Back in January of 2009, I was still working as the Director of Spiritual Care at Mercy Regional here in Manhattan, KS. Mercy and Via Christi were very supportive of me becoming a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC). After two and a half years of certification process, I went to Orlando, FL for the annual APC conference at Lake Buena Vista (a.k.a., Walt Disney World Resort). I was ready for my oral defense of all my written materials. Everything went well and I was certified, while some would say I was always "certifiable" in other ways.

In the meantime, while attending the conference I noticed that the American Red Cross was recruiting new members to join their Spiritual Care Disaster Response Team. I thought that sounded interesting and signed up for the four-day intensive training workshop. After the workshop was complete, I was issued a DSHR member number.

Now, almost four years after that initial induction into the Spiritual Care Team of the American Red Cross, I am responding to a call that came from team leader Tim Serban in Washington, D.C. At first I was not sure of how to respond, because of the many responsibilities I have at Meadowlark Hills. So, I mulled it over a bit and then decided not to respond to this call. Then, on Monday November 5 at our monthly Town Hall Meeting in the Community Room/Chapel, I heard Marianne's resolve to have an outreach response from the Little Apple to the Big Apple. I felt a deep and pregnant pause after she made this suggestion to our gathered assembly. I asked Lonnie and Annie and a few others if they felt the same thing or something similar and they did. 

Not more than two hours passed after our town meeting and I received a second request from Tim Serban. He was recruiting for a second time. This time after I listened to him describe the outreach effort and the job responsibilities he needed to fill, I felt a flutter in my heart and that cued me to say maybe. I did not know how it would all work out as far as details are concerned, but I simply went on intuition and a feeling that this was the right response at the right time. So Lonnie, Meagan, Dirk and I visited about it the next morning and everyone was in agreement, that if and when the opportunity arose, I should respond on behalf of Meadowlark Hills and specifically the idea to reach out from the Little Apple to the Big Apple. Tim called back two days later and requested a third time, and this time I said yes.

Now, I am ready to board an American Airlines flight from Dallas to New York City. While waiting to catch my plane here, the television monitor displays CNN Headline News coverage of a public address from President Barack Obama on Staten Island, New York - he is calling for more material and spiritual care in this hour of great need. Now, in this moment, I feel a connection to Marianne, Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community, Manhattan the Little Apple, New York the Big Apple, and the nation. I am honored to be of service to all of the above and most especially the Call.