Day: August 4, 2017

Art is new to the Mansion. A genial, courteous man, he came to stay  in the Mansion to be near his brother John, who lived on the first floor. Art was assigned to an upper floor. A deeply religious man, he was struggling to find his own community there, as many of the residents had very different ideas about faith.

He and John had not spoken for some years, and it was important to Art that he be near his brother, whose health was failing.

The staff suggested that Red and I go see him, they thought he might be lonely. We talked about faith for a long while, and I thought Art was lonely, not for good people to talk to, but for some kind of ministry. I asked him if he wanted to receive letters at the Mansion (The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816) from people of faith.

The Army Of Good is quite diverse, I see, there are many people like me who are seeking our own spiritual pathways, and have left organized religion behind and many who are devout Christians, Muslims and Jews. I am pleased that they all feel comfortable reading my blog. I knew of I mentioned Art’s request, people who write to him, and they did.

Art and I do share an admiration for the teachings and writings of Jesus Christ. We both believe in small acts of kindness and righteous deeds.

Soon after we talked, John’s brother died in hospice care. I went to see Art and see how he was, and he was sad, but I saw his faith was sustaining him. He had expected to have more time with his brother.

I also saw that he was uncomfortable in the heat in his upstairs, where the sun bore down all day.

I asked him if he wanted an air conditioner, and checked with Kevin, the maintenance supervisor, as I always do. I ordered an 8,000 BTU  LG portable air conditioner which came Wednesday, we rushed it over there yesterday and Kevin installed it Thursday.

This morning, I went to see Art who had moved down to his brother’s room to be closer to his spirit. He and I are praying together this afternoon, Red is coming too. People don’t have to hold the same beliefs to find community with one another, we are all human beings, that is our community and connection.

The staff told me Art is thrilled with his new air conditioner, he is also greatly pleased with the letters he has been receiving from people of faith. He has just ordered 100 religious tracts so he can respond to the people writing to him.  He thanked me a dozen times for the air conditioner – it is supposed to be in the 90’s today, hot and humid – and also for the letters.

He said a beautiful thing to me as I left his room: “Thank you. I have a ministry now.”

Maria and I delivered another LG portable air conditioner to the Mansion, this one for Madeline, who is 93 and has a very warm corner room which gets the sun all day. She repeatedly said she didn’t need one, but after a series of conversation, she acknowledged that she would appreciate one. It arrived today.

Two more to go that I know of,  one for Bill and one for Sylvie. Thank you. People who wish to contribute to the work of the Army of Good – the refugees and the Mansion residents – can do so by sending donations to my P.O. Box, Jon, P.O.  Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or through Paypal, [email protected]. There is enough money on hand now to buy these two air conditioners. There are, of course, other holes to fill. Many thanks.

Many people are urging me to expand this program to other institutions and towns and to raise even more money for bigger things. But I would like this to stay small and focused. Our message is being heard, it transcends individual people and geography, through them we are defining or values and loving our country.  Each of us is making a statement that nourishes us and keeps us ground. We are also doing a lot of visible and measurable good. I’d like to keep it just the way it is.

Art has his ministry now, and he is comfortable in the summer heat. Those are some of the most beautiful words I’ve heard in a long time.

For me, training a dog is a spiritual exercise, it is not about domination or obedience. It is easy to dominate a dog, they are so eager to please us. First, I make sure the knows his or her name, I do this by putting treats and food up to my eyes and repeating the name so that the dog pays attention.

When you say a dog’s name, he or she should whip their heads and look straight into your eyes, as Gus is doing. This opens the pathway to communication, and when you can communicate with a dog, you can train a dog.. Dogs are our partners in the world, not our piteous and pitied dependents.

A dog doesn’t care if he is rescued or not, he wants to know how to live safely in our world. Usually, he doesn’t care if he is abused or not, as long as he is now being treated well. What is in our heads is what matters, the dogs that and responds to it, all things being equal (which they are often not.)

We have to be clear and patient and caring, and the dog will mirror us and return the favor. Gus is a bright dog, he is attentive. We have his attention now, so he listens to us, and doesn’t run off and pursue his own agenda.

Training a dog is about showing them not to live safely in our alien world. The tough thing for them is that a “bad” dog is most often just being a dog, while a “good” dog is most often acting like a human. It is a difficult position for them, Gus is mastering it well.