Montae Wells

I ran into DeLaSalle graduate Montae Wells at the downtown Constantino Brothers Market today. The 2010 graduate works at the deli counter. He was all smiles as he greeted me and asked how was everyone at DeLaSalle.
Just up the street I saw Wolfgang who helps Francie with the mural project. Wolf was running the Starbucks shop in City Center Square.
Small world!

100 Men in Aprons Coming September 18, 2010

DeLaSalle's newest special event, 100 Men in Aprons, is returning September 18. Please go to the DeLaSalle web page, where more information on this event will be published shortly. That web page is: www.delasallecenter.org/

New Blog and Disclaimer

Dear Friends,
I have now officially ended this Blog, and have created a new Blog that is called "Musings on a Call". You can connect to it at: http://callmusings.blogspot.com/
I want to be clear about the content of my new Blog, in that none of the views expressed in that new Blog have anything to do with DeLaSalle, or my employment with DeLaSalle. They are simply and solely my personal reflections and observations about my spiritual journey. I invite you to follow my new Blog if you are interested.
Blessings,
Jim

Quaint Pahoa Town

I know I said I was going to stop this Blog, and I am, but this was just too good not to share with you.
I was in the little town of Pahoa today to pick up some supplies to repair our water catchment tank.
As you can see by the first picture, it is almost postcard-beautiful...
...until you go by the Pahoa Elementary School, known as...
THE HOME OF THE DAGGERS!!!
"What does that mean?", I wondered to myself.
I have been thinking about this unusual moniker all day!

New Beginnings

I began this Blog one year ago in July 2009, and maintained it during a year of transition for both me and for the DeLaSalle Education Center.
Now, as July 2010 winds down, I realize that my transition as the executive director of a great institution is complete, and I am in a different "space", as they say.
I am now no longer in a position to offer my "official" viewpoint on DeLaSalle developments. It would therefore be misleading for me to continue "DeLaSalle Musings".
So I have decided to end this Blog, and to begin another.
In the new Blog, I want to write about the more personal developments going on in my life. Some of my observations in the new Blog may be based on my new job with DeLaSalle, that of Director of Sustainability. In that role, I will be raising money to finish the current capital campaign, and then establish a new fund for the future support of DeLaSalle. That is an important role for me and for DeLaSalle, but it is far different than the role I was in when I began "DeLaSalle Musings" last year.
But I do not expect that most of what I write about in my new Blog will be about my new position with DeLaSalle. What I expect to write about is why and how my transition and transformation took place, and some of the other hopes and longings I have for the future.
For instance, one development that took place over the last year was something I did not bring up very much in this Blog, and which I would now like to address.
It concerns my spiritual journey.
As I transitioned from DeLaSalle this past year, I applied for, and was accepted into, the permanent diaconate for the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
If I am privileged enough to remain in this program, I will be ordained a deacon in the Church in June 2014.
I have always had a strong desire to serve God in a ministry. I believed, and still do believe, that I was ministering while I worked at DeLaSalle the past 30 years.
But something deeper was at work in me during the past few years, and it led me to decide that I needed to pursue this deeper calling.
When I was a child, and even through early adulthood, I thought I was being called to become a priest.
In fact, that's why I originally came to Kansas City. I left my home and family in Wilmington, Delaware to consider entering the seminary to become a priest. I joined a religious community in Kansas City called the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.
After a year of formation and discernment, I decided that I wanted to marry and have a family. It was then that I met Karol, who after 36 years of marriage remains the love of my life.
But the call to holiness and to service did not stop. I was deeply drawn to spiritual life and prayer, and to love God and the poor.
After my son, Aaron, died tragically in 2002, I began to understand more about myself and my weaknesses. I discovered that I had experienced a mild depression for most of my life. Through counseling, life coaching and prayer, I found healing and new purpose in my life. I began to wonder if I might still be called to ministry.
In the Catholic Church, there is a form of ordination for married men (and in a few cases, for single men), that does not necessarily lead directly to priesthood. This is the permanent diaconate. Permanent deacons serve the Church and the world in specific ministries. Their ordination provides them with some sacramental gifts, but also gifts for service in ministry. I decided that this call might have been what I had experienced throughout my life. I wanted to minister to those suffering grief or mental illness, and, God willing, to offer consolation, encouragement and healing as God would direct me. I applied to the Diocese and was accepted this past January. I am thrilled and delighted with this graced opportunity.
I hope to write more about this call and what I hope to do now through ministry AND in my continuing service at DeLaSalle. For me, that means I should create a new Blog so that I can express these issues without there being any confusion with my new role at DeLaSalle.
I appreciate your readership. The new Blog address will be posted here soon.
God Bless you!
Jim

Volcano!

We live on the side of this active volcano, about 15 miles downslope from this plume. (Notice the difference in the two pictures, taken about forty minutes apart - the latter one was at dusk, when the boiling lava, only 500 feet from the surface, illuminated the lower part of the plume.)
The lava is currently spilling into the ocean through a vent at sea level, another 15 miles southwest of our property, while the lava in the caldera is peculating just below the summit's surface. So what's there to worry about!?

Clouds!

The clouds here are amaz- ing. I love their style and their cloud- ness. I am drawn to their depth and diversity. Rain clouds and trade clouds and sulfur dioxide clouds mix and match and parade their stuff every day. It is rarely clear here. You would think that a remote land mass in the middle of the Pacific Ocean would have little remark- ableness. But that is not so!

Tropical Light

The daytime light in Hawaii is noticeably different than that in Kansas City. This picture shows the light from about 2:00 pm today in the sky over Hilo and the Pacific Ocean.
It seems far brighter here, and the air is generally cleaner, and free of smog. While we have a unique form of air pollution here known as "vog", or volcanic smog, it is present only occasionally, and not today.
The sun is more directly overhead here than in Kansas City, due to Hilo's latitude of 20 degrees, compared to Kansas City's latitude of nearly 40 degrees. The sunlight is more intense, and can cause more immediate burns from being in direct sunlight too long.

DeLaSalle in Hawaii

I just opened my third remote office for DeLaSalle Education Center here in Mountain View, Hawaii.
My first remote office was in the room in which I live when in Kansas City.
The second was at 114 West 11th Street in downtown Kansas City in the old financial district.
In all of my offices I have remote access to email and our donor database.
I carry my laptop and cell phone between offices.
It was a little discombobulating at first, but now it feels downright normal.
In Hawaii, I am operating in the Hawaiian Time Zone, which is five hours behind Central Time. Other than the time zone difference, I should be no further away from my new duties as DeLaSalle Director of Sustainability than my laptop and cell phone provide.
I hope to be talking to you soon!

What Am I Doing in LAX?

Los Angeles International Airport was not on my itinerary for my recent, return trip to Hawaii.
That is, until my scheduled flight yesterday from Dallas to Honolulu was canceled due to mechanical difficulties.
I sat in the Dallas Fort Worth another 13 hours until I could get a flight into Los Angeles, where one of the few flights with any openings into Hawaii was available.
On my rescheduled flight from LAX this morning to Kona, Hawaii, I sat next to Bryan Hayes, a personable and forthright, young businessman from Fort Worth via Salt Lake City. Across from Bryan was Alan Felsenthal, a poet from NYC who discussed philosophy with us. I learned the foundations of phenomenology and several titles I will be investigating further. They are Gilead by Marilyn Hutchisons and The Banality of Evil by Hannah Arendt. It was a nice flight and it is great to be back home for a bit!

The Man Who Wrecked My Mustang!

It was a classic, rust-red, 1966, Mustang...a convertible, no less!
Not that I remember all of the details....or that I haven't completely forgiven my old friend, now a priest, Fr. Glenn Meaux.
When I saw him walking towards me this morning, coffe cup in-hand, I thought it fitting that he was without wheels.
Not that I hold any hard feelings towards Father. It was only 36 years ago.
Or that I have fond memories of that car.
Of course, it was the car in which I courted Karol.
The front passenger seat reclined as soon as someone sat in it, which led Karol to suspect ulterior motives on my behalf the first time she sat in that seat.
I sssured her that it was a pre-exisitng condition that I had simply inherited. Truth be told, it should have given her a heads-up that the man she was to eventually marry lacked the most basic of mechanical skills.
I had an unerring instinct about picking out the right person to marry, as well as friends, who may wreck your car but whose friendships last!

Day and Night in Corpus Christi

There's palm trees, oil refineries and plenty of heat in the part of Corpus Chrisit where I have been at since Sunday.
And flying in, I noticed a plethora of windmills in the flat plains surrounding the city's outskirts...seems like they are everywhere now-a-days!
I do not go outside much due to the heat and the ever-present mosquitoes, a large and vicious variety of bug that can descend in droves almost unexpectedly at any time.
Mercy.
But it is fun catching up with church friends I have known, some for as long as 38 years.

We got Bananas!

First there is the flower...and then follows the little bitty banana bunch, that grows until you pick and hang the bunch to let it ripen.
I hope they are ready for my Thursday morning breakfast!

No Noddin' in Nodaway County!

There was no sleeping late for me this weekend at Conception Abbey located in Nodaway County in Northeast Missouri.
The bell for morning prayers broke the early morning stillness yesterday and today and called the monks to their second set of prayers for the day at 7:45 am (my first set of prayers).
I had trouble falling asleep both nights for some reason, and feel tired but renewed in spirit. Maybe it was those numerous windmills surrounding the monastery, perhaps being fueled by the winds of the monks' ceaseless praying!
One of the great things about a retreat is that one's spirit can find refreshment while one's body resists.
I'm ready for the next leg of my journey, to Corpus Christi (for another retreat) and then on to Hawaii to be reunited with Karol and our kids and grandkids.
Karol told me yesterday that the teenaged roosters are learning to crow. By the time of my arrival in Hilo on Wednesday, perhaps they will greet me with a few crows or more.
I may crow as well, at being back with family for a few short weeks before I head back to Kansas City in mid-August. I'll be doing fundraising for DeLaSalle from Hawaii and hoping not to miss a beat so that when I return we can finish our capital campaign and begin building for the future!

"Cattails" in our Rain Garden!

That's right, those are cattails, and they are flourishing in the rain garden by our back entrance to the school.
Thanks to Kate Corwin for helping us plant this rain garden two years ago. It is now a sustaining eco-system, demonstrating again how our revitalized property will be transformed into an active learning center for our students as we prepare to break ground for the new addition next spring.
There's a roof project first, and then the final fundraising, but it's really beginning to look up along Troost!

DeLaSalle's New Look Begins to Emerge!

It's going to be great!
We are totally committed to making DeLaSalle look every part an institution of dignity and learning in the heart of the urban core.
Who would have thought that DeLaSalle would be a catalyst for mid-Troost revitalization?!
But you haven't seen the half of it, Friends!
Thanks to the City of Kansas City, sidewalks and curbs around the Manheim and Troost intersection, bordering the southwest section of the DeLaSalle campus, are being replaced and beautified.
Next, the roof on the entire Forest facility will be completely replaced and modernized. No more leaks!
Then..... well, let me leave you waiting for the best of all. Coming soon!!!
The New DeLaSalle!!

Rainbow Fleeting, As Seen From Troost

I was hurrying about doing last minute errands tonight, before I leave town tomorrow, and lo, in the eastern sky, reflecting the stupendous western sunset, was a rainbow.
I stopped in the Auto Zone parking lot at 58th and Troost and shot this picture as the 'bow was fading.
How gorgeous!

Guess Who Came To My Officehood Today?

That's right, President Obama, who is still just across the street right now!
The thrill of seeing the President of the United States never grows old. I remember seeing President Johnson in 1966, and I was as excited this afternoon as I was then!

Midnight at DeLaSalle

There's not much to see at DeLaSalle at midnight.
It's quiet and dark and rather peaceful.
A tow truck was idling next to Henry's, and the driver waved at me. It was Brian Grandison, son of the proprietor of Henry's and father of a recent DeLaSalle graduate. I suppose he was expecting one more tow before he called it a night.
I moved quickly around the building shooting photos. As I left, a couple of fellows were walking down Troost and a few cars went by. It's interesting that a city seems to be awake even when it's midnight.

Glorious Dusk

It was a glorious dusk downtown tonight, before the rain fell.
I had been sick over the long weekend so my nights (and a few days) were spent bedside.
But good health returned and I felt well enough to pound a couple of hours of proposals out at my downtown office this evening.
It's amazing how much illness can affect us. I felt so good to not be tired and out of bed that I didn't mind working a little longer.
I feel great, and blessed to be alive!

Downtown Cathedral

One of the nice things about being downtown is the proximity of important venues.
Fancy restaurants are located next to inexpensive restaurants, and most are within walking distance of downtown workers, executives as well as clerical staff.
There's entertainment and culture on almost every street.
The Lyric Theatre is about 100 yards from my office.
And then there's the Cathedral.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on 11th Street is an incredibly beautiful structure, with gorgeous statuary and stained glass windows. The chapel has a crucifix above the altar that is known as the San Damiano crucfix, that was in use at the time of the conversion of St. Francis Assisi in the early 1200s. As Francis was praying before this crucifix one day in a dilapidated chapel, he heard God telling him to repair his church. Francis thought he was to literally begin laying new stone for the crumbling structure, and only later realized that he was being called to a work of spiritual renewal, where he promoted voluntary poverty for the love of God and all!
Working downtown, I can walk to noon services at the Cathedral, pick up a coke on my walk back to the office, and finish my meal within the lunch hour. Downtown is a great place to work!

Discovery Sunday!

Just ten blocks south of DeLaSalle (and also from my room on Tracy) is the Discovery Center.
I needed a good walk to stretch out my tired bones and refresh my soul this humid Sunday afternoon, so I headed to 47th and Troost and into a virtual mid-town oasis.
I saw bullfrogs, rabbits, butterflies, yellow finches, Baltimore Oriels, squirrels and plenty of yellow jackets and wrens. Mercy, it's amazing what you can find when you're not expecting much.
I happened to be talking to Karol on my cell phone for part of my Sunday stroll. She was exclaiming about the orchids and bananas and I didn't want to one-up her, but if she could have seen the Black-Eyed Susans and Cattails, well maybe Hawaii isn't the only paradise left in this crazy old world.
I just love how God continually surprises me! Lordy!

Eleventh Street Looking East

Skyscrapers abound in the view to the east from the building where I office.

Summer in the City!

It was a hot one yesterday in the downtown area - 97 degrees!
Just when you think it's about the hottest day in Kansas City that you can remember, there's usually a hotter one around the corner!

Cool Passcards!

These are the cool passcards that I get to use in my new office.
The one to the left is for the parking garage.
It took me several (partial and nervous) trips into the garage, and back to Mr. Harold at the front desk, to figure this one out.
Even then, I was somewhat befuddled, until on my last trip into the garage yesterday, someone in the car behind me kindly noted that I needed to hold the card towards a sensor that was above my car.
Bingo! Up went the gate and I was in!
The other card opens all of the electronically-controlled doors that are for general employee usage in the main building. With this card, I can enter side doors and stairwells. I can also get into the building during non-office times.
I am absolutely delighted to have been afforded such access and welcome into this magnificent office building. Thanks to Dave Lovetere, Vince Dasta, MC Realty, Kansas City Southern Railway and DST Systems!

An Inspiring Letter!

New Office!!

Through the kindness and generosity of MC Realty and DST Systems, I now have office space downtown!
The office area is near a building exit which overlooks the western exposure to downtown along 11th street (first picture).
A private hallway leads to Suite 170 (next two pictures).
Inside Suite 170 is a conference table surrounded by four offices (next picture).
I'm in the second office on the right (last picture).
Come by and see me. The street address is 114 W. 11th Street. Tell Harold, our security officer, that you're there to see me.
I'll have a phone tomorrow, so watch out! I may be calling you and coming to see you, instead!