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.

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Days 198-200 – From Lost to “Found”

July 17, 2009

"…one small thing/ I've learned these years,/ how to be alone,/ and at the edge of aloneness/ how to be found by the world." – David Whyte, from "Ten Years Later"

About fifteen years ago my son found himself lost in the middle of his beloved Boston. "I had absolutely no idea where I was and it was late at night," he told me. "For a moment, I was afraid. And then I thought how this was, for me, a safe city in which to be lost. Then, I knew I loved Boston and would always love her."

In those moments, my son went from alone to being "found by the world." Many of us spend much of our lives feeling isolated, loneliness burning at the edges of our consciousness. Any one of us may find ourselves suddenly cast into a hospital bed, unable to speak because of a tube down our throats, unable to hear beyond the noise of machines pumping nearby. It is then that we will want to be able to feel like my son did that night in Boston – not lost, but found; surrounded by the comfort of caregivers who help us feel we have been discovered by a friendly world – and loved.

As a caregiver, when have you felt lost and then found by a friendly and loving world?

-Erie Chapman

Posted in Meditations

6 responses to “Days 198-200 – From Lost to “Found””

Karen York

July 17, 2009

I feel lost when I prop my ego with stuff that doesn’t really matter and find myself again when I settle into the natural energy around me. That’s what boosts my mood. That’s what makes me feel like I belong. That’s what provides hope for the next day or the next moment. When I struggle for prominence or position, I lose who I really am. When I let go and allow my true nature to lead the way, then I am found.

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Kelly Roberts

July 17, 2009

What a wonderful way to view the world, turning the negative(Lost is the world) into a positive (To being found). Thank you for this lovely reflection.

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~liz Wessel

July 17, 2009

I’d like to begin by sharing this quote with you. “The primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid: the state of being alone.” ~James Baldwin
In times of alone we can sometimes reconnect with the inner source of our being. I love your son’s story and his epiphany as it illustrates so well that a shift in perception can change how we experience our world. I find this an encouragement to consider.
I’ll share this little story that was instructive to me as well in this regard. A few years back I attended an ethics conference in Arizona, alone. I remember that I did a meditation practice; as I breathed I took in any fearful thoughts I had and as I exhaled I sent out an opposite Loving thought to the world (Pema Chodron’s teachings.) Although I am naturally an introverted person, for some reason, I made a pact with myself that I was going to make a concerted effort to talk with every person I met on my journey. It was a remarkable experience. I talked with people on elevators, in airports, everywhere I went. Returning home I shared an hour ride with another woman in a shuttle bus. I attempted to converse and she responded with a nod. I tried again and she answered in a monosyllable. The third time she either surrendered to my annoying persistence or saw my effort as genuine and we engaged in a meaningful conversation. She arrived at her destination, and I continued on with the driver. At once, he began to share his life story with me. I think it was because he knew I was interested. I felt at home in the world, each person I met was a Loving friend versus an unfamiliar stranger.

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Victoria Facey

July 17, 2009

What a great reflection for a Friday.
I can remember being lost when I had to make a decision about something and felt unsure, which still happens, by the way. My “finding” is when I learn to take the step and trust my instincts to respond to the task.
My most memorable situation was years ago as a college student, lost in an city that still had racial tension brewing. There were no cell phones, no Thomas Guides, no businesses to ask for help – and I got off my job after 10 pm. I sat in the car, crying and praying for safety and guidance. I also promised myself if I ever found my way home, I would never be in this area, outside of working here.
Some years later, now I live and work in the area. I guess I conquered that fear…smile

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~liz Wessel

July 18, 2009

I just read “Left To Tell” by Immaculee Ilibagiza, who discovered God in the most horrific genocide of her native Rwanda. Love’s light sustained her in the darkest of times and enabled her to offer forgiveness to a man who killed her family. This passage stood out for me as I read about her unfathomable life-changing story.
“I knew that whatever I envisioned would come to pass if I had faith and visualized it with a pure heart and good intentions, and if it were something God thought was right for me. It was then that I realized I could dream and visualize my destiny. I vowed that I’d always dare to dream for what I wanted. And I would only dream for beautiful things like love, health, and peace, because that is the kind of beauty God wants for all His children.”

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Naresh Mody

July 28, 2009

I am afraid of his scared work. he is a fake as is Obama.

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