The anniversary of the Journal of Sacred Work was actually a few days ago, on June 7. Even though regular contributor Liz Wessel reminded me last week, the anniversary slipped by so quietly on Sunday that I forgot.
Anniversaries offer a terrific opportunity for gratitude and reflection. These are also moments when people make predictable comments about how fast time flies. Time always seems to have passed rapidly when we look back because, through our retroscope, we don't experience each individual moment. Everything is compressed.
The purpose of the Journal has always been to provide a place of rest, inspiration and, sometimes, provocation, for caregivers. We are far closer to change in our national health care system then we were in 2006 when the Journal began. What do you think about the changes that are likely to come?
Whatever change occurs, we hope the we can be a steady place for you to visit. I am thankful that the responsibility for writing daily essays has been shared for some time now by Cathy Self, who writes so eloquently for the Thursday edition. Without her help and encouragement, this publication might well have fallen by the wayside.
Cathy and I both want to thank the hundreds of loyal folks who come to visit the Journal – particularly those who are kind enough to offer specific comments. These responses are energy-giving for Cathy and for me and we appreciate your presence. We will continue to try and provide fresh commentaries each weekday and, sometimes, through the weekend. Some days, it's hard for either one of us to imagine writing something we haven't written before. And then we realize that we never actually address any new subjects. We just seek to cast a little light on some area of the heart that may need rejuvenation.
According to the systems that track these things, about 115,000 visits have been made to the Journal since our beginning. I am glad to imagine legions of caregivers who have come to this site and found, quietly, some meaningful support and encouragement for the hard work they do.
Thank you for your dedication. We hope to be with you many more years.
With love,
Erie
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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9 responses to “Day 161 – Third Anniversary!”
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Thank you Erie and Cathy for your dedication to writing this journal everyday. Your words of encouragement have helped me through many trying moments. By focusing on the heart of who we are and what we are called to do, I am better able to toss to the side those bothersome things that often take my eyes off the mission, which is to provide loving care to people.
I am humbled to call you my friends and colleagues. Thank you for your influence in my life.LikeLike
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Logging onto the Journal of Sacred Work has become a welcome habit. I didn’t realize that you were so young!
Each day you bring a mixture of soul-searching information that ranges from many historical points that some of us are unaware of, and some that bring melancholy, mixed with sweet remembrance. You offer new stories and facts that are refreshing and well worth the trek; you also present topics that challenge and inspire us. My best complement is that you put us to task in connecting with our better self.
Thank you Erie, Cathy, Liz and other contributors who continue to feed us with caregiving, inspiration and universal love.LikeLike
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This is a day for giving thanks and expressing our gratitude for the circles of inspiration, hope, and love the Journal gives unending as precious gift to caregivers. Congratulations Erie, on this, your third year of creating a sacred space for questioning and unraveling the known into the realm of possibilities. For me, the Journal has been a place of exploration, affirmation and deepening friendship. The late Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue wrote, “In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is the word for friend. So anam cara in the Celtic world was the “soul friend.” The Journal has become my anam cara.
O’Donohue so eloquently explained, “In the early Celtic church, a person who acted as a teacher, companion, or spiritual guide was called an anam cara. It originally referred to someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life. With the anam cara you could share your innermost self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an anam cara, your friendship cut across all convention, morality, and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the “friend of your soul.” The Celtic understanding did not set limitations of space or time on the soul. There is no cage for the soul. The soul is a divine light that flows into you and into your Other. This art of belonging awakened and fostered a deep and special companionship.”
O’Donohue stated, “In everyone’s life, there is great need for an anam cara, a soul friend. In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. The superficial and functional lies and half-truths of social acquaintance fall away, you can be as you really are. Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood, you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person’s soul.”
Thank you for all of this and more Erie, Catherine, my Journal friends, my anam cara!
With Love,
~lizLikeLike
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Thank You for continuing to encourage and inspire!
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I am so grateful to Erie, Cathy, Liz, and the many other contributors to this Sacred Work Journal. You mean so much to me.
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Thank you for this continued place of healing conversation, rememberance, and creation.
This week has been a test for our organization and family as on Monday we lost a Carepartner on site due to a horrific result of domestic violence.
The impact of the healing community has provided the strength for us to mourne, be, and begin a process of healing.LikeLike
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Edwin
I’m so sorry to hear about this loss and am grateful for your leadership in a healing community.
-erieLikeLike
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Thank you Erie, Cathy and Liz for your inspiration and encouragement. You are all truly remarkable leaders!
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Edwin,
I just wish to express my deepest sympathy to you and all your fellow caregivers. Losing a precious life is difficult yet through violence it must be extremely traumatic. Sending Love and a prayer of compassion and healing.
~lizLikeLike
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