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.

Day 16 – Specific Purpose

Next moment I had moved onto a flattish exposed area of snow with nothing but space in every Norgay_hillary
direction.   -Sir Edmund Hillary’s description of reaching the top of Mt. Everest on May 29, 1953

   The objective of climbing Mt. Everest could not have been be more clear and precise. When Hillary and his climbing partner, Tenzing Norgay (in photo at left taken by Hillary) achieved their goal, they knew it. In mountain climbing, victory is measured, marked and photographed.
   The goals of Love are often ill-defined and elusive. When we live Love, how do we know if we have actually achieved anything specific? …

   The Good Samaritan leans to help the wounded man. He knows he has done
what he could. But there is no celebration of success, no knighting by
the queen, and no certainty that the summit of Love has truly been
climbed.
   So much of caregiving is like this. A nurse labors day after day to save a patient’s life. One day, she Nurse_2
comes to work and finds the patient has died. Were her efforts in vain? Similarly, another nurse may engage in the same labor and one day arrive at work to find that the patient has recovered and been discharged. She never sees or hears again from the person whose life she has helped to save.
   Because specific goals can be energizing, Love, as a goal, can be frustrating.
   Love must be its own reward. When Love commits to help another, there is no expectation of reward. Yet one day we may find ourselves feeling the exhilaration Hillary felt as he stood atop the world. We may feel we are in a place so high that there is "nothing but space in every direction."
   In your life as a caregiver, have you ever experienced moments of deep and unqualified satisfaction that arose from your knowledge that you truly lived Love?

-Erie Chapman

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3 responses to “Day 16 – Specific Purpose”

  1. Tom Knowles-Bagwell Avatar
    Tom Knowles-Bagwell

    One Wednesday evening my wife and I were returning home for the Fellowship Program at our church. My wife, Elizabeth, told me that as she was going through the line to get her food the new cook at our church had stopped her.
    “You must be Tom’s wife,” he said after introducing himself. “Yes,” she replied, finding this curious. “Well, he probably doesn’t remember me (he was right, I didn’t), but my wife and I saw him as clients a few years ago. I wouldn’t say that he saved our marriage, because it wasn’t really in danger. But what did happen is that it changed our lives.”
    That sort of thing doesn’t often happen. I’m not sure what happened in the brief process of our work together (I discovered that I had only seen this couple three times). I do hope and believe that whatever it was, it must have been Love at work in the process. Sometimes when I am wondering whether my efforts have any effect, I pull that little “photo” out of my memory to remind me.

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  2. liz Wessel Avatar
    liz Wessel

    A poignant memory that surfaces for me is when I was a nursing student and in my obstetrics rotation. I was supporting a mom who was in labor, when she was ready to deliver we wheeled her into the surgical room. This was to be my first experience witnessing a birth. Mom ‘to be’ chose the L’Ecuyer natural birthing method. The lights were dimmed, soft music playing, and warm bath water was ready for us to immerse the baby in. The anticipated moment came but something was terribly wrong the baby was not breathing! Suddenly, the lights flashed on and quick emergency action began. The anesthesiologist started CPR, as mom and I looked on in terror. This precious baby’s life hung in the balance, all I could do was hold mom’s hand and stay by her side. The baby was revived, healthy, and all of us happy! I was ecstatic to witness clinical excellence in action and the miracle of life and awesome medical care.
    Later, in my personal life, I was a coach for the birth of three babies of friends. To be chosen for this honor and to be present during the labor and births was a pinnacle life experience each time!
    Professionally, as a member of the palliative care team, I feel elated when our recommendations help patients that are in pain get relief from their suffering.

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  3. Erie Chapman Avatar
    Erie Chapman

    Liz
    Your experiences are a real commentary on the balance between clinical and integrative medicine. Balance is everything and Love provides that balance.

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