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.

Days 162-163 – The Immovable Center

Find your immovable center and you can survive anything.  – Joseph Campbell

   Does Campbell’s statement ring true for you? Perhaps, in order to find our "immovable center" we need to have experienced things that shake this center to its foundations. What are the earthquakes that have attacked your sense of balance?
   As someone who has lived with a chronic disease since the age of 19, I have had a chance to test the strength of this center. Like most people, I find myself moving closer and further from contact with the kind of strength we need to survive.
   Martha Chapman, my younger sister, found her center very early in life. Born with a disability, as opposed to acquiring a disability later in life, she grew up knowing from the start that she looked different from everyone else. Her short stature drew rudeness from strangers and friends alike. Her tears watered her immovable center causing it to grow stronger and stronger. Today, she is one of the most balanced and loving people I know.
   Finding and connecting with our center is an enormous challenge. How do you stay centered?

-Erie Chapman

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4 responses to “Days 162-163 – The Immovable Center”

  1. Tom Knowles-Bagwell Avatar
    Tom Knowles-Bagwell

    I wonder, Erie, if it is not some form of suffering that draws us to that center. You and your sister illustrate that. I find that to be the case in my experience as well. But there is a kind of balance required so that the suffering does not distroy us.

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  2. Karen York Avatar
    Karen York

    I wish I could say that bounty and goodness test our center, but I think that it is during the hardships we discover our true mettle. Perhaps relishing in the abundance when we have it feeds the spirit so that we are more nourished when the opposite comes true. Living gracefully in the moment, cherishing loved ones, making the most of what I am given, and walking with a spirit of gratitude are some ways that help me stay centered.

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  3. Deb Gerlica Avatar
    Deb Gerlica

    I am amazed when I complain about anything that I have the audacity to complain. I am so blessed to hear, see , think. What draws me to my strength is that my parents died two weeks apart, it was than and there I knew my strength to endure anything this world had to throw at me. I thank them immensely for giving me the strength, endurance and values they did. Never heard it put in such terms, but yes, I have found my immovable center. And those hardships and trials, have made me stronger. We all have disabilities.Be strong and yes, even appreciate that we have had to endure.

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  4. Yvonne Ginez-Gonzales Avatar
    Yvonne Ginez-Gonzales

    I believe my immovable center are my family. I have drawn on their love, support, and understanding during the hardest of times. Our culture of family comes first has further reinforced that safety net for me. However, I have recently been experiencing a few moments in the last few weeks regarding my balance in relation to the uncertainty of where will I go now that I have finished my Master’s degree. So I find myself having to focus again to my immovable center; to those that I love, respect and trust. I try never to forget to be thankful to them for their mentorship and commitment to serving and being there for family.

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