This morning I was honoured to be present at the Coboto Club to see John McGivney receive the Community Impact Award from Leadership Windsor/Essex. John is a lifelong volunteer on the board of the Children’s Rehab Centre which was renamed a year or two ago to the John McGivney Children’s Center. John donates considerable time and effort toward the betterment of the community above and beyond the call of duty. John has been on the Board of Governors of the University of Windsor, he is a Rotarian and I need not tell those who belong to St. Mark’s by-the-Lake how much he cares about the advancement of his church community.
Steve Jobs CEO of Apple Computers knows a thing or two about leadership. When interviewed and asked about making a difference and about being ahead of the curve he said this;
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
I think that John has figured this out. He has respectfully over all those years of community involvement heard the opinions of others, while at the same time listening to his inner voice. In following his convictions John brought about the birth of an institution that to today has been a integral in the lives of families and of children in this community.
I am so pleased for John and for this community. It is really great to see a good man honoured for his humble service.
Breakfast was great too!
On a completely separate note, last night I was so pleased to have the opportunity to speak at the Canadian Mental Health Association for their monthly speakers series. The topic last night, was Reverence and Grace. The Reverence part, thankfully, was covered my The Reverend Martha Daniels from the MCC. I spoke on Grace. I was reluctant to speak on “reverence” as it is not really what I would consider my strong point. I have, in fact, been called irreverent more than once and in a couple of those cases I viewed it as a compliment even though it may not have been intended that way. I was heartened to hear The Rev Martha Daniels speak to that whole issue in reminding me and all present that we need to be asking what we revere. It left me thinking about Jesus as a model. We can see in his behaviour that he clearly had reverence for justice, wholeness, love and compassion. He did not necessarily show a load of reverence for institutions and laws that may have taken away the dignity and justice that all deserve. So I guess in that light I a left asking myself how I can show reverence in this world. Where do I show my reverence? [That is a rhetorical question folks – no smart remarks!] All kidding aside, I gained new insights into the whole notion of reverence – I even wore a collar (forgive me Pat).
It was a good night and I am thankful to Beth Lyster for allowing me the opportunity. I was please to challenge others along with myself to find new ways to embrace Grace as it relates to joy in our lives. I’m not sure if I offered much, but I sure enjoyed trying to offer something. I am one on a journey with many and I was glad to speak about my own walk.
The CMHA continues to offer quality service and programs to the Windsor/Essex Community and I encourage you all to take in the educational opportunities that they have available. The next session on April 7th is “The Healing Art of Touch.” You can learn more by visiting their web site at www.cmha-wecb.on.ca/.
It's Just Kevin's Corner 
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