Weekly Words of Wellness" and/or to read past columns, visit our website by clicking here.

If you are interested in having Living Compass leaders come to your church in 2013 to offer a Living Compass wellness retreat and a "train the trainers" workshop so that you can offer the Living Compass ministry to your parish on an ongoing basis, please email us at edith@livingcompass.org. Learn more about what Living Compass can do for your church here.

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To subscribe to the "Weekly Words of Wellness" and/or to read past columns, visit our website by clicking here.

If you are interested in having Living Compass leaders come to your church in 2013 to offer a Living Compass wellness retreat and a "train the trainers" workshop so that you can offer the Living Compass ministry to your parish on an ongoing basis, please email us at edith@livingcompass.org. Learn more about what Living Compass can do for your church here.

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We all face important decisions in our lives. Is it time to look for a new job or even a new career? What school do I want to attend, or what school will be best for our child? Should I move to a new city? Is this the right relationship for me? Should I begin training for a marathon? Is it time to think about retirement? I'm looking for a way to volunteer and give back to the community, but I'm not sure where to start. In many ways our identity is simply the product of all the decisions we have made in our lives. The decisions we make are that important.

A group of men gathered in Rome this past week to make an important decision as they were charged with electing a new pope. While most of the decisions you and I make do not attract a great deal of public attention, this decision-making process captured the attention of the world. People worldwide were so interested in the making of this decision that there was even a pope app that millions were using to track the election. Over five thousand journalists from all corners of the globe were gathered at the Vatican, all watching a small chimney, waiting for the white smoke to appear signifying that a decision had been made.

I believe we can learn something important about wellness from following the recent election of a new pope. Wellness is all about making decisions. Our physical, spiritual, emotional, relational, and vocational wellness is created by all the little and big decisions we make on a daily basis. As I watched the cardinals gather to make the decision about who the new pope would be, I saw them demonstrate two essential guidelines for making important decisions--decisions that will lead to greater wellness and wholeness.

The first guideline for making good decisions that the conclave of cardinals demonstrated for us is that the best decisions are made when they are made in the context of community. The collective wisdom of a group is always greater than the wisdom of any one individual. To apply this to our own lives means that when we have an important decision to make we will be wise to create our own "conclave", our own community of support. If you are thinking of making a career change, or if you are thinking of downsizing and simplifying your life, reach out and talk to as many people you know who are currently working on a similar decision or who have already worked through a similar decision. If you are thinking of running your first marathon, you would greatly benefit from talking to everyone you know who has run a marathon or who is currently training for one. Such conversations will build a community of support for us that will help us make and implement important decisions in our lives.

The second decision-making guideline the conclave of cardinals demonstrated for us is that decisions are always best when they emerge from and are congruent with our core values and beliefs. While this may seem obvious in an explicitly religious decision making process such as the election of a pope, this same guideline applies to the important decision in our lives. We will greatly benefit from first clarifying our core values and beliefs so that we can be sure that the decision we make emerges from and supports those core values and beliefs. In our Living Compass program we talk about how the compass of our core beliefs and values needs to be the orienting compass for the decisions we make. All important decision points are opportunities to clarify and strengthen our core values and beliefs.

So the next time you have an important decision to make, call your friends and form a community of support. Lock yourselves in a room with pieces of paper to write on and a wood-burning stove. Talk amongst yourselves, clarify your core beliefs and values, and when you have made your decision, send up a puff of white smoke to let the world know. While, of course, you and I won't literally gather friends and vote in this way, the guidelines that underlie the process of electing a pope will serve us well in the important decisions we make in our own lives.

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Speaking of "Renew A Right Spirit Within Me, that is the name of our Lenten Daily Devotional Booklet, which is now available for individuals and congregations. You can preview and download the booklet here.

To subscribe to the "Weekly Words of Wellness" and/or to read past columns, visit our website by clicking here.

If you are interested in having Living Compass leaders come to your church in 2013 to offer a Living Compass wellness retreat and a "train the trainers" workshop so that you can offer the Living Compass ministry to your parish on an ongoing basis, please email us at edith@livingcompass.org. Learn more about what Living Compass can do for your church here.

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"The Stories and Scripts of Our Lives"

Religious truths are communicated primarily through stories, with the Bible being the most well known collection of religious stories. The Bible contains hundreds of stories of Jesus, Paul, Moses, Sarah, Ruth, and countless others. The stories are there to teach us and to show us how peoples' lives have been transformed by God. Together, the stories create a narrative, which for we Christians, is the primary narrative that informs and guides our lives.

All families, cultures, and religions tell stories to both entertain and to pass on essential truths. In our modern culture, movies are a dominant form of story telling. Tonight's annual Academy Awards extravaganza is a reminder of just how important movies are in our culture. Like stories, movies come in every genre: comedy, historical, religious, drama, family, and mystery to name just a few. Some movies are simply for entertainment, while others embody and teach important values about character, relationships, and meaning. While a movie involves many different creative talents, the whole process starts with the writer.Without a writer, without a script, without a story, there would be no movie.

While each of us has been formed by the stories of our families, culture, and faith, we have also each been given the freedom to be the scriptwriters of our own lives. We get to write the stories that define our lives and our relationships. We get to decide if the relationships between the lead actor or actress, ourselves, and the other cast members will be marked by compassion or conflict. We get to decide what values and belief systems will influence the choices we make. We get to create the story line this is our life.

So how is the story/movie of your life going these days? Are you excited or bored by it? Are you content or frustrated? Whatever you may be feeling, the good news is that the movie of your life is not finished yet! The story/movie is still being written.Are you unhappy in an important relationship in your life? Are you unhappy in your work? Have you lost a sense of purpose or meaning in your life? If so, there is time to expand and rewrite your script rather than continue to write a story you are not happy with or that is not fulfilling. We cannot write a new beginning, but our Christian narrative promises us that we are free to begin writing a new ending today.
Our freedom to write and rewrite the scripts and stories of our lives is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. And remember that the greatest award for a well-written, and well-lived life, is not an Academy Award, but rather the peace and joy--the "right spirit within us"-- that comes to us and our loved ones when we dare to dream and create such a life.


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Speaking of "Renew A Right Spirit Within Me, that is the name of our Lenten Daily Devotional Booklet, which is now available for individuals and congregations. You can preview and download the booklet here.

To subscribe to the "Weekly Words of Wellness" and/or to read past columns, visit our website by clicking here.

If you are interested in having Living Compass leaders come to your church in 2013 to offer a Living Compass wellness retreat and a "train the trainers" workshop so that you can offer the Living Compass ministry to your parish on an ongoing basis, please email us at edith@livingcompass.org. Learn more about what Living Compass can do for your church here.


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"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Give me the joy of your saving help again..." (Psalm 51:11,13)

Love in any form, from those on Earth or that of God, indeed renews the spirit within us and when we feel it we, cannot help but express in return that loving spirit with joy and delight. The expression of heartfelt feelings of love in any form is only authentic and meaningful if the motivation itself is grounded in love, not fear. When we are clear about the motivation, the "what" we do or give becomes less important and the true expression of gratitude and thanksgiving for that love takes care of itself, both on Valentine's Day and in observing Lent.

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Speaking of "Renew A Right Spirit Within Me, that is the name of our Lenten Daily Devotional Booklet, which is now available for individuals and congregations. You can preview and download the booklet here.

To subscribe to the "Weekly Words of Wellness" and/or to read past columns, visit our website by clicking here.

If you are interested in having Living Compass leaders come to your church in 2013 to offer a Living Compass wellness retreat and a "train the trainers" workshop so that you can offer the Living Compass ministry to your parish on an ongoing basis, please email us at edith@livingcompass.org. Learn more about what Living Compass can do for your church here.

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by Episcopal Cafe

The Rev. Deacon Carol E. Peterson, a registered nurse from St. Mark's Church in Cheyenne Wyoming, provides these tips on communicable disease prevention in our parishes:

With flu season upon us it might be helpful to review a few practices that can help to keep us all a bit healthier.

Concerning the Common Cup: While there is a theoretically a small risk of transmitting disease by using a common cup, the risk is very, very low. At St. Mark’s we use high alcohol content wine (12% or higher), which is recommended. Also the Eucharistic Ministers have been instructed in how to appropriately administer the cup to reduce contamination. If you are, might be, or were recently sick, if you have open sores in or on you mouth, or if you have low immunity due to a chronic disease, it is advisable that you only receive the wafer. The Episcopal Church believes that God is fully present in both of the communion elements; rest assured you will still receive the full grace of the Sacrament.

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by The Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner, The Samaritan Family Wellness Foundation

My soul was transformed yesterday by the transcendent message of the power of love embodied in the movie Les Miserables. This movie, it seems, could not have been released at a better time for our culture. At a time when we have all been witnesses to far too many reminders of the horrifying power of violence, the message of Les Miserables reminds us of the transformative power of love.

When Jean Valjean, the protagonist of the movie, finishes serving his nineteen years in prison for stealing a piece of bread and for subsequently trying to escape from prison, he is a marked man unable to find work or a place to live. He ends up meeting a local bishop who takes him in, providing him food and a place to sleep. While everyone else is asleep, Valjean steals the bishop's silver and flees into the night. He is soon arrested and returned to the bishop where the police tell the bishop that Valjean claims that the silver was given to him by the bishop as a gift. The bishop goes along with Valjean's story and then goes a step farther, offering Valjean his silver candlesticks as well.

Valjean is overwhelmed by the bishop's faith and his forgiveness, as he sings, “One word from him, and I'd be back beneath the lash, upon the rack. Instead he offers me my freedom. I feel shame inside me like a knife. He told me that I have a soul. How does he know? What spirit came to move my life? Is there another way to go?” The bishop reminds Valjean that his soul belongs to God and that there is indeed another way to go.

Valjean chooses “another way” and throughout the rest of the movie we see him offering abundant love and mercy to many people, including even Javert, the officer of the law who is his greatest persecutor. Without the bishop's gift, Valjean would not have seen that there was another way to go. And when I speak of the bishop's gift, I am not referring to the gift of his silver collection. I speak rather of the gift of the bishop's love, the gift of the bishop's ability to validate the good in Valjean's soul and to inspire that good into being. It is this gift from the bishop that Valjean must first receive before he can then turn around and offer it to others.

As we come to the end of a year and the beginning of another, it is common practice to pause and reflect on our intentions for the new year. Resolutions related to diet, exercise, organization, and finances are quite common, and indeed important. Inspired by the message of Les Miserables though, I invite us all to also consider resolutions that are spiritual in nature. What if we all resolved to commit to being a beacon of God's transforming love in this world? Les Miserables reminds us that to be a beacon of hope and love is as simple as seeing the goodness in the soul of all whom we meet, whether stranger, friend, or family. The beacon shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.

Happy New Year to one and all. May it be a year filled with love and hope.

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To subscribe to the "Weekly Words of Wellness" and/or to read past columns, visit our website by clicking here.

If you are interested in having Living Compass leaders come to your church in 2013 to offer a Living Compass wellness retreat and a "train the trainers" workshop so that you can offer the Living Compass ministry to your parish on an ongoing basis, please email us at edith@livingcompass.org. Learn more about what Living Compass can do for your church here.

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This Weekly Words of Wellness column can also be found as the second reflection in our Advent 2012 Daily Meditation booklet. The booklet contains four readings like this one for the four Sundays of Advent, with additional shorter readings and scriptures for each of the weekdays of Advent. You can access the free booklet here.. Use it on your mobile device, or download the booklet and print it out for free. It's our gift to you to help you be more intentional about answering the question, "Am I full yet?" over the next four weeks.

When a secret exists within a family, a relationship, or a congregation, the whole system ends up "dancing round in a ring and suppose(s), while the secret sits in the middle and knows." Systems can go to great lengths to hide a drinking problem, a mental illness, infidelity, domestic violence, verbal abuse, a child who is struggling or financial struggles. Without a word being said, everyone learns the dance of denial, even though they all carry around the knowledge that something is not right. This dance can last a long time, but it cannot last forever because the truth always breaks through in one form or another. The initial clue that a secret exists will often be the breakdown in functioning of one of the members of the system affected by the secret, such as when a teenager's grades begin to plummet, a spouse develops severe depression, or a young child becomes paralyzed with fear.

Another way to make this point is to say that it's not just that families keep secrets, but that secrets keep families. They keep families from being fully alive and fully connected to others. On the other hand, when a family or individual has the courage to reveal a secret, when it is finally released, new energy and growth can occur for the family or individual. So for example, when a spouse courageously reveals for the first time the secret of their abusive childhood to the other spouse, the fact that this is no longer secret leads to greater trust and intimacy in the marriage. Another example might be when an adult child is able to confide with his or her parents and siblings that they are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction. Bringing this secret out into the open will most likely begin a period of healing and new life for the family.

Every religion has rites for the confession of sins and revealing of secrets which provide a way for them to be released, and for healing to begin. Jesus said, "Whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed or secret is meant to be brought out into the open." If you are burdened by a secret, maybe it is time to find someone you trust with whom you can release it. It could be a friend or family member, or a rabbi, priest or pastor, or perhaps a therapist. Find someone to help you tell the truth, your truth, so that you can take that first step toward living an integrated, authentic life. Because in the end, no secret is worth the cost of losing a job, a relationship, or one's integrity. When secrets are brought out in the open it is not always easy, but it is the first step toward having the peace of mind and heart for which we all yearn.

This fall, don't overlook pumpkins as a source of nutrition. Pumpkins are loaded with vitamin A and fiber, and low in calories. So don't just buy canned pumpkin for pie; keep it in the pantry to whip up a quick, homemade pumpkin recipe like the one featured below.

Pumpkin Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (8 ounces) pumpkin puree – (or you can make your own puree by roasting a small pumpkin and whipping the flesh in a blender or food processor.)
• 1 cup unsalted vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 green onion, green top only, chopped

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the water over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Don't let the onion dry out.

Add the remaining water, pumpkin, broth, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and cook until hot. Don't boil.

Ladle into warmed individual bowls and garnish with black pepper and green onion tops. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Nutritional analysis per serving

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 72
Sodium: 241 mg
Total fat: 1 g
Total carbohydrate: 12 g
Saturated fat: < 1 g
Dietary fiber: 2 g
Monounsaturated fat: < 1 g
Protein: 3 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg

Adapted from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/ and www.webmd.com

This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be professional medical advice or treatment. Always seek the advice of a health care professional with any questions about personal health care status, and prior to making changes in approaches to diet and exercise. This material is for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of coverage under any Episcopal Church Medical Trust (“ECMT”) health plan. To determine what services are covered under an ECMT health plan, the corresponding Plan Handbook should be reviewed carefully. In the event of a conflict between this information contained in this email and the official Plan documents (schedule of benefits, Summary Plan Description, booklet, booklet-certificate), the official Plan documents will govern. Unless otherwise noted, websites referenced herein that are outside the www.cpg.org domain are not associated with the ECMT and its affiliates (collectively, the “Church Pension Group”) and the Church Pension Group is not responsible for the content of any such website. All quotations are used with permission.

Expecting trick-or-treaters or party guests?

· Provide healthier treats for trick-or-treaters with low-calorie items such as mini-packaged apple slices and pretzels. For party guests, offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat cheeses.

· Use party games and trick-or-treat time as an opportunity for kids to get their daily dose of 60 minutes of physical activity.

· Be sure walking areas and stairs are well-lit and free of obstacles that could result in falls.

· Keep candle-lit jack o'lanterns and luminaries away from doorsteps, walkways, landings, and curtains. Place them on sturdy tables, keep them out of the reach of pets and small children, and never leave them unattended.

· Remind drivers to watch out for trick-or-treaters and to drive safely.

Follow these simple tips to help make the festivities fun and safe for everyone.

Adapted from www.cdc.gov.

"Don't Try This At Home!"

by The Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner, The Samaritan Family Wellness Foundation 

When a television commercial shows someone doing something potentially dangerous, it always includes a warning on the bottom of the screen that advises viewers: don't try this at home. I have seen such a warning on a commercial that featured a driver executing sharp turns in a sports car at very high speeds on a closed course. I have also seen such warnings on commercials that showed someone juggling knives or walking on fire. The warning to not try the activity that the viewers are watching at home is intended to protect the viewers from harming themselves, or someone they love even though it seems quite obvious to the viewer that the activity would be too dangerous to try on their own.

As I watched the presidential debate this earlier this week, I felt like there should have been a similar warning scrolling across the bottom of the screen during debate: "Please, don't try this at home." At Living Compass we make a strong effort to teach couples, parents, teens, families, and congregations how to communicate in ways that are effective, helpful, and uplifting for all. Many of the communication skills that have been on display during this election season, and especially during the recent debates, do not resemble anything that we teach, and in fact are often a lesson in how not to communicate effective and uplifting.

Perhaps debating is a necessary and effective part of an election process. I can safely say, though, that debating is rarely, if ever, an effective strategy in any other kind of relationship. The goal of a debate is to win--to defeat your opponent. You score "points" with clever comebacks, put downs, and exposing weakness in your opponent's actions, words, or positions. In fact, the word debate derives from the same root word as does the word battery. Battery means to wound or beat someone in a hostile or offensive manner--as in assault and battery. This adversarial and aggressive style of communication was clearly on display in several of the more intense exchanges during this week's presidential debate.

Whenever I have a couple or a family in my counseling office who is locked in unproductive anger and conflict they will most likely be engaging in some form of debate with one another. Their communication alternates between attacking and defending and is designed to "win" points over the other person, whom they are at that moment experiencing as their "opponent." Each person is clear that the other person is fully responsible for the current mess they find themselves in and they they bear virtually no responsibility for any of the problem. The problem when this kind of communication happens in families or between friends, is that unlike an election, in the end, no one actually wins. In fact, everyone loses in personal relationships when communication sounds like a debate.

My goal in helping a couple or family that is locked in a cycle of debate is to help them replace that cycle of debate with a cycle of compromise. Com, the first part of the word compromise, means together. Compromise means to promise together, to work together for the greater good of the family, the friendship, or the organization. So, the goal of a cycle of compromise is to honor the integrity of each other's thoughts and opinions, to learn from each other, to acknowledge when the other person is right about something, to be honest about one's own shortcomings and mistakes, to acknowledge for the good of the team that sometimes it is more important to be helpful than right, and that in the end humility and calmness will be more helpful than ego and bravado so that in the end, the family or couple can work together for the good of the team.

When families and good friends work through tough issues and intense differences they provide a model for all of us, including our politicians, about the power of effective communication and the greater good that comes from a willingness to compromise and truly work together.

by Jennifer Soong (WebMD Feature)

Five minutes. It's only a little bit of time. But it's long enough for you to do one thing that could make your whole day better.

So take five minutes and try one of these 10 simple ways, WebMD recommends, to lower stress, boost your mood, and get more energy. It might give you that extra spark you need to meet the challenges of the day.

Click here to read more...

by Living Compass

The days are getting shorter and darkness is coming earlier each day, and so in just the last two nights I have had the experience three different times of driving down the road and encountering a car coming towards me with its lights off. On each occasion I flashed my lights at the oncoming cars to signal that their lights were off and each time the drivers immediately turned them on, most likely grateful, I assume, for the feedback I had given them. I am sure we can all relate to this experience as we have all been on both sides of this exchange countless times.

These simple exchanges between myself and these three drivers who were completely unaware that they were driving with their lights off, led me to thinking about what a great metaphor this is for thinking about our personal well-being. I know for myself, that when my wellness is compromised, when I am tired or irritable, or when I'm just out of sorts emotionally or spiritually, I am often the last person to realize it. It's as if I'm driving down the road completely unaware that my lights are off. It's often not until a loving family member, friend, or colleague signals to me that my lights are off that I become conscious that I have been moving full speed ahead, but completely in the dark.

Click here to read more...

by Church Pension Group (CPG)

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an opportunity to promote screening and early detection of breast cancer. Roughly 1 in 8 women in the United States will get breast cancer. Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common kind of cancer in women. Mammograms can help find breast cancer early when there is the best chance for treatment.

· If you are age 40 to 49, talk with your doctor about when to start getting mammograms and how often you need them.
· If you are over age 50, get a mammogram every 2 years. Talk with your doctor to decide if you need one more often.

These are general guidelines. Talk to a doctor about your risk for breast cancer, especially if breast or ovarian cancer runs in your family. Your doctor can help you decide when and how often to get a mammogram.

Personal Health Tools
· Breast Cancer Risk Tool
· Breast Cancer Tutorial
· Mammograms: Questions for the doctor

Breast Cancer Fact – Did You Know?

Breast cancer can occur in men. According to NCI, about 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. Click here for more information.

Adapted from the National Health Information Center

Special note to employees of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California: All employees enrolled in our medical plans and their dependents (including spouses) are eligible for this new Mayo Clinic Health Assessment.

This month all Medical Trust active subscribers, including their dependents over age 18, will be receiving an announcement of our new Health Assessment! These letters will be customized with each member’s name and log-in information in order to gain access to Mayo’s web portal. An advanced copy of this mailing is attached. Retirees will receive their mailing in November.

Motivating and sustaining health behavior change is the key to improving the overall health of our population and a way of potentially managing rising healthcare costs, too. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 70% of our healthcare dollars are spent treating lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Helping people identify the risks to their health facilitates the process of making healthy changes – this is the goal behind the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment. By taking the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment, members will be able to identify, better understand and prevent potential health risks. It will take less than 15 minutes to complete and the information will be secure. After taking the Health Assessment, members will see how they are doing overall based on their results, as well as their health risks and strengths and recommendations for improvement.

The critics that have panned this record have focus on two things. They say that the quality of Dylan's voice, while never his strength, has greatly declined of late. They also say that the quality of Dylan's songwriting--something that has most definitely been his strength--has also declined. The implication almost seems to be that if Dylan's music is not at the same quality as it was in his younger days, he should perhaps think about no longer recording and releasing new albums. When you are one of the greatest songwriters to have ever lived, I guess that legendary status can become a burden later in life.

This is a column about wellness though, and not about music, and so let me get to my point. I believe that Dylan continues to write and perform music at the age of 71 for the shear joy and delight he gets from performing his craft. I don't believe he spends much time worrying about how he compares to his younger self and to the music he wrote and recorded 30, 40, or 50 years ago.

Dylan is a model of wellness for me because in a culture that idolizes youth, he stands out as one example of what it means to age and still be fully alive, doing what he loves most. Does he do it as well as he did when he was younger? Probably not. But that misses the point. Physical decline is inevitable for every one of us as we age. There is much we can do to slow the decline, but there is no avoiding it. That's why, for example, all singers' voices will decline as they age.

Click here to continue reading...

Click here to download and share (PDF).

For more information, visit mattersoffoodandfaith.com.

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 Phelp's 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. (See photo above). 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.

I awoke last night to the sound of rain. My reaction was similar to what I would have experienced had a close friend, I had not heard from for a long time, called me in the middle of the night and woken me up. At first I felt a bit annoyed at being awakened, but that feeling soon gave way to the joy of hearing from an old friend. It felt good to reconnect. Here in Wisconsin, just as in many other parts of our country, it's been a long time without rain. The heat and drought of 2012 has been devastating to farmers and to so many others who either work outside, do not have air conditioning, or are adversely affected by heat.

There is much to be learned from this summer's drought regarding wholeness and wellness, believe it or not. The first lesson is the importance of balance. In northern climates, we wait all winter for the warmth and sunshine of summer. We long for hot, sunny summer days. And yet, now that all that we have are hot, sunny days, we now find ourselves longing for cool, rainy ones. Anything in excess--even something as wonderful as warmth and sun--will eventually compromise our wellness. Working in excess will eventually compromise our wellness. Excessive busyness will, too. Even exercise--a very good thing in and of itself--if taken to extremes will break down our wellness. Excessive religiosity can also do the same. Nature needs the balance of sun and rain, and we need a balanced focus of heart, soul, strength, and mind in our own lives.

The fact that there will always be seasons in our lives when things that are happening to us are beyond our control is the basis for a second lesson. Droughts come in many forms--in body, mind, and spirit. The loss of a loved one. A scary diagnosis. A dark night of the soul. A relationship growing cold. A job loss. Bad things happen to farmers and other good people as well. Droughts are humble reminders that we do not control as much in our lives as we would like to think we do.

We do, however, have control over how we respond to the droughts in our lives and in the lives of others. Proud farmers everywhere are having to ask for help this summer. Some farmers who have been blessed with more rain are inviting farmers from hundreds of miles away to move their livestock to their farms for better grazing. Some states are opening public lands from which farmers can temporarily harvest hay for their cattle.

Asking for help, doing things we would never have dreamed of before to get along, and coming together as a community serves everyone well, whatever type of drought we are experiencing. And if we are blessed to be experiencing greener conditions in our own lives, we can reach out to someone we know who is experiencing a dry season in his or her life right now. We can provide the living water they desperately need. "As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" (John 7:38).

To everything there is a season.
A time for sun and a time for rain.
A time to ask for help and a time to offer help.
A time for abundance and a time for scarcity.
A time to for green pastures and a time for patience.
A time to sleep soundly and a time to be gloriously awakened by a rain storm.

by the Episcopal Church Medical Trust

The skin is the body's largest organ. It protects against heat, sunlight, injury and infection. Yet, several of us don't consider the necessity of protecting our skin. The sun’s warmth and light can relax us and boost our spirits. But the benefits may come with a hazardous tradeoff. Each year more than 3.5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the US, over 90 percent of which are caused by the sun's ultraviolet rays (UVR). Similarly, most of the skin damage we associate with aging - wrinkles, sagging, leathering and discoloration - is UVR-related.

Follow these simple tips to enjoy what the sun has to offer in a safer way this summer:

-Seek the shade especially between 10 AM and 4 PM. That is when the sun's rays are usually strongest. If you're outside, head under a pavilion roof or leafy tree - or carry a sun umbrella. And take advantage of early morning and late afternoon to indulge in your favorite outdoor activities – try the beach at sunset, for example, rather than midday.
-Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths. Avoid spending long periods in the sun, and when you see or feel your skin redden, take cover.
-Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses – UV rays can also penetrate the structures of your eyes and cause cell damage.
-Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day. For extended outdoor activity, use a water-resistant, broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
-Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.
-Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months.
-Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.

-See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.

Adapted from http://www.foh.dhhs.gov and http://www.skincancer.org/prevention

This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be professional medical advice or treatment. Always seek the advice of a health care professional with any questions about personal health care status, and prior to making changes in approaches to diet and exercise. This material is for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of coverage under any Episcopal Church Medical Trust (“ECMT”) health plan. To determine what services are covered under an ECMT health plan, the corresponding Plan Handbook should be reviewed carefully. In the event of a conflict between this information contained in this email and the official Plan documents (schedule of benefits, Summary Plan Description, booklet, booklet-certificate), the official Plan documents will govern. Unless otherwise noted, websites referenced herein that are outside the www.cpg.org domain are not associated with the ECMT and its affiliates (collectively, the “Church Pension Group”) and the Church Pension Group is not responsible for the content of any such website. All quotations are used with permission.

Last week I spent eight days at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. The General Convention is a gathering of Episcopal leaders from every state in the United States, plus Haiti, Ecuador, Europe, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and several other countries. It is held every three years and it is equal parts budget setting, policy and practice setting, and a giant "family" reunion. This year 10,000 people gathered in Indianapolis and our Living Compass team was there the entire time to introduce people to the wide range of faith and wellness resources we have to offer.

Being at General Convention was one of the most uplifting and energizing experiences I have had in a long time. During the eight days I was there I spoke with close to a thousand people from a wide variety of settings. I talked with people from the country of Haiti, a small fishing village in Alaska, France, New York City, Bean Blossom Indiana, the Diocese of Navajoland and many others. Each of these people was coming to find out about Living Compass, but before I would share any information with them, I always asked them to tell me about their local congregation or ministry context, and to tell me about what they do there. You see, I love to listen to people's stories. And so, one by one, I heard first hand stories of people making a difference by bringing hope and healing to people who need it in their part of the world.

During my time at General Convention, my only regret, was that I was not able to enjoy one of my favorite summer time passions: cycling. Not only was I not able to ride my bike for eight days, but I was so busy that I was unable to watch the biggest annual event in cycling, the Tour de France. As I write this column though, all is well again. I am back in Wisconsin, again getting long rides in on my bike, and watching nightly highlights of the Tour de France.

If you have never watched the Tour, I encourage you to do so before it ends this coming Sunday, July 22nd. If you watch, even for just a few minutes, you will witness a fascinating strategic phenomenon in bike racing known as the peloton. The peloton (from French, meaning "little ball" or "platoon") is the large pack of riders who ride together to save energy by riding extremely close, usually behind, each other. Riders take turns "pulling" in the front of the peloton to reduce the efforts for others. The reduction in drag experienced by the racers, and therefore the effort needed is dramatic; in a large group it can be as much as 40%. Another way of saying this is that riding a bike solo, away from a pack of other riders, can require 30%-50% more effort.

As I reflect on both biking and my uplifting time at General Convention last week, I realize that while I was unable to ride my bike while there, I was indeed riding in a peloton. Each of us took turns drifting off each others' stories of where and how the Spirit is making a difference in our lives. It was a powerful reminder that while there are times when we need to ride solo in life, our wholeness and wellness is most clearly nurtured, sustained, and inspired in community. There's something to that idea that "when two are three are gathered in my name......"

Think about the most important pelotons in your life right now. Are you faithful in your commitment to keep those pelotons strong? Do you take your turn "pulling" at the front of the group? Are you comfortable acknowledging your need to ride in a peloton, or do you do too much solo riding in your life? Pelotons come in many forms and they are all important: families, partners, friends, faith communities, book groups, work teams, sports teams, retirement communities, schools, neighborhoods, and yes, even national church conventions of 10,000 people.

I'm already looking forward to 2015 in Salt Lake City when the Episcopal Peloton rides again! In the meantime, may we all be uplifted by the smaller, local pelotons we are blessed to ride in every day.

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To read past issues of our Weekly Words of Wellness and/or to subscribe (it's free!), visit our Samaritan Family Wellness website. To learn more about our Living Compass wellness program, click here. 

I recently ran two half-marathons. The first had 2 participants and the second had 4,500 participants. I should also probably mention that I ran these two half-marathons back-to-back on the same morning. Please allow me to explain.

For the last sixteen years I have looked forward to running the Madison Marathon in Madison, Wisconsin, a race that is always run the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. My wife, Holly, runs the half marathon and, because we both graduated from the University of Wisconsin, it provides us a great reason each year to return to a place we love.

This year I had another reason to be excited about the Madison Marathon. I was going to be running it with my nephew, Dave. This race would be his second marathon and I knew he had been training hard for six months to get ready. I, on the other hand, had not put the time and miles in to my training that I usually do when training for a marathon due to an especially busy work schedule. So my plan was to run the first few miles with Dave and then let him go on ahead as I slowed down to make sure I would be able to finish, fully expecting that I might have to walk part of the way.

Dave, who lives an hour and half south of me in Illinois, and I talked regularly over the last month as we prepared for race day. Our plan for race day was set. What we didn't ever consider, and therefore certainly did not plan for, was that the marathon would be cancelled 36 hours before it was due to start. But that's exactly what happened. Friday afternoon, the race officials announced that the full marathon would be cancelled due to a projected high temperature of 95 degrees. The half-marathon would still be run as scheduled at 7:00 AM on Sunday morning, because the shorter race (compared to a full marathon) would allow the runners to finish before the high temperatures set in. The two thousand runners that were scheduled to run the full marathon were encouraged to join the half-marathon runners and to be content with the shorter distance that day.

I was upset for myself about the cancellation 36 hours before the race, but I was especially upset for my nephew because he had put in so many hours and miles into training for this event. Dave and I spoke on the phone and it wasn't long before we came up with a plan that would allow us both to still run a full marathon, albeit in a rather unorthodox manner.

On Sunday morning Dave and I arose at 3:45 AM. Just over an hour later the two of us departed from our hotel on the Madison capitol square, off to run our own half-marathon before the official half-marathon would begin. The first pre-dawn miles were amazing. We saw more deer than people as we wound our way along the Capitol City Trail. As the sun rose we began to see and hear numerous sandhill cranes. Given that it was Sunday morning, I turned to Dave at one point and said, "Now this is going to church!" It was truly one of the most special, sacred running experiences I have ever enjoyed.

We arrived at the starting line of the official half-marathon two minutes before the gun went off. The quiet and solitude of our early morning run was gone as we were now being joined by 4,500 other runners! Dave and my wife went on to have great runs. I struggled and had to walk much of the last several miles. I had used up my best energy running with Dave in our first half-marathon.

Even though I walked through many of the last several miles of the race, I still had a smile on my face because I kept thinking about "going to church" earlier that morning. When I finally crossed the finish line, I knew I had completed a full marathon that I would never forget.

And did I mention that the Sunday that we ran our back to back half-marathons just happened to be Pentecost Sunday? This day for me was a reminder that the Spirit continues to show up in ways that we can neither expect nor predict.

My nephew Dave writes a blog and has written a great column about his experience of our non-traditional marathon--complete with photos! I encourage you to read it--you can find his column here.

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To read past issues of our Weekly Words of Wellness and/or to subscribe (it's free!), visit our Samaritan Family Wellness website. To learn more about our Living Compass wellness program, click here. 

by the Episcopal Church Medical Trust

A significant advancement in the transparency of hospital patient safety was recently announced. The Leapfrog Group, a national leader and advocate in hospital transparency launched the Hospital Safety Score. By visiting www.hospitalsafetyscore.org you’ll see that many US hospitals have received an A, B, C, D or F Hospital Safety Score based on patient safety via a first-of-its-kind initiative. A Blue Ribbon Panel of the nation's top patient safety experts provided guidance to The Leapfrog Group. The Score is calculated using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors and infections.

This initiative sheds light on the nation's silent safety epidemic and is a critical next step to improving our healthcare system.The Hospital Safety Score is one piece of information you should use when planning a hospital stay. Below are some, but not all, of the scenarios where the Hospital Safety Score can help you make an informed decision:

· Is your parent scheduled for a high-risk and potentially life-threatening surgery? Are you?
· Are you preparing to have a baby?
· Are you or is someone in your family suffering from a life-threatening illness that could require immediate or consistent hospital care?
· Has your doctor referred you to a hospital for surgery?
· Do you know what hospital you would go to for an emergency?
· Is your choice of hospital solely based on location?
· Are you sure the hospital you’re going to is safe?

Your hospital may have the latest equipment and the best specialists, but safety should come first. To access the scores go to www.hospitalsafetyscore.org and enter your zip code, hospital or city and state to find hospital scores in your area. You will need to agree to terms of use by clicking the check box next to the “submit” icon in order to view the search results.

This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be professional medical advice or treatment. Always seek the advice of a health care professional with any questions about personal health care status, and prior to making changes in approaches to diet and exercise. This material is for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of coverage under any Episcopal Church Medical Trust (“ECMT”) health plan. To determine what services are covered under an ECMT health plan, the corresponding Plan Handbook should be reviewed carefully. In the event of a conflict between this information contained in this email and the official Plan documents (schedule of benefits, Summary Plan Description, booklet, booklet-certificate), the official Plan documents will govern. Unless otherwise noted, websites referenced herein that are outside the www.cpg.org domain are not associated with the ECMT and its affiliates (collectively, the “Church Pension Group”) and the Church Pension Group is not responsible for the content of any such website. All quotations are used with permission.

by the Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner, Samaritan Family Wellness Foundation

Our Living Compass team recently had the chance to take part in the National Episcopal Health Ministry's annual conference, an event which brings people from all over the United States together who are engaged in a wide range of healing and wellness programs. The group included parish nurses, chaplains, clergy, pastoral care nurses, health ministers, addiction specialists, and others committed to a holistic approach to health and wellness in a wide variety of contexts.

Both last year, and this year, the conference included a special presentation by the Rev. John Sippola, one of the co-authors of a book entitled Welcome Them Home, Help Them Heal, an outstanding text about caring for veterans and their families. (Learn more about the book by clicking here.) One of the unique contributions of this book is its focus on how war impacts the soul of a veteran. In honor of Memorial Day, I want to share with you a few things I have learned from John in hopes that it will help us all more fully appreciate the sacrifices that veterans make on our behalf.

According to the Veteran's Administration, "events are considered morally injurious if they 'transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations.'" (You can learn more here.) While moral injuries can affect anyone, clearly veterans are at a higher risk for such injuries because of the trauma to which they have been exposed.

Much has been written about caring for the physical and emotional wellness of veterans and so now it is good to see that the spiritual wellness of veterans is being take seriously, too. And when it comes to the spiritual wellness of veterans you and I have a very important role to play--a point made very strongly by the authors of, Welcome Them Home, Help Them Heal. When a person has a wounded soul and is suffering from moral injury, they will most likely isolate themselves and pull away from others out of a sense of shame and guilt. Such a person needs us as individuals, families, neighbors, and faith communities to reach out to them, to let them know how much we appreciate their service and to give them an accepting place to talk about what they have experienced. This reaching out is what helps veterans, or any one with a wounded soul, to heal--one conversation at a time.

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To read past issues of our Weekly Words of Wellness and/or to subscribe (it's free!), visit our Samaritan Family Wellness website. To learn more about our Living Compass wellness program, click here.