Letter from the Acting President July 2022
“Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate department of life, the
penthouse of existence. But rightly understood, it is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our
being... Wherever we may come alive, that is the area in which we are spiritual.”
Dear Reader,
First, an introduction. My name is Stuart Nelson, and in the coming months I will serve as the Institute for
Spirituality and Health’s Acting President, a role that I am honored to fill in this time of transition. I joined
ISH ten years ago and over that time have experienced a wonderful journey of learning, service, growth,
and camaraderie with ISH’s staff, board, faculty, partners, and audience, all the while remaining grateful
for Dr. John Graham’s mentorship and legacy. The Institute’s most recent chapter is part of an even wider
story, composed by many caring and thoughtful people over 67 years. During this time, I pledge to support
our amazing team as we continue to care for this story, advancing our mission of enhancing well-being by
exploring the relationship between spirituality and health.
I am especially honored to carry forward Dr. Graham’s monthly tradition of writing a personal reflection for
ISH’s monthly newsletter. Over the past several weeks I have spent much time prayerfully considering what
to write. I ultimately decided to focus my first few letters on what I consider to be “essential building blocks”
of the bridge between spirituality and health.
The first of these building blocks is the recognition that both a deeper sense of the spirit and a fuller
experience of health are available to us moment-by-moment. In other words, every single moment brings
with it an invitation towards spirituality and health. As humans, we have the profound ability to receive and
accept this invitation, and the good news is that if we choose not to accept it in one moment, we have
another waiting for us right here, right now. What a gift!
My first introduction to the teachings of Brother David Steindl-Rast, the American Catholic Benedictine monk,
author, and lecturer quoted above, occurred in October, 2017, while on retreat with Lex Gillan in Santa Fe,
NM. One of the esteemed teachers there, Cathy Nunally (who also happens to be Lex’s wife), focused her
talks on the living practice of gratefulness. She wove together her own wisdom in this area with the work of
others, including that of Brother Steindl-Rast.
For him, gratefulness is key to accepting the invitation. He writes, “Any place is sacred ground, for it can
become a place of encounter with the divine Presence … We are never more than one grateful thought away
from peace of heart.”
During the pandemic, I like many others have experienced a measure of isolation, disorientation, and the
pains of sudden and radical change. One of the things that has carried me through this time is a newfound
interest in triathlon – swimming, biking, and running in succession. Training for races has been a physical,
emotional, and spiritual anchor for me.
Last month, I participated in an event called Escape from Alcatraz, which famously features a swim from
Alcatraz Island across San Francisco Bay to the mainland. The hilly bike and run segments are intimidating,
too, and I can admit that I was feeling nervous about the whole thing in the days and weeks preceding.
Part of the build-up to the event was a pre-race “pro athletes panel,” which featured the perspectives of
several elite triathletes who had won the event in years past. Of all the tips and stories shared during the
panel, one comment stood out to me. A previous winner offered, “When you’re hurting and struggling to
carry on, just remember that practicing gratitude is the same brain state as being in the zone.”
Whether the neuroscience backs that statement up is irrelevant – it was a profound perspective!
Come race day, almost three hours in, after a grueling swim and bike, I entered the final two miles of the run
and began cramping up. The tank was running low, but the panelist’s words sounded in my mind. “Remember
gratitude.”
I accepted this invitation and began to feel grateful. With each breath, I worked from toes to crown, inwardly
reciting, “I am grateful for my toes. I am grateful for the soles of my feet. I am grateful for my ankles. I am
grateful for my shins… knees… hips… stomach… chest… etc.” When I reached the heart, I inwardly expressed
gratitude for each member of my family and my most special mentors. A person for each breath. Carrying on
and finally reaching the crown, I ended with “I am grateful for the spirit!” As I said this, I turned the corner
into the finishing chute, sprinting across the finish line with enthusiasm.
It was a peak life experience, and by accepting the invitation to gratefulness, I had also accepted the invitation
to a fuller experience of God’s presence, my body, and the wholeness of the moment. I had placed a building
block in the bridge between spirituality and health. Put simply, I had entered the zone!
Of course, not all struggles are as fleeting or trivial as cramps on a run. All of us – healthcare professionals,
businesspeople, parents, teachers, clergy, service industry workers, first responders, lawyers, elders, youth –
experience daily joys and sorrows, some of which are intense and long-lasting. Even still, invitations keep
coming, moment by moment.
Before you close this letter and move to the next activity in your day, take a pause – right now – and receive
this very moment’s invitation to gratefulness, to the spirit, and to health. It is yours to accept.
With Peace and Warmth,
Stuart C. Nelson, MA
Acting President
Executive Vice President