not the best picture of Doc Shuman, but look, Joe's in it too!

In Punxsutawney, PA a little rodent came out of the ground at about 8:00 AM and he saw his shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter. This is confusing to me because if the sun, a sign of spring, was out, then I would be led to believe that Spring would be right around the corner, but this is Pennsylvania people, don't expect a whole lot. Furthermore, who needs to get weather advice from a chubby groundhog? How about getting your weather from a former body-building, former physical therapist, Duke graduated professor in ethics and theology?

I stood at my window this morning awaiting the passing of Dr. Joel Shuman who would be my predictor of this year's weather phenomena. Sure enough he strolled by at about 7:55 AM. Dr. Shuman has lived one of the cooler lives I've heard about in my time, and his sunny disposition always makes him a joy to see around campus. Who else could be worthy of determining my personal outlook on the weather for the rest of winter?

In addition to his personality, Shuman has written two interesting books, one of which I read many parts to (as I do with most books) :The Body of Compassion: Ethics, Medicine and the Church and Heal Thyself: Spirituality, Medicine and the Distortion of Christianity (written with Dr. Keith Meador). The books are good reads if you're into bioethics and the questions of morality in one of the country's most delicate professional fields.

On top of all of that, Shuman is a Mountain Top resident. He is in good company with Karen Petrosky and Bill Keating, among many others in the higher-up town. A father of three, Shuman is currently teaching classes in Christian Ethics and Bioethics. I missed his War course last semester, but he and several of his friends in the theological field have great views on Just War and various other things. Needless to say, Shuman is a force to be reckoned with.

And what about the winter? Well Shuman came on to the campus at about 8:00 AM and I saw his shadow. Surely he must have too. But if you're a former body builder with such an extensive resume, would you be scared and run back into your home? I think not! Therefore, my personal interpretation of the Joel Shuman prediction on Groundhog day is that he did see his shadow, but didn't retreat, so Spring will come in its own time. There's no rush for the sun to come out anymore in Wilkes-Barre, because when it does, it's still freezing. So thank you Dr. Shuman for your winter/spring prediction. Be well and take care.