Inuaguration Day

On this inauguration day, I am filled cautious optimism for the development of our country, especially the building of relationships between persons of differing heritages and life experiences, and so is my nephew Rory, who is pictured here on election day.

It is worth quoting my sister from a post on Rory's website earlier this year: "Rick and I took Rory to vote with us last Tuesday. Though he wasn't allowed to vote, he urged us to vote for a candidate that understands his experience as the son of a black father and a white mother. Needless to say, the Youngers are thrilled, moved, and filled with hope that Obama was elected as the next President of the USA! Rory, you can be anything you want to be!"

My message to those who read this post is to strive to fully embrace the threads which make up the rich tapestry of your personhood - and to likewise embrace the unique threads in others which have served to shape them. You too can be anything you want to be!

Vanessa, Rick, & the Youngest Younger!

Vanessa (my younger sister) and her husband, Rick Younger (the youngest in his family), reside in Manhattan with their new baby boy, Rory (who is indeed the youngest younger). Vanessa is an actor and playwright, and Rick is an actor, comedian, and singer. Rory was born last October, and we were honored when Vanessa and Rick asked us to be his Godparents. We will get to meet our darling nephew in February! Check out the blog for some great pictures of the little cutie!

http://youngestyounger.blogspot.com/2009/01/hello-2009.html

The Love of God

Our parents instilled in us the desire to fill our cups with the love of God which can then be poured out in service to others and the whole of creation. There are times, however, when this ideal is challenging, and I would like to share with you some resources which have been helpful to me in recent times.

The first is a book by Stephen Post, "Godly Love: A Rose planted in the Desert of Our Hearts" (2008) which can be ordered through the Templeton Society at http://www.templetonpress.org/. The words in this book have served to ground me in my roots and further understand how the love of God can be applied in the World today.

A helpful website is also related to the work of Stephen Post, "The Institute for Research on Godly Love". As a scientist and theologian, I believe the information presented here is especially encouraging, and it has influenced my hopes of building a research program in the area of spirituality, theology, and health.
http://www.unlimitedloveinstitute.com/welcome/index.html

There are many more influences in this area which I would like to
share with you and will do so in the future.

In God's Love,

Jocelyn

Ruth and Naomi Senior Outreach

The Revs. Mary McQueen Porter and Lynn Bledsoe have been most influential in my spiritual and professional development over the last few years. They represent the true manifestation of God's Love through their organizarion - Ruth and Naomi Senior Outreach.

I encourage you to view their website http://www.ruthandnaomi.org/ to learn about the marvelous work they do with isolated older individuals (elder orphans) and hope that you will consider contributing to their organization with gifts of time, prayer, and/or finances.