Hope In a Hurricane!
It is another stormy afternoon in Little Egypt. I just enjoyed a wonderful walk on campus and I am in my customary high spirits that another academic year is to begin next week at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale! Indeed we are in the midst of our pandemic, but there are lighthouses that still have their brilliant beacons of hope for the future and they are illuminating our course to keep us from being dashed against the rocky shore!
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I am pleased to see the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States chose as his running mate a brilliant and accomplished woman of color! The choice is historic and is a harbinger of hope that we are a diverse nation that desperately needs a herculean dose of inclusivity!
I was talking with a good friend recently and I reflected on my leadership goal for the 25 years that I was a manger/administrator at SIUC. Before I became the assistant superintendent of Building Services I had prided myself on everyone that I met becoming my friend. After I took a leader’s role in the organization I knew that my primary purpose had to be that I was fair to all…and that I might not be everyone’s buddy. My greatest honor during my years of managing was to have some role in elevating outstanding members of our team, who were African American and women and disabled, to leadership roles. When I was preparing to retire I recommended an African American woman to replace me as superintendent of the department. And she did… she was the first woman of color to ever hold the position!
Dr. Austin Lane is our new chancellor. Every time that I see his photo…I am inspired…he is the first African American to hold the chancellors position at SIUC!
I have written about my wonderful experiences with black colleagues…literally from the first day of my employment at Southern. Each time that a person of color has chosen to accept me as a colleague and to work with and to be my friend…I was humbled by their confidence in me and honored that they accepted me…
Faith is another beacon of hope in a world of seeming despair. I have often said…can anyone find the church? Jesus and his 12 disciples were our first example of church. It appears that on numerous occasions they slept out under the stars… ‘And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Luke 9:58 KJV
I do know that the church is not equated to the love of money. It also cannot be led by a person or people who are racist and misogynist…it could not be xenophobic…as Christ admonished us to love each other as he loved us.
I have often heard that if you want to see God…see your neighbor…
The Underestimated…Or the Power of the Turtle!
My colleague, Denny, told me many years ago that our careers were a marathon and not a sprint. I thought about his words and increasingly understood them as the years rolled by. I recall feeling anxious regarding what I wanted Building Services to accomplish and the time that it was taking to reach that goal. Having emerged from leadership that was counterproductive and who sought to slow our work product down and for us to produce dirty university buildings…I was convinced that I could not work enough hours to accomplish all that I wanted to do to facilitate the restoration of our departments good name!
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The television show, Columbo, began in 1968 and was about a somewhat bumbling and disheveled police detective and his seeming ineptitude and lack of focus. In reality Columbo, played by the actor Peter Falk, was a case study in the art of underestimation. As he haltingly stumbled and fumbled around a murder case he elicited the response of those whom be was investigating of…suffering a fool…
On numerous occasions I have found myself in the role of Columbo while those with whom I was dealing with had little appreciation for the method of my madness… We are members, in good standing, of a frenetic society. We want to tear down our barns and build bigger ones…right now! Often the systematic and careful plodding of daily incremental success is eclipsed by the brilliance of lofty rhetoric with little substance…until the turtle is holding the trophy at the finish line of the marathon!
I have found the power of the turtle to be vital in my christian experience. If all of the exhortations that I have heard in over 51 years had been true…I would still be at the starting gate waiting for the flag to drop. The christian life…is just that…a life…bells do not ring and God’s plan is much longer than our quite puff of wind of time on the earth.
‘Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, the he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ I Kings 19:11-13
What is the Good Word?
Another outstanding Jonathon Brooks blog!
Throughout my lifetime there has always been a sentence I’ve heard my dad say. One of my earliest memories is of Dad saying, “What is the good word?” Although here is the great part about the good word. Dad is still saying it and one never knows what the answer, or good word of the day, might be.
To me the idea of the good word is similar to the idea of a friendly smile or a kind word or even something as simple as an Hello, friend. Our world is full of bad words and bad ideas and wrongdoing and evil. So let’s hear it for something good and for the good word of the day.
What is the good word or good words in your life’s story for today? It could be a word like congratulations or outstanding or excellent or righteous or even perhaps hallelujah. How about…
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Work series 2: Considerations before quitting a job
If you are unsure whether you should stay or you should go you might want to read the following lines. And no worries – this is not a blog post which should force you into quitting – it should rather provide you with some ideas and tools to do before taking the decision. I spent one year thinking about it by myself, finally did it and
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Real Feelings
Former first lady, Michelle Obama, said in a podcast the other day that she was suffering from ‘low-grade depression.’ She sited the pandemic, and racial strife and political strife as causes for her feelings.
If you encounter several people today and ask them how that are doing it is most likely that they will say fine! Have you ever tried responding to the proverbial question of how you are doing by explaining how you really are doing? Did you subsequently watch the eyes of your inquisitor ‘gloss over’ as they waited for you to complete your tale of woe…and then watch them as they quickly move on to a happier person! The stark reality is that we are not doing fine all of the time and most of us are stressed and depressed and seeking answers for a health emergency that has rocked our planet… Millions of Americans were food insecure prior to the pandemic…and then lost their jobs due to the virus. ‘For the 108 million people who live in a rental apartment, August 1 was a grim milestone. It marked the first time rent was due after much of the nation’s economic response to the coronavirus had expired.’ New York Times
Pastor Kerry told us this morning in Zoom Church that we can ‘drive the delivery truck for the balm of gilead.’ I think that is true and innovative statement! Rather than suffering in silence with our fears and doubts and the dark shadows that lurk in the corers of our accosted lives…why not seek and understanding a non-judgmental ear to bounce our insecurities off of? At times the person with the widest smile…is suffering in silence… It is okay to not feel okay!
Walking and writing and photography goes a long way toward improving my state of mind. Jonathon and I walked campus yesterday and enjoyed the new Saluki Statue on the Alumni Saluki Plaza. I have always loved sculptor and statues and action figures…and art! Just looking at the magnificent massive masterpiece…made my day! As we were snapping photos with our new favorite art-work, up comes several people who asked if we could take their photo in front of the dogs. One of the gentlemen commented that the metal for the Salukis came from his son’s company. After we took their photos they asked if we would like for them to return the favor…and they did! As I witnessed our friends excitement regarding not only the new iconic destination for the campus…but also their love for SIUC…I took courage! Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale is loved all over the world! We are loved because people from around our globe have experienced us and what we have to offer! I have traveled in Europe and had delightful conversations regarding SIUC! We stand at the door of fall semester and a new academic year. Although we have been separated and have become extremely aquatinted with our own homes…our university home is resplendent and ready to work its magic…once again!
An Aficionado of Life
Another great Jonathon Brooks blog!
What are you passionate about? What are your loves and hobbies? What in the world gets you out of bed in the morning and gives pleasant dreams at night? I’ve found that everyone falls in love. We fall in love with our hobbies or our interests or our chosen careers. Or we fall in love with negativity or alcoholism or a pessimistic attitude. I aim to be passionate about the best that life has to offer.
A secret to enjoying life thoroughly is to live in the moment without regret for yesterday or apprehension for tomorrow. Did I do the best I could with today? Did I treat others with kindness and respect? Did I have the same respect and kindness for myself? In every moment was I the best I could be?
I fell in love with book reading at the age of around 19; I’ve been flipping the…
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Mask — The Jazz Man
We have had several cool days in August in Little Egypt. I am inspired! MJ has been ordering us face masks from a shop named, Art Travel Love, and I now am the proud owner of two Starry Night masks and two, The Scream of Nature, by Edvard Munch. Much has been made about our […]
I Hope I Don’t Forget My Lines
An inspirational blog from Jonathon Brooks!
Enthusiasm is contagious! All of humanity is capable of doing tremendous good or deadly harm. A smile from one often leads to a smile from the smiled upon. A mean spirited word can lead to retaliation. If we build others up, instead of tearing them down, then we feel good inside about ourselves as well as them. Although if you look for the ugly in this world and in other people, and in yourself, you’ll assuredly find it. I’ve spent the last 18 years trying to be a better man than I was yesterday.
Faultfinding is an incredible waste of time. We are so often prone to looking down on others in a foolish attempt to make ourselves feel good, or better, about our faults. Pride can take a one way ticket away from my soul. An attitude of humility is why I’ve made it this far. If we judge…
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A Quiet Life
We are enjoying another day of fall like temperatures. Cooler weather and the promise of fall bring out the best in me! I am of the Baby Boomer generation. We were all told that we could be the president of the United States…and we have witnessed that promise fulfilled. We B. Boomers set out early in life to seek our fortune and fill our days with something to occupy our time…24/7. Do you recall when there was a push by educators to enroll their children into nursery school and then Pre-K…and then Kindergarten. We were admonished that if we did not seek to enrich our kids almost from the womb…that they would be woefully behind. I not only worked a full-time position….But regularly worked 20 or more additional hours per week…for free… While I was working all those hours I was taking university classes as well. The hectic manic pursuit of being busy…leaves you exhausted and out of touch with you family…and yourself!
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Have you ever taken a holiday and subsequently packed so many activities into the two weeks that you are not only not refreshed but left wondering was it really worth it? We spent a month in Europe in 2014. For the first two weeks we stayed strong. The third week…we were tired…and the fourth week…we were struggling to climb all of the steps in Florence, Italy. Holidays are like fine red wine…they are meant to be sipped slowly and savored…
The older I become the more I understand the intricacies of the quiet life. Certainly 2020 has afforded ample opportunity for a walk on the quiet side. We humans need down time. We require long periods of reflection and meditation on the beauty of just being here… We are consumed with social media and 24/7 satellite or cable news. When you expose yourself to news that makes you anxious and depressed…on a daily basis…you are missing the forest for the trees. Media can warp your opinions on many issues if you do not take a healthy break from it. Often we are exposed to politicians and pundits who are performing for what they perceive as their voters. You are not witnessing the real person…but the cardboard cut-out theatre version. Our views and passions are set by actors and jokers. and court jesters…and clowns… that you would not want to have a cup of coffee with…
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We enjoy pastoral paintings. Many of us enjoy being renewed by nature. A happy life does not have to be a life filled with busy work and stress and sour stomach! As I sit on the writing porch enjoying the cool breeze and the peaceful setting…I am grateful for the quiet life.
The Struggle — The Jazz Man
I was in Morris Library today and was once again inspired by the large brass bust of our former president, Abraham Lincoln, with his Saluki face mask adoring his countenance. I was heartened to see all of the Grounds workers manicuring our lovely campus and preparing it for the beginning of the fall semester. Indeed this is the beginning […]
