Cozumel

Early on Saturday morning, Lisa and I returned from ten days in beautiful Cozumel, Mexico. Not only was the weather in the mid-to-high 80's every day, with continuous ocean breezes and occasional rain showers, but the people of Mayan Mexico stole our hearts. These are fabulous people, living in less-than-fabulous conditions, who have a genuine passion for improving the lives of others.

 

Each time that we vacation in Mexico, we like to get off the resorts in which we stay and meet the people of the land. This year was no different.

 

Cozumel is a small island, located several miles off the coast of the Yucatan, adjacent to Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun. It is 56 kilometers around, fourteen kilometers across, and some thirty-six kilometers from top to bottom. The eastern coast is developed, relying on tourism from the mainland. It is filled with shops, bars and tourist services. The northeast is filled with resorts and recreational opportunities for visitors. The western coast is largely undeveloped, due to its rougher terrain and open ocean climate. The south is populated by tourist attractions, resorts, and pirate memorabilia. The northwest portion of the island in populated by indigenous Mayan Mexicans, living in traditional ways, and military installations.

 

The minimum wage is $.35/hour. The average workday is ten hours. The average workweek is six days. The average daily wage, at least in the Mayan region, is less than $5.00/day. During our stay, we had the opportunity to interact with many of the locals, including the resort staff.

 

I met Caterina, our daily maid. She makes $.35/hour, works ten hours, six days per week. We tipped her daily. One day into our stay, I do not recall which, we did not have the usual $5.00 tip. I left $10.00 instead. Mid-morning, I had to head up to the room for some now forgotten reason and encountered Caterina, as she was leaving our room. She thanked me profusely for the daily tips, I think. (I speak very little Spanish and she spoke even less English.) She tried to either give me back the $10.00 or have me consider it two-days tip. Tears ran down her cheeks as she explained to me what the daily tip meant to her. Though I understood few words, there were some that I recognized. I certainly recognized the emotion. It was thanksgiving and celebration.

 

We met Lupe and Elmer, both of Mayan descent. These gentlemen took true joy in making people around them happy. Despite very difficult lives, their smiles and excellence in service made all the difference in our stay. We met Wilma, who hawked her handmade wares daily on the beach. By week's end, we knew about her marital and family situation, what her homelife was like, and how appreciative she was of those few tourists who would actually interact with her. We met the proprietors of Wet Wendy's, she a Hungarian and he a U.S. citizen, and Havana Bob, the owner of a Cuban cigar shop, who is actually from Hamilton, Ohio.

 

As Lisa and I begin to reminisce about our trip, as we look at pictures and videos, it is the people, both on the resort and off, that we will remember. Such a beautiful place and such beautiful people! Despite their relative hardships, despite having nearly nothing, they are thankful, generous, kind and loving. 

 

I learned from these beautiful people. I wish we all could.

 

See You Sunday!     

Next Steps Nearing Final Steps

Yesterday, Sunday, September 9, 2012, Shiloh used its newly renovated chancel. More correctly, Shiloh used part of its newly renovated chancel. There were roughly 12' at the rear of the chancel that we were using for storage and which, at this point in the procedure, cannot yet be lighted. After a few finishing touches, and more than a few corrections to detail, Shiloh should be in full use of its renovated chancel.

 

The Next Steps process is a continuation of Shiloh's overall facility renovation plan. The congregation had already changed out its windows for more efficient ones, tore out old, inefficient boilers and replaced them with new, much more efficient ones. Shiloh has remodeled its Christian Education wing and upgraded the Omega Hall, including blackout shades. We have replaced some carpets and done a lot of deep cleaning.

 

Due mainly to the replacement of old, inefficient heating and windows, Shiloh is now saving tens of thousands of dollars every year in utility costs. The congregation has greatly reduced its carbon footprint. We will do even more, as we continue into further steps in the process. One upcoming part of the plan is to replace the old, inefficient lighting in the sanctuary with LED lighting. We are told that each LED light is 40x's more efficient than its incandescent forbear. Not only will such a process save us money in the long run, it is a more more responsible usage of available energy.

 

The chancel renovation is not quite complete, however. Shiloh still needs to dress the chancel, arrange for seating risers, and complete the accessibility lift. Beside a few finishing construction projects, we anticipate that it may take some considerable time for Shiloh to fully utilize its expanded chancel space.

 

Thanks to all who assisted with the project. Your efforts saved the congregation more than $54,000.

 

See you in a few weeks!

Political Ads

I have often said that I would not vote for any candidate who runs political attack ads. As a rule, that stance has help us relatively well. Before saying how it has, and has not, stood the test of time, let me explain what I mean.

 

I define political attack ads fairly narrowly. I do not mean any statement that may be construed as mean spirited or as an attack on a political candidate. Instead, I interpret an attack ad as an address on an opponent's character or record without a context from the candidate's own position. If the charge is made without the claim that the candidate takes an opposing position, and that the position in question is important to the political office being sought, then it is simply made to diminish the person against whom the candidate is running. Intentionally demeaning statements are not acceptable to me. Neither are attacks on character that have no direct relevance to the political process. To say that a candidate is ugly or immoral or a drunkard or too short is not fitting election language. Neither are their opposites.

 

The rhetoric that George Bush was "a more moral candidate" gained him many votes as he ran for his second term. Because he belonged to the Christian right, Bush was credited, perhaps unfairly, with being of more moral character. The claim won him scads of votes, yet was not particularly meaningful to intelligent political discourse. Religious background and participation should never be a political issue. But is has been. Remember JFK?

 

I want to know where candidates and parties stand on the meaningful and important issues of the day, not whether a candidate drinks beer, smokes cigarettes, is faithful to a spouse, is a devout whatever, or wears designer labels. I do not care how pretty or handsome a candidate's spouse might or might not be. I want to learn about stances instead of superficialities, issues instead of pretenses.

 

Few campaigns live up to that simple standard. I will only vote for the candidates who do. I was accused recently with using the stance as a cop out of political discourse. On the contrary, I believe that, if enough of us were vocal about the standard of acceptable advertisement, I think that the process might change.

 

Eternal optimist that I am...

 

See you Sunday!