Another day in paradise

It's a very comfortable 75 this Monday morning and I'm sitting in the suburbs of St. Louis listening to Phil Collins sing "Another day in paradise."

I'm still trying to settle into this new world we've entered. In my head I have the knowledge of what it takes to become comfortable in a new culture. I've read the books, sat in the seminars and even helped other people in their own journey of settling into life in Germany. But my emotions still tumble around trying to find solid ground.

I'm almost swamped by the potential I see all around me. This truly is the land of possibilities. Then I'm floored by the heartbreaking sight of a homeless lady in her 50's begging on the side of an intersection. Hoping against hope that one of the many drivers in their beautiful cars that are stopped in the grinding traffic snarl up that is St. Louis would press the button of their electric window and give a few dollars to allow her to have some of the hope that is all around her.

I’ll be spending today in comfortably air-conditioned offices and coffee shops discussing our dream of creating a safe place for students to explore their spirituality. While I’m busy weaving webs of words describing the insubstantial world of the spiritual, that dear old lady will be at some junction breathing in fumes trying to use her facial expression and eyes to communicate need. And hundreds of people will miss that communication and fail to press the button that would lower their window and force them to leave their guarded world and join her in the stink of too many cars sitting too long at an intersection.

Paradise is hard to get used to.