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.

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.

About

Day 331 – Gratitude as a Way of Living

November 26, 2008

    Of all the pathways to Love, gratitude may be the finest…and the easiest.

   Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because of its central focus: gratitude. Thanksgiving also seems to be the holiday least interrupted by the noise of materiality and commercialism. There are no obligations to give physical presents at Thanksgiving. Therefore, retailers tend to flood the airways, the paper-ways and cyberspace with fewer seductions to "buy, buy, buy." (Except, of course, for the intrusion of early Christmas ads.)
   The "present" Thanksgiving calls us to is be a warm and grateful presence to ourselves and others. Each year, Thanksgiving teaches me the same lesson and each year, I find myself forgetting it.
   Gratitude is a way of living for too few people. And it is a choice for us all – everyday.
   Every time we choose to live Gratitude, we are opening the door to Love. In through that door comes a cornucopia of gorgeous gifts. Many of the happiest memories we have come through grateful remembrance.
   The way we live gratitude gives a gift to all around us. Children watch for signs of gratitude from parents. Caregivers watch for the same signs from each other. We can all learn richer ways to live gratitude by watching the world with an open heart.
   On this day before Thanksgiving, I offer to YOU my deepest gratitude. Thank you for being a part of the community of people who engage the Journal. Thank you for your gifts as a caregiver. Thank you for seeking to live Love, not fear.

-Erie Chapman

Posted in Meditations

7 responses to “Day 331 – Gratitude as a Way of Living”

~liz Wessel

November 26, 2008

Thank you Erie, Catherine and friends of the Journal, I am grateful for Love’s abundance which, flows forth from these pages endlessly to bless us all. Grateful, for the teachings and invitation for reflection on soul’s yearning to Love perfectly, however imperfectly and humanly we may try. Grateful, for forgiveness that offers me another chance to Love with each new day. I am especially grateful for the opportunities this sacred forum provides to share my thoughts, my heart, and most recently my grief with you. Grateful, to receive your Loving friendship and acceptance.
I wish you a Blessed Thanksgiving filled with gratefulness!
With love,
~liz

LikeLike

Reply
Victoria Facey

November 26, 2008

I love today’s theme on Gratitude!
You’re absolutely right about the day of Thanksgiving; everyone can enjoy the company and wonderful meals served, without the commercialism factor. This is the true giving and sharing of love and friendship = fellowship.
We have SO much to be grateful for; I wish everyone a glorious Thanksgiving Holiday.

LikeLike

Reply
Victoria Facey

November 26, 2008

What a perfect subject to write about – Gratitude!
I agree with you about Thanksgiving being enjoyed without commercialism – just the sharing of time and food with loved ones and family = fellowship.
This is an important time to realize how fortunate we all are and how gratitude should be in the day’s ingredients. My best wishes to everyone during this wonderful harvest holiday.

LikeLike

Reply
~liz Wessel

November 26, 2008

My friend had difficulty posting, so i am posting this in her behalf.
This has been a tough year for me due to the loss of my beloved husband last summer. It is the first Thanksgiving in over twenty years without him by my side. But I’m so grateful for my life and the many “angels” who helped me through this year. Human angels would appear at the strangest time and circumstance to make my moving forward possible. I’m grateful for my life and every breath I take. I’m thankful for my job as a nurse that allows me to help other (mostly) grateful people every day. So love to all those angels out there. Here’s hoping you have blessed holidays and a wonderful coming year!
`Marilyn Donan

LikeLike

Reply
Xavier Espinosa

November 27, 2008

Wouldn’t it be grand to have anything we wanted whenever we wanted it? I remember as a child having a secret wish that anytime I stuck my hand in my pocket I would find a nickel. A nickel was five pieces of penny candy that would last you a good while if you practiced restraint.
Nowadays I wish that I could reach out and grasp five minutes of time. Five minutes to tell someone how much you love them, how much you miss them, how much your heartaches now that they are gone. Five minutes to tell them that if given the chance you would do it differently, five minutes to make them smile instead of cry.
I am grateful because I learned this before I regretted the five minutes past. I am grateful that I have someone who is willing to spend the five minutes to listen to me, even if they are long gone.
I am grateful because I understand that the time is now, the place is here. I am thankful because I have learned to love what is. The here and now is perfect, I can’t wait five minutes.

LikeLike

Reply
~liz Wessel

November 27, 2008

What a beautiful expression Xavier, I am grateful for your sharing.

LikeLike

Reply
Karen York

November 27, 2008

Thank you Erie for another year of journal postings and creating a place for caregivers to find rest and encouragement. Happy day to you and all the wonderful people at the Baptist Healing Trust. Amen

LikeLike

Reply