Journal of Sacred Work

Caregivers have superpowers! Radical Loving Care illuminates the divine truth that caregiving is not just a job. It is Sacred Work.

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Former President & CEO of multiple hospital systems and founding president & CEO of 20-hospital OhioHealth, best selling author, film artist, ordained minister, composer, published poet, syndicated T.V. host, trial attorney, federal prosecutor and Municipal Court Judge. Erie is internationally known as the founder of the Radical Loving Care(R)movement. He also heads Erie Chapman Foundation, Dane Dakota Productions, LLC, and Chapman Health International, Inc.

Recent Posts

About

Former President & CEO of multiple hospital systems and founding president & CEO of 20-hospital OhioHealth, best selling author, film artist, ordained minister, composer, published poet, syndicated T.V. host, trial attorney, federal prosecutor and Municipal Court Judge. Erie is internationally known as the founder of the Radical Loving Care(R)movement. He also heads Erie Chapman Foundation, Dane Dakota Productions, LLC, and Chapman Health International, Inc.

Thanksreceiving

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  There are many out there (including me) who find Thanksgiving a more appealing holiday than Christmas, at least considering how these days are celebrated in America. Christmas has become so much about buying things. Thanksgiving remains a time when we have the opportunity to celebrate the life attitude which is guaranteed to bring joy to all those who cultivate it: gratitude.
   Gratitude is described by many psychologists as the pathway to a balanced life. Yet many of us were raised feeling uncomfortable about receiving a particular kind of gift – a compliment. How often have you handed words of appreciation to a friend only to have them reject those words with a comment like: "Oh, I didn’t really do anything." or, "You should be complimenting Jane, not me." Naturally, these are efforts at modesty. But these deflections of kindness can leave the complimenter feeling oddly rejected…

  Affirmation is a silent, two-way pact between the affirming person and the affirmed. If the compliment is not received, the pact is incomplete.
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   Thanksgiving provides an opportunity for each of us to fulfill our portion of the pact. This Thanksgiving dinner, forget the "Aw shucks, I didn’t do anything" and try replacing it with something like, "Thank you so much. I’m so glad you’re enjoying this dinner." I think you will see a particular expression on the face of the person who complimented you – it will be the expression of gratitude that the compliment has been received.
   There are so many beautiful feelings that branch out from the practice of gratitude. Included among them is the lovely fact that when we’re practicing true gratitude, we’re unable to nurture anger, frustration, hostility or hatred. Gratitude has no room for those dark emotions.
   On this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the effort you make to read the Journal and to live the life of a loving caregiver. And I hope you will receive this public thanks in the most personal and private way. Happy Thanksgiving, and Happy Thanksreceiving as well!

-Erie Chapman

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3 responses to “Thanksreceiving”

  1. liz Wessel Avatar
    liz Wessel

    Excerpt from THE IROQUOIS THANKSGIVING ADDRESS http://www.worldprayers.org/
    The Sun
    We send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail, he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.
    Now our minds are one.
    Grandmother Moon
    We put our minds together to give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.
    Now our minds are one.
    The Stars
    We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings and thanks to the Stars.
    Now our minds are one.
    The Enlightened Teachers
    We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers.
    Now our minds are one.
    The Creator
    Now we turn our thoughts to the creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.
    Now our minds are one.
    Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
    With Love,
    ~liz

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  2. Karen York Avatar
    Karen York

    As much as I sometimes try to move away from the rigors of my strict religious upbringing, I often find a song or an old hymn strumming along in the back of my mind. “Count Your Blessings” (if you know it) is a happy way for me to change from an attitude of whining to one of thankfulness.
    I found these two quotes yesterday.
    “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was “thank you”, that would suffice.” –Meister Eckhart
    “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”
    –Anthony Robbins
    Thank you Erie for posting the Journal every day and for leading the way to loving care.
    Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

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  3. Tom Knowles-Bagwell Avatar
    Tom Knowles-Bagwell

    Yes, Erie, I’m with Liz and Karen in my gratitude to you for the work you have done to make this forum available on a daily basis, and for giving leadership in the movement to make radical loving care the cornerstone for health care across the country and around the world.
    I also want thank you for your support and friendship toward me over the past two years. You’ve made a great difference in my life.
    A very happy Thanksgiving to you!

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