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 197 – Accidental Harm

Healing_w
   The unusually low response to Monday’s Journal essay suggests that perhaps I missed something. A meditation with a title like "Wounds" is certainly not very inviting. Maybe there is also anxiety over the challenge which wounds represent. They call us to look at something we think of as ugly.
   This works in both directions. Our own wounds are painful. What about the wounds we may accidentally (or intentionally) inflict on others?
   Patients come to us already in some kind of pain. When we fail to respect their humanity, we inflict a second wound. It is the wound of failing to see or hear the deeper needs of the person before us.
   The hope of Radical Loving Care is support for those caregivers who seek to approach healing in a holistic sense, to bring the presence of all of themselves to help heal another.
   Chuang-Tzu expresses a precious understanding of this in this short poem:
     The hearing that is only in the ears is one thing. The hearing of the understanding is another.
        But the hearing of the spirit is not limited to anyone faculty, to the ear, or to the mind. Hence,
     it demands the emptiness of all the faculties. And when the faculties are empty, then the whole
        being listens. There is then a direct grasp of what is right there before you that can never
     be heard with the ear or understood with the mind.
   How do you stay present to the needs of another? How do you heal wounds you may have caused?

-Erie Chapman

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2 responses to “Day 197 – Accidental Harm”

  1. Yvonne Ginez-Gonzales Avatar
    Yvonne Ginez-Gonzales

    I find that I am able stay present to needs of others through our organizations mission and values. However, being human, I found in my early days of hospice care that I did not truly understand the hospice philosophy (caring for the body, mind and spirit). I certainly remember my own personal disconnect in the beginning as a new hospice nurse with hospice patients, because I thought if I ever personalized my care with my patients that I would have difficulty distinguishing my own needs from my patient. Therefore, I learned early on that these were for me like the 2nd wounds that Erie has described today. I believe I may have inflicted some unintentional wounds of my own as a caregiver in the past (not connecting with the humanness of my patient and just focusing on treating the symptoms of the diagnosis). Nevertheless, I came to acknowledge that if I was going to give holistic care I needed discover who I was first and why I was drawn to end-of-life care. I became aware of my own emotional bank and the need to fill others regularly; which eventually led to learning to appreciate all the goodness in life, love, gratitude, and blessings in my professional relationships with those I cared for, as well as in my personal life.

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  2. ~liz Wessel Avatar
    ~liz Wessel

    Gosh, it is overwhelming to think of how many times I unknowingly wound others. It happens every time I see you as separate from me and respond with impatience, irritation, or judgment. Then I am wounding myself as well. I imagine these hurts often occur almost imperceptibly when I am not paying attention and I forget to offer you hospitality but instead give you indifference through my preoccupation. The message unintentionally becomes, you are not important, nor do I value you.
    What I am coming to know in my heart and even my gut is that winning does not matter. There are so many little power struggles that occur between us humans. I want to raise the white flag and shout for joy, I surrender! It is just not important! What is essential is that I really see you, and let go of past grudges to offer forgiveness and acceptance. Each time I give this gift to you I also give it to me and our healing begins. I find this realization so hopeful.It is really quite simple, each moment I can choose Love or fear, attack or understanding. When I look into your eyes, the only thing I see that is real, is your Love.

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