Reclaim Your Headspace and Find Your One True Voice As a hospital chaplain, J.S. Park encountered hundreds of patients at the edge of life and death, listening as they urgently shared their stories, confessions, and final words. J.S. began to identify patterns in his patients’ lives—patterns he also saw in his own life. He began to see that the events and traumas we experience throughout life become deafening voices that remain within us, even when the events are far in the past. He was surprised to find that in hearing the voices of his patients, he began to identify his own voices and all the ways they could both harm and heal. In The Voices We Carry, J.S. draws from his experiences as a hospital chaplain to present the Voices Model. This model explores the four internal voices of self-doubt, pride, people-pleasing, and judgment, and the four external voices of trauma, guilt, grief, and family dynamics. He also draws from his Asian-American upbringing to examine the challenges of identity and feeling “other.” J.S. outlines how to wrestle with our voices, and even befriend them, how to find our authentic voice in a world of mixed messages, and how to empower those who are voiceless. Filled with evidence-based research, spiritual and psychological insights, and stories of patient encounters, The Voices We Carry is an inspiring memoir of unexpected growth, humor, and what matters most. For those wading through a world of clamor and noise, this is a guide to find your clear, steady voice.

his 79,000-word, 80-chapter (280 pages double-spaced) non-fiction photo-illustrated memoir starts with the author's experience in in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001, followed by an "invitation" to deploy with an Army National Guard Green Beret battalion to Afghanistan. This unit association begins with the casualty notification of a forward-deployed unit member and subsequent pre-mob training and JRTC certification. Upon arrival at Kabul Military Training Center, FOB195 picks up two missions in OEF-2: 1) mop up of insurgents and 2) training of the first two brigades of the new Afghan National Army. In addition to unit ministry and the training of Afghan soldiers in human rights (HR) and the law of war (LOW), the battalion intelligence officer (S2) encourages the chaplain to "get out" and develop humanitarian missions to engender good will with the local population. Little did the S2 know that the ensuring conversational English classes at the nearby Pol-e-Charki school would become the bridge to conciliation following a tragic training accident that claimed the lives of four boys from that very school, threatening to derail their training mission. The lead up, tragedy and amazing resolution (through the application of an ancient Afghan ceremony) demonstrate the cultural sensitivity, professionalism and compassion of the Green Berets. The heart-healing story is seen through the eyes of a versatile citizen-soldier chaplain, whose observations and interventions include an amazing series of story lines that are played out in two surprising epilogues.

This book is about mysteries—the mysteries which confront and confound every one of us. They come into focus when we ponder how to respond successfully to the proverbial “speed bumps in the road” of our lives. There are no quick or certain answers. The challenge is in the process of dealing with them. The author asserts that we have essentially three choices. When encountering these mysteries, we can choose to (1) wrestle with them, (2) dance with them, or (3) wrestle with them while we dance. This is Ray Dressler’s first and only book. New to this endeavor, and enthusiastically encouraged by his children to write it because they want their children and grandchildren to learn about his interesting career, he accepted the challenge. After seventeen years, his work is complete. He begins, where else, with his earliest childhood recollections. Having no idea whatsoever where his journey will take him, he invites his reader to walk along with him through his life’s adventures to the day when he retires from his naval career aboard the historic USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”) in Boston Harbor His career is unique because he begins his professional studies in electrical engineering and architectural design. In his second year of college, however, called by God, he switches to philosophy and theology and begins his studies for the pastoral ministry. His theme is, as the title declares, Dancing With Mystery. His conviction is, “Mysteries remain mysteries, until God is brought into the mix.” As he pursues his dream, he becomes aware of an additional truth, that “coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”