(Written June 18, 2025, from Buena Vista, Dominican Republic). This past week, while reading Walking in Valleys of Darkness: A Benedictine Journey through Troubled Times, by Father, monk, and one of my favorite devotional book writer’s, Albert Holtz, O.S.B, I was reminded that the word “time” in ancient Greek can be express as one of two different words, each with its own distinct meanings. Chronos and Kairos.
Chronos is the root word for time as we typically think of it. The measurement of 24 hours in a day, 365 days contained in a year, 10 years that make up a decade, 100 years that comprise a century, and the encompassing 1,000 years in a millennium. This is the concept that we frequently believe that we “don’t have enough” of, to accomplish all that we feel compelled to do.
This week we are wrapping our four months of living and serving here in the Dominican Republic. It’s been good to spend time serving along Bruce’s staff colleagues hosting short-term mission teams, reconnecting with expat friends here at church and developing deeper connections with neighbors, community workers and some new of friends through a yoga class. It’s always surprising how quickly our time here passes. The days and weeks down here on “island time” take on a rhythm that is unique.
This year, because of my virtual training work has been very limited, my mornings consist of; taking a cup of coffee along with my devotional materials to our front porch, where our two dogs, Mama Dora and her daughter Latte are waiting to give and receive some loving. My rocking chair and side table are there along with some Lemon and Eucalyptus Oil Mosquito Repellent that use to I spray myself down. Then my “quiet ‘time”’ with God can begin.
My devotion “time” is followed (and sometimes interrupted) by Bruce arriving to ask about taking a walk around the neighborhood with our two dogs, Dora, Latte as well as Frieda, the gate dog German Sheppard, who is the unofficial neighborhood greeter and fiesta crasher.
Usually, we take a second lap of the walk to include Blanco, who is a light-colored-Street dog-Greyhound-mix, who was also rescued by the gate guards. When all four dogs are together, they are a rambunctious pack that has brought lots of laughter to our days. This dog walking routine, which we are sure the locals just shake their head at since dog here are generally abandoned and shunned, is interspersed with warm greetings with neighbors or their maids and yard helpers. There is also the distribution of many doggie pats, words of affirmation, and small tasty treats…this happens four “times” a day.
during an afternoon walk…yes that is a machete in Blanco’s
hand!
After the dog walks, I usually continue my porch “time,” because I enjoy the company of our dogs and the incredible breeze that almost constantly passes through a window to the left of my chair, coming from the back of our house and across my face. It’s a lovely way to spend my “time.”
This outdoor porch time my “time” to; revisit my resources on grief, journal my reactions and reflections of what I sense God telling me to do, catch up on digital correspondence, plan for upcoming work assignments, make family travel and meal plans, develop training materials in hopes of implementing the Healthy Doctor Protocols program in the future, and to read for pleasure. It’s been a rich “time” with a slower pace of life than I’ve never had before.
Some days here in the DR require getting up at an earlier “time” in the morning to depart from home to drive the 30 minutes up to Young Life’s ministry camp. There we meet mission teams and help in the camp kitchen with food preparations and clean up. Other days, there’s yard chores or house cleaning to do, and still other days it’s taking time to run into town for groceries or to have something copied at the print shop. Some days it takes even more time to journey down the mountain to the valley for a La Vega city visit with the veterinarian, for either the dogs or Lulu our grand-cat who travels here with us, but never all of the critters at the same time
Our evening “time”, between the third and fourth dog walks of the day, usually consist of me starting to prepare dinner, Bruce mixing up some pineapple juice, coconut milk and sparkling water drinks and us taking them up to our back porch, to enjoy that breeze, catch up on each other’s day, read and watch a sunset. Then there it’s “time” for the last dog walk before dark, dinner for everyone, and some more reading “time” in the evening.
The “time” here (in the linear since) for the past four months has had a great rhythm to it. It’s been a “time” for me that has felt restorative, joyful, and connected.
https://youtu.be/H1L6zv_ilzY?si=cRZCA0GRvMvlBJps
Oh, but wait a minute…no pun intended, in the prior sentence I just used the word “time”, using the other ancient Greek meaning for the word. Kairos. Kairos also means “time” but in terms of a “time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action: the opportune and decisive moment.” According to Merrium Webster, Kairos means “a time for specific appointed and important reason, so it has a qualitative, more permanent nature.”
Kairos’ meaning isn’t linear. Instead, it represents something that isn’t repeating. Like the word “season” in English can mean any of the four seasons that occur at generally the same time each year. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. And, so on it goes into the next year.
“A Time for Everything
3 For everything there is a season, and la time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to mdie;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to nweep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to odance;
5 a time to pcast away stones, and a time to qgather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to rrefrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to slose;
a time to keep, and a time to tcast away;
7 a time to utear, and a time to sew;
a time to vkeep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to whate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
https://youtu.be/NueMKnU8qa0?si=WCwwwnARI37Mn8WD
(One year later…Written from Green Cove Springs, Fl, March/April, 2026)
Wow, talk about Chronos and Kairos moments…here I sit in the US during the months of March/April, and not the Dominican Republic, for the first “time” in three years.
As I pulled up what I started writing late last spring, I realized that a good part of what I wrote hadn’t been saved properly in the file and was lost. I also realized that a lot has happened the past year that has changed some of the content of the message. There has been lots of Kairos moments during the Chronos.
Isn’t it true that we often don’t realize the moment of significance and meaning until a later date? Fortunately, when I began this journal entry last April, I was very much aware that God was up to something big. And He has continued to show me little by little what some of that something is.
First, He allowed me to have Chronos time to accomplish some much needed grief healing. Losing or son Will, my Dad, my mom, and my brother-in-law Colin over a period 22 months left me gutted. Having the space to continue to receive God’s healing comfort and perspective was a huge gift.
https://youtu.be/q8anLMKB9N8?si=yxO4DTjFoawhHnJW
Secondly, God has continued to connect me with numerous people who are also passionate about improving the wellness education of young physicians. Starting with the University of Dubuque (UD), where my husband Bruce serves on the Board of Trustees.
We received news early in 2025 just before we left for the Dominican Republic that UD is going to start the first medical school in the state of Iowa in over 125 years. It will be an osteopathic program just like our son Will graduated from.
So, Bruce and I decided it would be important for us to come back to the states to attend the spring Trustee meeting to get a firsthand update on the medical school plans. So, we had the opportunity to walk through the skeleton of the medical school’s facility in downtown Dubuque, participate in the ribbon cutting, and speak to several influential decisions on the board and in the university community regarding my passion for young physician wellness and the willingness to be involved in the establishment of a comprehensive program at the new school. It was a very encouraging time to share Will’s story and begin praying about the program and how God may want to use me to support it.
The founding Dean of UDCOM, Jeanne Rupurt, MD began in her role in June of 2025 and I had the honor of meeting with her in October to “give my pitch” for total physician wellness-physical, emotional, relational, and financial. I found her to be a warm, open, creative, and enthusiastic leader. I was encouraged that she will have the medical students’ wellbeing in mind as she builds her program.
Since then, I have attended a national women’s physician and dentists conference and gotten involved with their mentoring program for medical students and residents. It was another Kairos moment, to hear that Dr. Rupert’s first faculty hire, was someone I introduced her to. The introduction came via a long-time friend, artist, and prayer partner of mine from Dubuque. Who would have thought that a gal that I met during Kindermusic mom’s hang out time 31 years ago would still be a dear friend. When Susan M. asked me to talk with her very brilliant and kind brother about the new medical school, I said “Sure.” Before our call I did my homework on Dr. Doyle and was absolutely blown away. Then to have a conversation with “The Father of Spatial Biology” was a delight. I have to say that I was nervous to talk with someone as bright and accomplished as Mike, but his humbleness and honesty was as compelling as were his credentials. What a gift Dr. Michael Doyle will be to UD.
Applicable information has kept flowing towards me, so I have continued to collect articles and research on wellness and the current deficiencies in advanced medical education. I have been introduced to outstanding physicians, educators, and researchers, building my network of potential supporters for UD’s efforts. It has felt energizing to know that my desires to redeem Will’s passing may have a future reality. Just yesterday I connected with a gifted young man from the Pacific Northwest with a heart for wellness in the healthcare industry, and with the gifts of organization, networking, and communications. This was another encouragement as I wanted to wrap up and send my journal message to you today!
Kairos…God has been busy at work faithfully weaving together resources with my passion to restore our loss of Will with a mission that could saves an entire generation or more of physician from burn-out, death, and relational devastation. Stay tuned for how God will allow me to be involved either officially, in a programmatic way or voluntarily in this mission.
https://youtu.be/es8KfGbTKkE?si=0cDwkTy2UR_DxGQ9 I believe you….
Thirdly, Kairos moments haven’t stopped with UDCOM, God has also been at work bring about another redemptive opportunity…with some of my extended family relationships. The brokenness that goes back 13 years, actually longer.
After Bruce’s mother passed away in 2010, his father (Pop) was very lonely, and he remarried a recent widow from a Griefshare program. During the past dozen years there has been numerous situations, actions, inactions, interactions, and difficult words that have caused hurt feelings and alienation within the family.
Because extend members from this part of the family have lived between four and 24 hours driving distance apart…it has made dealing with some of the situation easier, by way of absence. But the distance has left little opportunity for improvement in the relationships.
In December Pop’s wife had a fall and subsequently a fatal stroke (the Kairos moment was that we happened to be in their town to celebrate an early Christmas with them when it occured) and she passed suddenly. Pop announced immediately that he was going to move up to our town to be near (able to walk to see) his great grandchildren. Our daughter Kate had just announced that she and her husband were expecting their second child, a girl this time…after many years of praying for another baby. So, the Chronos moment turned into a Kairos moment in a couple of ways.
What a gift it was that we didn’t need to convince Pop that we wanted him to live near us. Since he wanted to move away as soon as he could, we spent the last two months helping him deal with memorial services, updating his estate documents, listing his home for sale, helping pack-up and dispose of his household items, coordinating PODS moving and loading services, and updating bank/credit card/insurance/investment/utility documents.
God’s hand was in the timing of it all, as two houses were/were about to be up for sale on our street. There are only 18 house total on our road and ownership turn over hasn’t been a common occurrence. And the Kairos of it was that both houses were on either side of our daughter Kate’s house, across the street from us!
Pop and Bruce’s sister Linda, who is moving down from the Chicago area to live with her dad, looked at the two houses, along with several others in the area, and they put an offer on one. It had actually been sale-pending with another buyer, but the financing didn’t work out and Pop and Linda got it. Another Kairos moment.
Since then more Chronos has been spent applying for a bridge loan to buy the home…before his existing one sells, coordinate plans with Bruce’s sister to move here as well to live with Pop, contact contractors to get bid on renovations to update the home, take photograph/measure/and then brainstorm renovation ideas, coordinate deliveries of construction materials, source a new primary care physician, and figure out a whole new home shopping, eating, and living routine…to integrate Pop into our lives in this interim period of time.
Oh, this has all gone on while I had foot surgery and couldn’t drive for 6 weeks and Bruce has dealt with multiple health issues with appointments, test, scans etc. between Mayo here in Jacksonville, FL and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami.
correctly…can’t say I have a screw loose!
It is very clear that it has been a very busy Chronos as well as it’s been a time of Kairos. It is a “time” of praise and prayer for us.
https://youtu.be/a_H4bNsmQvc?si=TrFVvJCPXcqwiP0E
Since this is Holy Week, the celebration of hope in my faith tradition, I pray that God continue to give us eyes to see Him in action and His grace and wisdom to navigate the opportunities to heal and restore, not just the medical community but also the community of our family. May you and your family also experience God’s hope in your lives, and may you gain insights to the many Kairos moments to be celebrated.
Thanks be to God!
https://youtu.be/sT5whoRt4wA?si=WKoqKvvZyZBDX_po
Keep well until next time….
On Parallel Paths 