April 2013

“Selah” 

As I sit and write this month’s spiritual fitness exercise, I’m fairly consumed with yesterday’s events.  Yesterday there was a bombing at the Boston Marathon.  By the time you read this there may be an abundance of new information available regarding the event, but today we only know the “what, where and when.”  What we don’t know, is “the who and the why.”

So, how to respond?  What I want to give you here isn’t an exercise as much as it is a discipline.  It is a way to deliberately and intentionally react (when you are not directly involved) to a critical incident like the bombing.  “Selah”.  It is a word found in some of the Psalms of the Old Testament.  I first noticed it in one of my favorites, Psalm 46.  There have been many debates and studies about what the word means, but the general consensus is that the word is not directly translatable and doesn’t have a clear definition. (For extra credit, do some research on the Internet or at the library and check out some of the research).  But one generally accepted idea is that the word indicates a “pause” in the verse, a time of instruction possibly saying, “hear this”.

This has been my advice to many people these last two days, and a strong piece of advice to my action oriented self.  Pause and listen.  We just don’t do enough of that in these often chaotic times.  We seem to have two speeds: Go Fast – Stop Fast.  This is a good time to take the time to pause, to pause and consider what you just heard.  Then press “play” again and move forward, but hopefully with a little more peace and a little more understanding.

Take Care, Pastor Dan.

That being said, I was approached by the foundation requesting some information about my perspective on public safety retiree funerals. We had a good exchange of information and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations.  Through this process I learned of the death of the retired Marshall MN Fire Chief, David Marks.  I have been associated with quite a few funerals since I started this ministry, but not so many related to the fire service.  I have a couple of connections to folks in Marshall so I thought this would be a good opportunity to hit the road and gain some first hand insights.  Since I wasn’t involved in the planning (which is always very involved and more extensive than you can imagine) I’m not going to comment on anything more than what I experienced as an attending member of the public.  And my review – it was a wonderful experience!  Funerals are tough, all involved struggle with finding that balance between celebrating life and the realities of grieving our losses.  Those who coordinated the service: the funeral home, the church, the families (both personal and professional) put on a really nice event.  I met some very good people through this experience and I look forward to furthering those relationships!

A Postscript:

One of the pleasures I have in the work I do is that I get to go on the road and experience Minnesota.  I am a city kid.  Born and raised and educated into my adulthood in Minneapolis.  I moved to the country for work and housing as an adult (ok, Eden Prairie and Excelsior may not be the “country”, but they had corn and critters so that was rural to me).  Here are a few photos of the Marshall MN road trip.  It was an enjoyable journey as well as a destination. Here are a few visuals of my trip…

The sunrise was amazing! It went great with my coffee and donut.

I followed this truck for quite awhile. For hauling critters?

More morning sun. Over a field of ???

A nice fire service turnout for the funeral

This EMS facility caught my eye.

And this one too. Lots of dedicated public safety professionals everywhere you go!

A very enjoyable day On The Road!  Marshall MN

Take Care, Pr. Dan

Saturday was a energizing experience for me.  It gave me a chance to revisit the St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church men’s group where a good friend of mine serves as a pastor.  I’ve known Pastor John Straiton for more than 40 years.  His official title in my world is “Coach”. (And to him I am “Chief”.  Not for the obvious reason but in reference to a character in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) He was my Young Life youth leader as a kid and my 10th grade hockey coach. Coach also co-officiated at my wedding and helped me roof my garage the day before my wedding.   We’ve backpacked Montana, fished and hunted Minnesota, supported each other in hard times and celebrated in the good times. But most of all we laugh.  He is one of the two guys in my life that makes me laugh just by thinking about him. So Saturday was a fun and refreshing day for me.

Pastor “Coach” John Straiton

The Men of St. Andrew’s – Engaged and Engaging. Of course the front pew (table) was vacant since these are Lutherans.

and Pastor “Chief” Dan

]]> http://publicsafetyministries.org/archives/893/feed 0 http://publicsafetyministries.org/archives/881 http://publicsafetyministries.org/archives/881#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:10:01 +0000 Dan Carlson http://publicsafetyministries.org/?p=881 I do quite a bit of reading.  And I do quite a bit of thinking.  And I do quite a bit of talking and writing about what I’m thinking and what I’m thinking is greatly impacted by what I’m reading and… well you get the picture.  So I thought I’d share some stories about the . . . → Read More: Off The Bookshelf: “Vanishing Act” by Thomas Perry]]> I do quite a bit of reading.  And I do quite a bit of thinking.  And I do quite a bit of talking and writing about what I’m thinking and what I’m thinking is greatly impacted by what I’m reading and… well you get the picture.  So I thought I’d share some stories about the books I read as I’m reading them.  That’s what Off The Bookshelf  references, books that are off the shelf and I’m currently reading.  (Stay tuned for On The Bookshelf)

My current read is ”Vanishing Act” by Thomas Perry.

It’s a fiction/mystery series about a woman who helps people disappear from their former lives.  As I was reading today I was struck by a comment by Jane (the main character who guides people into their new lives) as she talked with the man she was helping.  “So what do you want to be when you grow up?”  A question she asks when trying to create her client’s new identity.  She then goes through a series of steps that helps her guide the person in a direction to an identity that “fits” them.

I was struck by this comment because I frequently use the same question when talking to cops who are in the retirement transition process (and it really is a significant process).  I ask myself the question almost daily as well.  So as I was reading today, I figured this is a great exercise for the spiritual health of your soul.  Ask yourself: “So what do you want to be when you grow up?” And don’t forget to spend some time answering the question (because that’s when the heavy lifting begins!)

Take Care! Pr. Dan

This event is an addition to the current gatherings Public Safety Ministries hosts each month.  I originally advertised all of our gatherings as open to all.  As these small groups developed I realized that those who attended usually had some unique characteristics that brought them together.  Since faith and public safety based conversation is the foundation of these gatherings, I came to realize that some were not for everyone.  The relationships that developed and the conversations that ensued were significantly impacted by the personal characteristics of those attending.  Their professional disciplines, agencies, work environments, work experiences, rank, geographic locations – all impacted the depth and quality of our conversations.  The result has been referrals to other groups or the the addition of new ones, like the new PSM CTC Prayer Gathering!

Since this group is not focused on conversation (in fact while in the prayer environment and the prayer leader is the only person who speaks) the addition of people from different circumstances will enhance the impact of private prayer in a group environment.  This includes people of all faith traditions as well as those with faith non-traditions.  As the gathering develops, even the leader’s speaking role will be reduced providing quite time for reflection, meditation, prayerful listening and CTC (again, I’ll explain CTC later).

So please consider joining us for what I consider to be the best form of spiritual fitness exercise available – quiet, private, personal prayer held in a group environment.  Take Care, Pastor Dan.

I’ve given a lot of thought to writing blogs this pat year, lots of thought but not so much action. It’s been a tough routine for me to get back into. I started writing a blog back quite a few years ago, probably about 10 or so if the math in my head is right, and was pretty regular about it. The one thing I know about me and writing is that it’s good for my soul. It exercises my soul. And like with any good exercise plan, you need to make it routine. And to make it routine, you just need to get out and do it. So here I am, just doing it.

And again, Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you to everyone who supported the GiveMN “Give to the Max” day.  Many non-profit organizations, like Public Safety Ministries, receive wonderful support from GiveMN services.  And a special thanks to all of you who contributed to our ministry efforts yesterday!  Your gifts and support are critical components of our mission efforts.

Thank you!

Enjoy!

“Growing Into Your Profession”

by Russ Myers, Allina Medical Transportation Chaplain

Cumulative stress, critical incidents, and the emotional weight of our work are familiar to all of us whose jobs involve caring for people in crisis.  We know how important it is to be intentional about taking care of ourselves and keeping our lives in balance.

So it may come as a surprise when we begin to notice that we’re not bothered as much by difficult cases as we used to be.   We may wonder, “am I getting cold and calloused?”  A fire fighter EMT spoke about having clear memories of a call he was on more than a dozen years ago, while the details of a more recent, equally challenging call were not so clear.  He asked, “should I be concerned?”  Others have made similar comments, and asked the same questions.

A family member of a patient who was coding in the ICU at United Hospital noticed that I was able to be with his loved one without appearing to be in much distress myself.  He commented, “I suppose this kind of work gets easier over time.”  Easier?  No, I told him, it doesn’t get easier, but it does get more familiar.

In response to these conversations, I dug a little deeper into it this year.  One of the things I’ve come to recognize is that our responses to critical incidents involve more than one emotion.  A normal response to loss is to feel grief or sadness.  A typical response to trauma is to be frightened.  With experience, the “fear factor” is less than it used to be.  Situations that used to scare me aren’t so scary any more.  I still experience some initial anxiety as I make the mental shift necessary to respond to a crisis.  I notice a heightened sense of awareness, faster heartbeat and other physical responses, but I’m not as frightened.

I believe that, with experience and support from co-workers, family and friends, we can increase our skill at coping with stress and trauma.  The fear element is reduced.  We have a broader base of experience to draw on, and even though the current situation isn’t exactly the same as something we’ve seen before, we gain confidence in our abilities.  It’s not easier, but it is more familiar.

Should you be concerned if you don’t get overwhelmed by a challenging call?   I don’t know.  One way to explore it is to ask, do you experience normal emotional responses in other areas of your life?  Do you tear up at sad movies, laugh, cry, and care for your loved ones in appropriate ways?  If yes, this is healthy and you’re probably doing OK.

Others may interpret our lack of fear as meaning that our jobs get easier over time. We may still be sad, but not afraid.  If you notice that you’re able to be in the midst of a very tough situation without feeling overwhelmed, take it as a clue that you’re growing into your profession.  There will be times when your ability to cope gets stretched, and I encourage you to take advantage of support resources and critical incident debriefings.  But there will be other times when you recognize that you do feel sad about the situation, but it’s within the scope of your normal work, and you’re going to be OK.

Russ

Russ Myers, D.Min., BCC, is chaplain at United Hospital and Allina Medical Transportation in St. Paul, Minnesota. In his work with Emergency Medical Services he provides staff support to EMTs and paramedics.