Craig's Corner

Last November I turned fifty. In a burst of youthful energy I jetted to the West Coast for a party and back to the East Coast for a celebration all in a 24-hour period. Sure it’s just a number, but milestones are opportunities to look back and to look forward. Today, July 30, marks another half century milestone – the anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. Like me, it’s showing its age and needs some fine tuning. President Johnson said at the bill signing: “No longer will older Americans be denied the healing miracle of modern medicine. No longer will illness crush and destroy the savings that they have so carefully put away over a lifetime so that they might enjoy dignity in their later years. No longer will young families see their own incomes, and their own hopes, eaten away simply because they are carrying out their deep moral obligations to their parents, and to their uncles, and their aunts." Despite the noble goal, according to CNBC medical bills are the num...

Last month I had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land of Israel. The trip allowed for a very quick skim-through of Jerusalem. It’s a place where I could spend weeks absorbing the history, the architecture and the religious significance of the land. Circumstances were such that instead I got a preview – a few hours to get a sense of things. I remarked during the trip that this was like sightseeing on a cruise – a good sampler to learn where I want to come back and really delve in. I returned stateside to my worship community, glad to be back after having missed a number of weeks due to travel. The ritual in the service is one of the elements that resonates with me – that no matter what else is happening or wherever I’m participating in the service (spiritually or geographically) – that there is a constant of the service. I was not expecting to experience the service differently – why would it be any different? As the blessings and prayers were being said all of a sudden the impact...

I’m a great negotiator. It’s something I also enjoy. Since most of my professional life has involved negotiation – that’s a bonus! I’m not sure where the skill comes from – perhaps it’s part of my DNA, perhaps it’s part of the middle-child syndrome. Perhaps it’s something I’ve learned along the way. (Thanks to the 1987 book by the [pre-crazy] Donald Trump which I devoured!) I loved sitting with my Dad negotiating with the car dealer in the 1970’s as a pre-teen on the purchase of their Datsun. Decades later I fumed when I learned my parents had bought a car based on its sticker price, without negotiation. Turns out they were buying the car from a Church friend and the small amount of money that might have been saved through a hard-nosed price discussion was far outweighed by the value they put on the relationship. My parent were right (as always). On occasions when the car needed service or something happened the dealer took exceptional care of them based not on what they paid for th...

One of my most distinctive memories of the Post-9/11 world was the abundance of U.S. flags everywhere. Living in Los Angeles, the car capital of the world, everybody seemed to have those suction cups holding flags flying from their car windows. I wondered what gas station was giving them out that I had somehow missed. The demonstration of patriotism also felt like code for whether you supported military action against Al Qaeda. It was obvious to me that I was one of the very few people who didn’t have an overt display, and it was uncomfortable…like going to a black tie event and wearing jeans. To mitigate that feeling and to better ‘blend in’ but still express my own authentic opinion on where the country was headed (war) I displayed a peace flag from my car window. The symbolism of the flag – whether it be the full stars and stripes or whether it be the peace sign – is visceral for most citizens. The current fight over the Confederate Flag proves the point. Wikipedia info...

I’ve spent the last two weeks living in a virtual bubble. The time has been spent on a travel based project for work, consuming 20 out of 24 hours per day and at the beginning and end of the trip, a 46 hour stretch of sleeplessness. I usually try to maintain some basics of my “normal” life whenever I travel (either personally or professionally). I like to read a newspaper or at the very least capture the headlines. I find it keeps me in tuned into the world and centered around a shared interests of mutual importance. Even when I’m on a cruise ship I peruse the news digest they publish. In this case, however, I was off in a bubble, largely unaware of world events. Days after returning the chaos of the project continued and another matter became all consuming. The bubble continued out of necessity. The usual reprieve after such intensity hasn’t occurred – with the 2 to 3 hours a night of sleep quickly becoming the norm stateside as well. Physically and emotionally that can’t conti...