Faith, Focus, and Feeling Connected – CLE Team Discussion

Members of the CLE team share what it means to have faith and how it impacts our lives.

Moving to the Northwest suburbs of Chicago was indeed a change I was not entirely prepared for.
I grew up in a rural Mid-western town where the days were long and somewhat lonely. There was a lot of space and people were dispersed sparingly. I had always imagined the city as a place full of life, people hustling and bustling: the constant movement from one place to another. After spending some time here however, I noticed that the people seemed a little ‘lost’ or disconnected. Sure there were people engaged in conversation with others, some having coffee on the corner, some sharing a joke on a park bench, but observing this disconnectedness left me a little sad. I wondered if I was the only one feeling this sadness, the only one who noticed? Then I saw a man on a street corner near the Presbyterian Church. He was holding a sign that read, “Where has the Faith gone?” I thought, how interesting, that this man who appeared homeless would be holding a sign asking about faith. Was his mind right? Was he in need of therapy? Or was he just considering the state of his fellow man, those whom he saw as disconnected as well? And for a brief moment, I didn’t feel as sad, or as disconnected.

• Michael Birch

As a therapist for the last 10 years on the Northshore of Chicago there is a key ingredient that is important to have in order to effect successful change.  If a client is able to access faith in their journey they increase their ability to stay on track when they begin to process painful past issues, overcome an unhealthy habit, or sustain positive changes.

• Gabriela Cantu