Letter from the President June 2022

“Expressions of Oneness, Unity”

Dear Reader,

This morning as I walked my neighborhood, I saw several blue and yellow flags in yards -- the

flag of Ukraine. They express the almost global oneness that has arisen for a small nation

devastated by the invading force of a large one. But, are the flags evidence humankind is

moving towards oneness and unity?

When I was a boy, my dad packed our family in his Studebaker, and we drove through the

downtown streets of Shreveport, honking horns and shouts of joy filled the air. I had never seen

my mother and father so happy. We celebrated the end of World War II, yet another war many

thought would “end all wars.”

War can bring people together for a common cause. But, beyond war, are there expressions of

oneness and unity, beyond all that divides and separates people? I believe there are.

Love may be the answer to finding unity and oneness. Unconditional love. Divine Love. Love for

ourselves and our neighbors.

Where do we find expressions of love? Most experience unity and oneness in the bosom of our

family – a lover’s warm embrace, a mother’s first look at her newborn child, sitting at the

bedside of a child who is gravely ill, or holding the hand of a friend or parent near death. In

these intimate moments, nothing can separate us, and love has brought us together.

In this fragile life where political and economic power reigns and where absolute power

corrupts absolutely, I am learning we are wise to focus on that which can bring us together, not

what separates us. That is where oneness and unity abound.

I serve at a small church with great diversity. We are black, white, Hispanic, and Asian. We are

gay and straight; most are socially conscious, some not. We have a community garden and a

greenfield where neighborhood children play. We pray for and visit the sick and home-bound.

We give money and items of clothing and household supplies to those less fortunate. A

household of faith is often an expression of the divine gift of oneness and unity for all people.

Admittedly, religions have often been a source of war and division. But, there is evidence this is

changing. Our Institute’s board of trustees has representatives from the five major world

religions. Board members respect and love each other. Our trustees are an expression of unity

and oneness.

Since coming to Houston, my wife and I have eaten with Muslim families during Ramadan, and

we have invited Muslims to eat in our home, say prayers together, and share our common

beliefs in God. That had never happened to me in the past. I have attended services in Jewish

synagogues to honor victims and survivors of the Holocaust. I had never done that in the past. I

shared my faith in the home of a Hindu family, and they shared their faith. In the past, I never

thought this was possible. I have become friends with a religious leader at the Houston Zen

Center, part of the Buddhist tradition. Again, this would never have happened to me in the

past. I believe these are signs oneness and unity are more evident now than previously.

Look for love and you will find expressions of oneness and unity. And once found, tell everyone

you know where it is happening.

With love,

John K. Graham,

John K. Graham, M.D., D.Min., President and CEO