Sanctuary Sunday - War of the Romantics Concert Event

For those of you who follow this blog and live in the NY area, may I recommend spending next Sunday afternoon at the historic Round Hill Community Church in Backcountry Greenwich. There you will find a wonderful musical event taking place in a most idyllic setting. The theme of the concert is the "War of The Romantics" and features well-known musicians performing works by Brahms, Wagner, & Poulenc

My Dear Friend, Hadi Hajjar and his wife, Mirella, are hosting a reception following the concert featuring a feast of Lebanese Hors d'Ouevres and Pastries, many of their own creation.

Here is a bit about the program from their website:

"Greek Soprano, Eleni Calenos, will appear at the Round Hill Community Church performing the soaring solos in Poulenc’s Gloria as part of the program, War of the Romantics, on Sunday, March 27 at 4 p.m. Of her 2008 debut as Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly, the Houston press said, “The phenomenon was the Cio-Cio-San of soprano Eleni Calenos, whose nuanced characterization was a true wonder to hear. She sailed thru her dramatic arias as if buoyed by the stirring music.”

War of the Romantics refers to the contentious aesthetic battles between the supporters of the conservative Brahms, the radical Wagner and the French composer Francis Poulenc, who eschewed German romanticism in any form.

The program also includes Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll which was written as a Christmas gift for his wife Cosima, and will be performed in the original instrumentation. After intermission, the chorus will sing Brahms’ Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes (New Love Songs), and dramatic soprano Jenna Hintz, will perform Dich Teure Halle from Tannhäuser. The chorus will end the concert with the rousing Entrance of the Guests. Instrumentalists are from New York ensembles such as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Dorian Wind Quintet and Antares. The choir and orchestra are under the direction of Christopher Kabala.

Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the door. For more information, call 203-869-1091."

Sanctuary Sunday - In Memoriam, Indira Gandhi

Perhaps this post is better left suited for a Wednesday's Women of Courage writeup. It really felt like a good thing to put up today, although October 31st is the day many parts of the world, including these United States, celebrate Holloween.

On this day in 1984, Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India was gunned down by a pair of Sikh extremists acting in retaliation for the storming of the Sikh holy shrine of the Golden Temple in Amritsar earlier that June.

She is the world's longest serving woman Prime Minister.

The night before her death she told a political rally: "I don't mind if my life goes in the service of the nation. If I die today, every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation."

In the days following the death of the prime minister up to 1,000 people are thought to have died. The army were ordered to go into the cities and quell the violence.

Mrs Gandhi's son, Rajiv, was sworn in as her successor within hours of her death. He went on to win a landslide victory in the general election in December 1984.

On 6 January 1989, Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh were hanged for killing Mrs Gandhi. Balbir Singh was acquitted.

Rajiv Gandhi was himself assassinated by a suicide bomber on 21 May 1991.

Click here for a great article on how things have changed since the Gandhi Era.

Sanctuary Sunday - A New Saint for Bold Women

Yesterday marked the end of the 6th edition of the Women's Forum 2010 which was held in Deauville, France. By all accounts, this was the most exciting and well attended event in its short but significant history.

I hope all of the women in my network that were able to attend now find themselves safely back home, no doubt energized, but perhaps exhausted! I also hope that those of you who had to settle for "virtual attendance" at this year's event through viewing blogs such as WWRG, will plan to go to the next installment in Fall 2011.

Another significant event happened yesterday in the ever widening world of women's influence.

Australia received its first Catholic Saint, and she is woman! This event may not be as significant to those of you who live on other continents. But for my friends and the Faithful in Australia, this is cause for joy and jubilation.

Her name is Mother Mary MacKillop.

Born in 1842, MacKillop grew up in poverty as the first of eight children of Scottish immigrants. She moved to the sleepy farming town of Penola in southern Australia to become a teacher, inviting the poor and the Aborigines of the area to attend free classes in a six-room stable.

She co-founded her order, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, with the goal of serving the poor, the sick and the disadvantaged, particularly through education.

I encourage you to read more about her and the five other Saints also canonized yesterday by following this link.

Enjoy your Sanctuary today, wherever it may be. Please reach out this week to someone living in poverty. Find a way to help educate children who live in disadvantaged areas. Saint Mary MacKillop thanks you.

And so do I.

Sanctuary Sunday - The Cab Ride

I hope you are all enjoying this day, wherever your sanctuary may be.

I receive many emails containing stories, musings, and reflections. This one spoke to me personally, having lost several relatives this year, including my ninety plus young Mother.

This one is for you, Mom:

The Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn.
After waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked... 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase.
The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters.
In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.
I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness.
'It's nothing', I told her.
'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.
'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'
'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.
'Oh, I don't mind,' she said.
'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice”.

I looked in the rear-view mirror.
Her eyes were glistening.
'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'
'The doctor says I don't have very long.'

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city.
She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds.
She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said,
'I'm tired. Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up.
They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.

They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.
The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said.
'You have to make a living,' she answered.
'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.
She held onto me tightly.
'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light..
Behind me, a door shut.
It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift.
I drove aimlessly lost in thought.
For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.

What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID.

BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

Sanctuary Sunday - Sustainability Economics

I hope all of you are enjoying a relaxing Sunday.

I have been blogging more on the topic of sustainability lately, perhaps because of recent environmental disasters such as our Gulf Oil Spill here in the US and the news that 2010 is going into the record books as the hottest in recorded history.

At the risk of creating some dissonance in your delightfully serene sanctuary, I want to give you some "mind candy" to contemplate.

The concept is not that complex, so please pardon me if I paraphrase a line from a popular song which states, "'we've got the whole world in our hands".

Few understand the economics that have provided the underpinnings for the changes that have occurred over centuries, not just decades, in our environment. This is the more complex part of the discussion, and a full treatment of this topic cannot be given justice in one blog post. When we get together face-to-face at an upcoming WWRG Summit, I will cover this in detail.

I had the honor of being accepted for post-graduate work at the Harvard Business School where I received a certificate in Private Equity and Corporate Governance. This area of study is a subset of economics, and the forms of Capitalism that dominate our world economic system.

At the risk of oversimplification, there are basically two forms of Capitalism currently in practice today in the free world.

The first is Anglo/US capitalism and stems from the USA and focuses on short-term maximization of shareholder value.

The second is less widely publicized. It is based on concepts of social justice and recognizes the interdependence of businesses and their local communities. For a full treatment on this topic may I suggest a book that my friend Therese Necio-Ortega, Executive for the Peninsula Hotel group was a contributing expert on entitled Leadership for Sustainable Futures: Achieving Success in a Competitive World by author Gayle C. Avery.

Regardless of whether you believe in one form of capitalism or another, we are still living on the same planet, one that was created long before either existed, or humans for that matter. Without an understanding of what drives the decisions our leaders make, and the honesty with which they make them, a clear picture of how we have arrived where are today cannot be brought into view.

Please consider joining a global initiative such as the Awakening the Dreamer movement I mentioned in an earlier Sanctuary Sunday post. This group, and others, will help educate you on the severity of the problem and suggest ways that you may help solve these pressing issues, and hold our world leadership accountable for their actions.

Why? Because the sanctuary we call Planet Earth is in danger of quickly becoming a cesspool instead.

SDG - JBHIV

Sanctuary Sunday - Silence is Golden

Sshhhh! Turn off your iPod. Mute your HDTV. Tune out all noise from any spot within your immediate surroundings. Let your mind calm so as to hear only the inner voice that is your moral compass.

Not so easy, is it! We are constantly bombarded by sounds. Most of them we have little or no control over. But some, we do.

Talking to others is one that we have a certain degree of control over. How often have you been engaged by someone who just will not come up for air during a "conversation". Many feel that it is rude for others not to respond when within sight - commonly referred to as "the silent treatment".

One of the "fads" during the 1990's was the Isolation or Sensory Deprivation Tank. This consisted of a vessel sufficient to hold enough heavily salted water such that a human body could be suspended without sinking. Once inside, earplugs and an eye mask were donned, and the chamber sealed so as to not allow any outside stimuli.

Many who tried this felt extremely uncomfortable. After all, if it not for our senses we would not be able to judge our body in relation to the world around us.

One does not have to resort to this extreme in order to benefit from occasional silence. The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society suggests the following to observe a "moment of silence" in our daily lives:

Designate a certain hour or half-hour of the day as a silent time, perhaps in the early morning.

• Eat a meal in silence. Silent eating helps you pay closer attention to your food and the changes in your appetite; you may find yourself eating less than usual.

• Use silence to help you become more attuned to your environment. Turn off the TV, computer, radio, or other noise-producing devices and listening closely to the ambient sounds that remain. Try to find a sound you’ve never noticed before.

• When conversing with others, listen to what they are saying. Often, instead of listening, we are thinking of what next to say.

Listening to others. Now there's a novel thought. Maybe we've discovered the secret to achieving World Peace, and all it took was a few minutes of silent blog reading!

Enjoy your day. Luxuriate in your Inner and Outer Sanctuary.

Look for the return of Tess and her popular blog in tomorrow's installment of Monday's Motivational Makeover.

Until then remember to believe,achieve, receive. SDG JBHIV

Sanctuary Sunday

I find that taking a day to meditate on what has transpired during the last week and contemplate what will be my course for the next, is essential if balance is to be restored in mind, body, and soul.

Sometimes my moral compass becomes deflected by stray energy that takes me in a direction that is not "the high ground". This usually leads to regret, and yes, sadness which is never a good thing. As Tess has taught us "What’s in your life is what you choose, choose consciously and powerfully!"

So to stay on course, I have removed the "rear-view mirrors" from my life, and have chosen instead to focus on the "road ahead", regardless of where it may lead. May the following inspire you to do the same.

Angel of Roses
by Marie Wadsworth

All the tears
The people of Earth
Had cried
Lie flooding the base of
The stairway to heaven that
The angel climbed down.
She scattered rose petals
In the pools
Of anguish, fear and joy
For she was
The Angel of Roses,
A messenger of
God's constant love,
Light and gifts
He has for
All He has made.

SDG, JBHIV