Aug. 27, 2010: Leaders have the potential to show us a peaceful path, by Hadrian Currier

Every nation has a leader, whether it’s a president, prime minister, king, dictator or a governing group. Groups and corporations also have leaders. Even in a group of friends there are leaders and followers. Leaders play a very important role in a group, guiding followers in the right direction in pursuit of a common goal.

But if our leaders do not follow a peaceful path, how can we expect everyone else to find the right way?

As we grow up, we are challenged to find our identity, and early on it becomes apparent who will be leaders among our peers. At these early stages, any person can choose to be a peaceful leader, or he or she can choose to follow a violent or destructive path. The choices that are made at this stage are influenced by everything in a young person’s environment. Teachers, principals, parents and peers all can have an impact on a teenager’s development. But ultimately, it is the individual’s choice what influences to surround him- or herself  with.

No leader can hope to make all of the right decisions, which is why leaders surround themselves with people who can help them make wise choices. Those advisers and friends can be the most important environmental factors in decision making. By surrounding oneself with sensible advisers with admirable character, a leader will have someone to lean on when he or she doesn’t know what to do. These people can help a leader make the best decisions possible.

Leaders have the opportunity to change their surroundings by influencing those around them positively or negatively. As leaders, these people have the ability to change policies and opinions of their peers or the country or corporation they are responsible for. Young leaders can sway the opinions and behaviors of their classmates just as a president can sway the opinions of the nation.

Leaders cannot ensure that they will be followed just by the words they speak. Their actions speak for themselves. If they lead by example as well as advocating their cause, they will ensure that more people follow suit. Advocating nonviolent solutions, as well as employing diplomacy and negotiation tactics to solve problems, will eventually influence others to do the same.

Our nation’s leaders, elected by the people, reflect the desire of our country. These leaders have the power to lead our nation into war, or negotiate peaceful solutions. Some people believe war may be necessary, as in the defense of our country it may be, but unnecessary violence should not be tolerated. Leaders of our country can pass legislation to fight violence in our communities as well. Big decision-makers pave the way for our young leaders.

From the student council president to the president of the United States, our leaders have many choices to make.

The choices a leader makes, influenced by his or her environment, can better our community or mankind. Leaders must live with the repercussions of their decisions, as they affect all around them.  By making peaceful decisions, it is only a matter of time before everyone follows suit and the world becomes a better place.

— Hadrian Currier is a freshman at Concordia High School. He is the son of Jim and Angie Currier.

Aug. 20, 2010: Listening is more than just communication, by Kayla Sicard

When I was younger, I was taught to listen to people while they talked to you and to never raise your voice. I still keep this lesson with me today. People don’t realize how much sitting down and listening to someone talk can really help. Listening — and then talking situations out — has three major benefits: It teaches you to grow as a person, it allows people to become better leaders and it shows others how much a person can care.

Listening has a major impact on how a person matures throughout life. It allows you to better communicate possible solutions to varying problems, and to more effectively help someone in need. You can avoid possible obstacles or misunderstandings by simply listening to others.

Listening also plays a role in leadership skills.

Leaders not only provide help to others through action; they also help by just being there and listening. Paying attention is what helps to make leaders successful. By carefully listening to the issues, a leader can more effectively find a solution that would benefit the people involved.  Without listening to the people, a leader would not be respected and would not be in charge for very long.

Simply by listening, you can show compassion and understanding and the willingness to sit and let someone talk.

Conflicts can easily be avoided by listening to other parties involved.  If you simply understand every aspect of a situation, you can avoid heated arguments and unwanted fights.

People go by everyday not realizing that they could make an impact with one simple action. Stop and pay attention to those around and you never know what opportunities could arise from the simple act of listening.

— Kayla Sicard is a 2010 graduate of Concordia High School. She is the daughter of Rex and Diane Sicard.

Aug. 13, 2010: Will 2010 Year of Peace extend into 2011 and beyond? by Sister Jean Rosemarynoski

We are more than halfway through the Concordia Year of Peace, and already people have asked us to continue it beyond 2010. We like that idea and are making plans to do that — but we need input and suggestions! To share your ideas, contact any of the committee members:  Bob Steimel, Lorene Steimel, Charles Johnson, Pat Gerhardt, Sue Sutton, Patrick Sieben, Kim Krull and Sisters Mary Jo Thummel, Julie Christensen, Carolyn Teter, Janet Lander, Anna Marie Broxterman and me.

One of the things I have wondered about with the Year of Peace initiative is how to ensure that it is not simply a nice slogan or passing gesture, but rather a grassroots movement that is both reducing violent behavior (ranging from rude comments to physical harm) and increasing positive actions such as respect and courtesy.

There really is no way to measure that but we believe that if every Concordian does his or her part, it sends a ripple throughout the community that, even though it can not be measured, can be sensed.

This month’s Year of Peace theme focuses on leadership — especially having the courage to lead nonviolently.

What comes to mind when you hear or read the words “leader” or “leadership”? We hope that among the images that surface is you.

Each one of us has multiple opportunities throughout the day to exhibit leadership. Sometimes the smallest things that seem inconsequential can exert the biggest influence.

One example of that for me was seeing an adolescent begin shaking when he accidentally knocked something from a shelf. He fully expected the adult with him to become angry. But rather than react in anger, the adult assured the boy that accidents happen and helped him pick the object off the floor. It might have seemed like a small thing to the adult but it was a huge example of leadership for the child. It was also a more powerful lesson to the boy about being careful than any scolding could have conveyed.

When I think about how often throughout the day I have a choice to show nonviolent leadership, it can be mind-boggling. It includes everything from choosing to obey traffic regulations while driving to being courteous to clerks in the store to listening to someone whose point of view with which I disagree.

Leadership also means being courageous enough to get involved if someone is being mistreated or abused and needs help.

For the Year of Peace Committee, that means acknowledging that Concordia has a domestic violence problem that needs to be addressed.  We plan to partner with the police chief, the Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas (DVACK) and others to learn how to best confront this issue.

We know it is often the friends and neighbors of abuse victims who are key to getting them help. So if you know or suspect child abuse, sexual abuse or domestic violence, exert your leadership skills and call the authorities.  You may be the only hope that person has. And if you know someone you believe may have the potential to be an abuser, encourage that person to seek help.

Concordia needs all of us working together to help make this an even better place to live. It is the small, sometimes unseen, acts of quiet leadership that provide the firm foundation.

— Sister Jean Rosemarynoski is a member of the Leadership Council of the Sisters of St. Joseph and head of the Concordia Year of Peace Committee. If you have ideas or suggestions for committee or want to get involved with the Year of Peace, contact Sister Jean at 243-2149 or sisterjean@csjkansas.org, or any of the other committee members.

Aug. 6, 2010: Finding the skills — and courage — to lead nonviolently, by Sister Julie Christensen

As our the Concordia Year of Peace continues, I am aware of the diversity of needs in our community and within my own day-to-day living. My question is: What do I rely on when I encounter these needs?

For me, living with the intention of nonviolence gives me freedom to be open to the possibilities of life. Nonviolence is a response and a choice to be free of violent structures, private and public, created to maintain power and control. My choice and ever-growing focus is having the courage to lead nonviolently.

My experience has taught be that to have that “courage,” I must first have skills. These skills involve, among others, the practices of meditation, listening and creative response.

The first practice is meditation. I have learned to simply sitting quietly for a while, with an inspiring author, a quote or Scripture reading. I let the words fill the pores of my soul. Letting the words become an action that starts in my mind and filters ever so slowly to my heart, permeating the very depths of my being. An example of this is a quote from Henry David Thoreau, “I went to the woods to live deliberately.”

This practice reminds me, the seeker of the nonviolent way, to be reflective and quiet initially. It allows each response I make to enter more deeply into the situation, seeing the needs of all involved and seeing beyond my reaction. This takes courage.

The second practice is listening. I was reminded a few weeks ago of the Chinese character for the verb “to listen.” The character is made up of the characters for the ear, the eyes, the heart and undivided attention.

Listening to the depths of what surround me is important and requires discipline. To truly listen — with the ear, the eyes, the heart and undivided attention — brings me wholly into a situation. I see this as a positive form of multitasking. This takes leadership.

Meditation and listening develop an inner and an outer awareness of my environment. These actions call me first to be an observer and to be informed. From this point, I can move into action, into my response to the need.

The final practice is creative response and building a nonviolent mentality. This is being able to think and act outside of one’s conditioned models of response. A few weeks ago I found an unexpected pumpkin vine growing in a flowerbed. Knowing that it did not belong, I considered my options: let it go and pay the consequences, pull it up and add it to the compost or transplant it to my plot at the new Concordia Community Garden of Hope. I choose to transplant the pumpkin vine, to give it another go at life. Now I have 25 feet of pumpkin vine and five little pumpkins — and the experience of finding a positive alternative.

Creative response and nonviolent mentality bring about freedom to be and to do things not bound by history, but by the present need and the present potential. Creative response and a nonviolent mentality contribute to being fully aware of the choices we have in our midst and the effects of the decisions being made. Creative response is compassionately entering into life for humanity.

— Sister Julie Christensen is a Sister of St. Joseph and a member of the Concordia Year of Peace Committee. She recently joined the staff at Manna House of Prayer as a youth minister.

21st-century lacemakers learn 17th-century art

The 17th-century art of bobbin lacemaking is in no danger of being lost to history, if 24 women gathered at the Manna House of Prayer in Concordia this week have anything to say about it.

The Sisters of St. Joseph, gathered from congregations across the country, are learning — or perfecting — the meticulous threadwork to create delicate bookmarks, angels and other decorations. Sisters Ramona Medina and Janet Lander, both members of the Concordia congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, are leading the weeklong “Weaving Threads of Love” retreat to give participants the opportunity to experience and integrate the spirituality and practice of making bobbin lace in a contemplative setting.

The Sisters of St. Joseph was founded in Le Puy, France, in 1650, and members of that early congregation made bobbin lace as a way to support themselves and their works.

Today, Sisters Ramona and Janet lead the retreats at Manna House to share the craft as a contemplative practice that “creates in us heart-space where the connections with God and the dear neighbor may be woven in prayer, as surely as the design of threads and spaces evolves on the lace pillow before our eyes.”

The workshop ends at noon Saturday.

For information on upcoming retreats
at Manna House of Prayer, click HERE.

Red Cross ‘gig’ takes sister to flooded Rio Grande area

 

Sister Loretta Jasper has a number of catchy phrases to explain her role as an American Red Cross volunteer:

“I help people who are having a hard time breathing sane air,” she says without even a hint of a joke. Or, “I’m a barometer for everyone involved in a disaster.” Or even, “Literally and with no pun intended, I play a part in getting people out of the water.”

Literally and with no pun intended, her job included all three explanations when she took on her first “gig” — her word — in July as a Red Cross “national responder” and certified Disaster Mental Health Counselor.

Her role with the North Central Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross actually began nearly a year ago, when Sister Loretta and several other members of the Sisters of St. Joseph went to a workshop about how to create an emergency shelter in case of a natural disaster, such as a tornado or flood.

Turns out, there’s already such a Red Cross shelter in Concordia — the First United Methodist Church is the designated location here — but she learned that what was needed even more were the skills of professional mental health counselors.

During the course of her career, Sister Loretta has specialized in helping people deal with substance abuse and gambling addictions and has more recently focused on play therapy. Late in 2008 she completed the last of three stints in Sri Lanka with Heart to Heart International, working with children in areas devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

For the past year, she has worked in a government-funded program that provides support for military families where one parent is deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. She will return to that job when school begins in the fall.

She holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., and a post-graduate certificate in play therapy from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan.  She is a native of Cawker City, Kan., and has been a Sister of St. Joseph for 46 years.

Together, that meant she had the much-needed skills of a Disaster Mental Health Counselor. So last December, after completing the Red Cross training for certification, she became available to help families or individuals get through the trauma of tragedy striking their lives.

So far she has “supported and assisted” — her phrase — about half a dozen families.

“A lot of what Loretta does is to help people get out of the ‘trauma’ stages and into picking up the pieces,” explained Traci Speed, assistance executive director of the local Red Cross chapter based in Salina. “She may be the catalyst for them to move forward.”

Or, as Sister Loretta put it “getting people out of the water.”

Literally and with no pun intended, that’s what she did when she was called to respond to flooding in south Texas along the Rio Grande River.

Hurricane Alex, which was the season’s first named storm late in June, had already  caused widespread flooding throughout northeastern Mexico and southwest Texas. But that was followed by a week of continuous rain, with reports of up to 20 inches in parts of the Rio Grande region, forcing water to be released from two major dams in an effort to prevent them from collapsing.

On Wednesday, July 7, the Red Cross division that includes Laredo, Texas, sent out a call to neighboring divisions — including the one that encompasses North Central Kansas — for volunteers. By Friday, July 9, Sister Loretta had made arrangement to fly to Texas and by 3 p.m. Saturday she was in San Antonio, Texas, with nine other workers headed by car to Laredo.

For 12 days, she says, her job was to “be a barometer for everyone involved — the people staying in the shelter, the nurses and medical staff, the sheriff’s officers, the Red Cross coordinators, the people trying to figure out what was needed next…

“The intent of the Red Cross is to get people, literally and no pun intended, out of the water — and my job begins with them. But everyone there is affected, and I can be conscious of when they need a little help.”

Together there were about 150 Red Cross volunteers, working in four or five “satellite areas” around Laredo, including Rio Bravo and McAllen.

Sister Loretta was scheduled to be there for 14 days, but after 12 the need had lessened enough that she was sent home.

She is one of only about three “national responders” in the North Central Kansas Chapter who is certified as a Disaster Mental Health Counselor, Speed said. When a request for their help comes in to the chapter, volunteers are asked to make a commitment of 10 days to two weeks. And more volunteers are always needed, she noted.

Other sisters might be interested in volunteering as members of the “spiritual car teams,” which specialize in helping families after aviation emergencies, or as “health services” workers.

Sister Loretta, meanwhile, is looking for her next “gig.”

“I may have time before I go back to the kiddos,” she says, referring to the children of military families who make up her school-year clients. “If I can help people breathe sane air, I’ll go.”