Spiritual Resiliency Day encourages total-person concept Published May 14, 2015 By Staff Sgt. Daryl Knee 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The 52nd Fighter Wing Spiritual Resiliency Day is scheduled for June 4, 2015, with briefing locations across the base. Registration for this alternate-duty location is open now, and wing leadership encourages maximum participation. "The concept of spiritual resiliency is that a person can develop and strengthen a set of beliefs, principles and values in order to sustain oneself beyond family, institutional and societal sources of strength," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Nicole Ballinger, 52nd Medical Operations Squadron and head of Spangdahlem's Wellness Promotion Committee. "Spiritual fitness is about having a sense of purpose and meaning in your life. It's essential to an individual's resiliency as esprit de corps is vital to a unit's mission accomplishment." The resiliency day is one avenue for Airmen to address and educate themselves on the total-person concept -- maintaining physical, mental, social and spiritual fitness. Many Airmen may know the resources available to increase the first three but may only think of the chapel for their spirituality. "We suspect some people may not want to attend, because they think that spiritual resiliency is based on religion, but it is actually not faith based at all," Ballinger said. "Even those who do not claim a specific faith need some type of spiritual resiliency. Spiritual resiliency gives a person something to hold onto when things get tough and can play a large part in helping a person stand back up after getting knocked down. "We hope that by attending one or more of the workshops, even those who did not consider themselves spiritual before will be able to develop and grow their own spiritual resilience," she added. The keynote speaker for the main conference is retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, who will share her story of resiliency after having been a prisoner during the Persian Gulf War. The goal of her presentation is to inspire others from her own perspective of courage, perseverance and strength. Some of the other workshops include Spiritual Resilience 101, Intro to World Religions, Yoga for Kids, Cross-Cultural Communication, Living a Values-Driven Life, Interpersonal Problem Solving, Yoga, I Am Gladiator, Nature Hike, Mindfulness 101, and 5 Love Languages for Children. Light refreshments and snacks are available throughout the day, and the workshops are available to all Airmen and their families. Individuals interested may register at http://tinyurl.com/52spirit. For more information, call DSN 452-6711 or 06565-61-6711. "We want to make this a great experience for all Sabers," Ballinger said. "One way to ensure things go smoothly is for people to register in advance. Registration will also be offered on the day of the event, but by registering on-line people can secure the time and workshop that works best for them."