Unconditionally: A L.I.F.E. Graduate Blogs

Philip, L.I.F.E. Graduate
& TheBody.com blogger.

Philip D., a graduate of the Shanti L.I.F.E. Program, offered to share a recent posting entitled Unconditionally from his blog on TheBody.com with us. Enjoy:

I think it's safe to say that whenever I start a sentence, "Mom and Dad, I've got something I need to tell you both," they brace themselves for just about anything that might come out of my mouth. My life has, if nothing else, been decorated with a few stunning, life-changing "plot twists," and those two special people have seen me through each one, no matter what.

I know what some of you must be thinking: Is this guy for real? He tells us he's got a loving partner, a stellar physician, a cute dog, has angels dropping in left and right, is strangely grateful to have HIV, and now wants us to believe that his parents are amazing as well?

Guess what? It's true. My Mom and Dad are the kind of people that I aspire to be like. For all the times I've "come out" to them, their love and support comes with zero conditions and believe me, I've put those two to the test.

White House Reception: A Day to Remember

Randy Allgaier with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

Washington, D.C.--Shanti staff member Randy Allgaier shares his experiences from the unveiling of the nation's first National HIV/AIDS Strategy:

What can I say. I was honored, humbled and awestruck by my experience yesterday. It isn’t every day that you get to go to an event at the White House – let alone two- a press event to unveil the first ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy followed by a reception honoring the work of the HIV/AIDS community. And it certainly isn’t every day that you get the meet the President of the United States (even for 30 seconds) and have a five minute chat with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. To be able to share this with so many colleagues that I respect and love was icing on the cake. And while Lee, my sister and many good friends couldn’t join me, they joined me via the White House live stream and saw me too!

Women of Shanti's Weekly Group Become Poets

Shanti's weekly HIV+ women's group tapped into their creative inspiration this morning as they learned about expressing themselves through haiku. The women thoroughly enjoyed the session and asked us to share some of their work with you:

Meeting My Client for the First Time

By Anonymous, a Shanti Volunteer

I remember being so nervous that afternoon as I knocked on Tom’s* door for the first time. I couldn’t stop wondering if I was really ready for this, despite all the wonderful training I had received from Shanti on being an effective peer counselor. Would he like me? Would I like him? And what could I possibly say to someone who had been through so much tragedy at such a young age?

STRONG AT THE BROKEN PLACES:Tales of the Soul ArousedDr. Charles A. Garfield

“I am this groping intensity that is a soul.”

God knows how long I’d been staring at the Borges quote over my desk when the phone rang. It was Jim D., a uniquely tortured soul when I’d known him years ago as a patient at the Ft. Miley VA Hospital in San Francisco. Jim was now Director of Volunteer Ministry at First Calvary Presbyterian Church in the City. He wanted to get together to reminisce about a humbling and hair-raising time we shared one winter solstice over a quarter century earlier. Strangely, the soul words of Borges and Jim’s torment of long ago felt connected; the kind of synchronicity that amazed me yet I’d grown to respect.

TO BE WITH ONE WHO IS DYING: The Seeker as a Young ManDr. Charles A. Garfield

Spring 1974 saw me on my way to Shanti’s second client, Luis R. An ex-marine, twenty years old, Luis was dying of pediatric leukemia which today he’d likely survive. From our initial meeting, he’d tested me with his no nonsense questions. “Do you believe in a life after death and, if you do, what form does it take?” “Do you think we’ll ever meet again, in another time and place, and recognize each other?” Luis and I spent hours discussing the purpose of his life and mine. We spoke about loving people, relationships, the pain caused by confusing roles (such as patient, psychologist, or physician) with human beings. Luis’ limited life span and his precocious maturity gave our exchanges an immediacy and vitality often absent in everyday life.

Both Client and Volunteer

I first came to Shanti as a volunteer in the Activities Department in 1997. The following January I participated in the training to become a peer volunteer, and was soon after matched with a client. The training was invigorating, hopeful and a real eye-opener for me. I saw and learned new ways of being in a relationship, of giving support in a non-judgmental and honest manner. I learned how to just "be there" for someone else without my own personal agenda interfering with real compassionate caring. In a word, I learned how to be a better friend, son, brother, person to the people around me.