A brief introduction to a 156 week offering called The Epistle

The day I was diagnosed with an incurable form of lymphatic cancer called ‘mantle cell’ lymphoma I began writing about my experience, feelings and observations. I wrote on a daily basis until the day the doctors told me they could no longer detect any cancer. On that day I rejoiced and ceased ‘the blog.’ I wrote, finding in so doing a catharsis for the soul as well as perhaps offering others hope by following my daily journey with the disease. My body, spirit, and mind all needed a little conservation, preservation and restoration and now I remain cancer free. Halleluiah!

However, the fragile ecosystems that sustain my body are becoming increasingly hostile to my body and to the integrity of the whole we call creation. Contamination of soil and water jeopardizes our ability to sustain a food production system capable of sustaining all 6.8 billion of us on a daily basis. We already lament the cries of millions who have no access to clean water and are living on fewer calories than my mid-day snack. Issues complex and varied challenge even the healthiest among us while the fabric of the earth is being challenged at an ever accelerating rate. As the sea level rises attract the attention of the native Alaskan villagers and the Maldives Island inhabitants simultaneously the Bolivian forest dwellers and the Himalayan Tibetans watch in dismay as their sources of water disappear, global scientific research indicates few pockets or oasis remain not impacted by the collapsing of creation.

I take notice and thus start today with a weekly offering that will focus on the issues related to the environment as well as broader social issues affecting all. Has the earth been given what I was given by my doctors 4 years ago? I was told I had 10-12 years left (hopefully medical advances will push that out further as I attempt to eat right etc. to build my immune system); how many years are the scientists telling the human family we have to live without suffering the unintended consequences of our actions?

The compilation of my readings suggests that 2010 – 2012 will provide the answers to that question. Ironically 2012 marks the end of the early calendars of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. I am not a superstitious person, but the mere suggestion that at the end of this three year period may offer the human family definitive answers about the direction we are ended is worth noting in light of our Native American ancestors history.

January 1, 2010 today! 156 weeks later is just around the corner. Time to get to work!