There's a term in Interpersonal Communications that is used to describe a person who has a positive effect on others and where the person is seen as doing no wrong: "Halo Effect."
The term typically refers to the perception of one or two people. It's rare for there to be a consensus of many, many individuals about a "Halo Effect" around one individual. But life does sometimes offer us surprises, and in some instances, too, rarefied individuals.
Berteley Lynch is one such person.
I doubt that many of us would ever encounter a person who is more grounded, saner and just absolutely always her own authentic self than Berteley Lynch.
The fact that she is a K-12 School Psychologist for Lake County (Florida) Schools is just one explanation for this groundedness and absolute sanity and integrity she displays at all times. This is a woman who is TRULY always in charge of herself and her emotions and who has a sure and working knowledge of who she is at all times.
The opening lines from the poem, Desiderata, come to mind when you think of Berteley Lynch: "Go Placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in Silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, they too have their story."
Those lines were written about her.
Berteley Lynch is a Guyanese-born American and has a long history with my family.
I've known her since my early 20s, when I lived in the metropolitan Chicago-area, and she also lived there. Over the years, though, it was not the "family connection" that kept us close. It is my deep respect for her as a person and a truly wonderful human being, who takes a sincere interest in and concern for the lives of others and who is contributing in huge ways to the personal growth and development of so many others in her world.
Berteley Lynch says she's "passionate about life."
[Berteley is shown, here, and in several photos, below, with Guyanese friends, celebrating the holidays in Canada]
IN THE NOW!!!"I enjoy every moment I am in the world. The peace and tranquility that I am afforded each day come from enjoying the simple things in life and living in harmony with the universe."
She begins each day with prayer.
"Beginning each day with prayer enables me to be a peace, first, with myself, then Present for others. By starting my day this way, I am then able to be at peace with the world."
With a master's degree in Education and a bachelor's degree in Psychology, Berteley may have been given a link to practicing her giving Spirit and lending her tranquility to others. But it could only be the power within her and the deep love and commitment she has for others that have made her successful for more than 25 years practicing her profession, first, in Chicago-area schools, and now in the Lake County schools.
There is no script written for a giving spirit.
You have to write and create your own ticket.
Writes her Script!
Berteley says she sees "life as a learning experience, preparing us for the next steps we are to take. When we think we are not up to the challenges with which we are confronted, we shouldn't avoid them. We need to confront them, embrace them and address them so we can move on.
"When others' lives present them with a tempest, I believe my sharing my peace and tranquility with them is one way to help them heal."
Such peace and calm certainly must have been developed at a very young age, as she surveyed her immediate world.
Berteley is the third child of four children birthed by her mother. She also has nine other siblings, parented by her father, with whom she shared an especially close relationship.
"I am close to all my brothers and sisters, staying in touch with them by telephone since all but one of them live out of state. We visit at least once a year and most of us get together at major holidays and on special occasions."
Her innate sense of peace came naturally to her, as Berteley says she cannot pinpoint a time when she "became spiritual," or entered on the Spiritual Path. "Overtime, my spirituality has increased, and there are many times I ask myself whether my spirituality increased with my aging or increased with life experiences, or both."
However it happened, the world is blessed for having this truly gracious PRESENCE in its midst.
[The following pictures show Berteley, celebrating Carribana, a Caribbean festival held annually in Toronto, Canada, with various groups of Guyanese friends]
PRESENT with Others!It's not that Berteley has lived a life without challenges, but it's the application of FAITH, permeating her Being, that so impresses the folks who know her.
Forever Close To Kin...!!...![LEFT: Berteley is pictured with her sister, Merlyn]
Says her sister, Merlyn: "My sister, Berteley, is a walking demonstration of how to do life 'right,' with all of its concomitant challenges and obligations. Step by step, I have been witness to Berteley's overcoming situations that would have incapacitated others, but she rose to the challenges and handled them with grace, tranquility and her own unique style."
Maybe, what Merlyn sees is simply Berteley living each day as she says she does.
"He (God) takes care of all my needs each day. I enjoy peace, tranquility, good health and prosperity. I do face challenges, but God always has given me the strength to effectively deal with them."
Finding God for Berteley came through an early religious background of being baptized and confirmed in the Anglican (Episcopal) Church in Guyana. Then came visits and exploration of other faiths: Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodists and Buddhist.
Today, Berteley attends Unity Church of Christianity, near her hometown in Leesburg, Florida.
She hopes to continue to deepen her Spirituality through Unity and other studies, and she also plans to travel, lots, and spend time with family and friends, when she retires in a few years.
Sunshine and Roses !!If we were to look down the horizon that seems laid out by the path she's already set, we also see nothing but SUNSHINE, with her enjoying her large collection of Jazz and Caribbean music, gardening and reading.
What a tranquil lifestyle for a truly lovely, gracious and peaceful Soul!
"Yes, Berteley, 'God is the Omnipotent, all Powerful being, who truly lives and directs' your life. We know this because we truly see this witnessed in YOU!
Happy Birthday, friend. May God continue to bless and keep you so RICH in Spirit."
Namaste',
Che'
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