Journal of Sacred Work

    It's hard to imagine a more unlikely location for the birth of one of the greatest leaders in history. The original cabin, located in a remote area of rural Kentucky, was not seen as important enough or stable enough to be preserved into the present time. But the replica stands as strong evidence that it's not our location of birth that matters so much as what we do with the life to which we are given.

   There is no possibility that Thomas Lincoln and his wife Nancy, two uneducated farmers, could have foreseen that the son born to them February 12, 1809 would one day be revered as an almost Christ-like example of leadership. Equally unpredictable would be that John Wilkes Booth, born into a successful family of British actors, would become vilified across history as Lincoln's assassin.

   What is both predictable and true is that Lincoln's stirring language of Love will endure so long as American history is alive. When, in his second inaugural, Lincoln spoke the phrase: "With malice toward none. With charity towards all" it was against the backdrop of a country-ripping war that had stirred hatred and hostility. Indeed, as Lincoln sought to sew seeds of Love, his assassin, flooded with anger, stood just yards away among the crowd of onlookers. As Lincoln spoke eloquent words of Love and forgiveness, Booth let hate's energy flow through him as he laid plans to murder America's political savior.

   Lincoln's Love speaks to all caregivers because we all know we want to live according to the "better angels of our nature." We want to live "with malice toward none." And yet our human condition makes us constantly vulnerable to thoughts and actions which may harm the very people we seek most to help. We want to help the old lady with Alzheimer's, but her very condition may sometimes feel aggravating. We want to help the person with alcoholism, but the disease can challenge our ability to be compassionate.

   Tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. He was a President who let Love enable him to reach out to enemies and friends alike. This anniversary is a time when caregivers can, perhaps for the first time, encounter Lincoln the Caregiver, not just Lincoln the President during the Civil War. For all who seek to be healers, Lincoln has set the bar high. And yet, by his own statement, he was just an ordinary fellow born in a log cabin with a dirt floor. We know that it was Love that enabled this humble man to rise as a great lot that yet shines across this world.

   How does Lincoln inspire you as a caregiver?

-Erie Chapman