For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people
upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger
when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut
their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our
darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway
filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child,
that finally decides our fate. – President Barack Obama [Photo montage of people watching Obama swearing in – Associated Press]
For a little over 18 minutes on January 20, 2009, tens of millions actually paused in silence to listen to a speech. Traffic stopped. Surgeries were delayed. School days were interrupted. Perhaps people paused to hear words from our brand new President because he understands that "…it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation rests." I refer to our President as the new Caregiver-in-Chief because that is what every President has the opportunity to become.
Our President's have more opportunity than anyone else to set the tone for our nation's culture. This has been most evident during the terms of the great Presidents. Washington refused to be crowned a king and, when he refused to run for a third term, signaled that America would be a culture of democracy. Lincoln appealed to "the better angels of our nature" and led our country through the valley of the shadow and into the sunlight of a culture of unity. Franklin Roosevelt spoke to American's in fireside chats and, in so doing, helped Americans understand themselves as a culture of one nation.
President Obama has the chance to champion Love over fear. And that is exactly what he spoke in his inaugural address – that "We gather because we have chosen hope over fear."
Mr. Obama has the chance to live the highest calling of a caregiver by how he responds to the challenge spoken by inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander: "What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial,
national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need
to preempt grievance."
Imagine. What if these words of love traveled through the heart's of all of America's caregivers and into the souls of people in need. This is what a Caregiver-in-Chief can do. It remains for us to follow this path of Love in this new generation.
What do you think? Can our President be effective as our Caregiver-in-Chief?
-Erie Chapman
Journal of Sacred Work 
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