New Year's Greeting 2016

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. 

Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

--Winston Churchill--

As 2016 comes to an end, I'm reflective of all that's happened. We've emerged from the financial crisis of 2008-09 but not everyone has experienced the same level of prosperity or recovery. Many people in our country feel left out, not heard. Many are upset the election of 2016 did not go there way. There's a crisis of confidence in our institutions. The cost of an education is paralyzing for some families. In Seattle, many people struggle to pay the rent due to high housing costs and homelessness feels endemic. Even I the eternal optimist wonders if it's possible to find common ground among different political and religious factions. And yet I recall the beauty of our country is in its diversity and can-do-spirit, where anything is possible. So I vow to re-focus my energy on my community and the improvements I can make here. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," goes the reputed quote from Neal Armstrong when he set foot on the moon.

Eric, Lu-Ann, and Jack
celebrating last New Year's

I rang in last New Year's with good friends Eric and Lu-Ann Roecks and will travel with them in Feb/March 2017 to Reykjavik, Iceland to see the Northern Lights for Eric's milestone birthday. Then we'll continue on to the Netherlands, where I'll reconnect with an old friend I first met in Amsterdam when backpacking through Europe in 1990. Thomas and I have not seen each other for 25 years so it will be a thrill to visit him.

This past year I continued to swim, hike, and enjoy the company of good friends. I traveled to Cleveland for my 30th college reunion at John Carroll in June, then in early August hiked with my outdoing group near Whistler in British Columbia. In September I joined my friend Chip in La Jolla for a long weekend by the beach. I'm so lucky to be able to take these mini-trips and explore new adventures with old and new friends.

In September I began a nine-month retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. SEEL, or Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life, requires that I take one hour every day for reflection/meditation/prayer and meet with a Spiritual Director twice a month. Once a month the entire group of 40 retreatants meets for a morning workshop. The retreat has enriched my life and given me much food for thought. I feel like I'm growing from the inside out and reevaluating many of my habits and ways of thinking. There's always room for growth in my book so I'm keeping my mind and heart open to spirit however it chooses to manifest in my life.

Hiking Whistler this summer in British Columbia

I wish for you and all my family and friends the same--an open heart, willingness to risk, to grow, explore, surprise ourselves, and most importantly to love. Happy New Year to one and all! May 2017 be a year where we dedicate ourselves to greater peace, joy, and awareness.

With Love,

Jack