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 236-237 – The Quiet People

August 24, 2009

"[Emily Dickinson] was not an alcoholic, she was not abusive, she was not neurotic, she did not commit suicide. Neurotic people or alcoholics…make better copy, and people talk about them, tell anecdotes about them. The quiet people just do their work." – Joyce Carol Oates

What can we say about people who, as Oates wrote, "just do their work"? We know that these legions of "quiet people" form the foundation of successful caregiving. They come and go to hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and other charities day after day, shift after shift. They don't demand attention. And they usually don't get it.

The quiet people are the ones who so often deliver Radical Loving Care behind drawn curtains, in operating rooms, to tiny patients living in bassinets and to clients who come for help to repair their broken souls. They are also the housekeepers who no one notices, the dietary employees who diligently and skillfully prepare meals, the maintenance staff members who fix plumbing, repair broken beds, fix the air conditioning and keep the heating running at the right levels. They look through laboratory micoscopes in search of disease-causing bacteria, they organize medical records so other caregivers can find them when they need them. They are the anonymous healers who answer suicide hotlines.

The quiet people don't seek medals or prizes. In fact, they don't seek any attention at all from the wider world. What many yearn for is to simply follow their calling with determination, skill, humility and grace. They don't seek recognition. They seek to live Love.

Perhaps, you are one of these quiet and loving people. I have seen you cleaning floors, transporting patients down the hallway, carrying blood samples to the lab. I have noticed occasional expressions that reflect, perhaps, the monotony of some of the work you do. You know that no one sees you and that your focus is on the job before you. You are the quiet people, the silent heroes, the humble servants of Love.

I celebrate you today and every day and night.

-Erie Chapman

Posted in Health Care

6 responses to “Days 236-237 – The Quiet People”

~liz Wessel

August 24, 2009

Angels and Dragons
Sailing home, high above
minds eye, catching glimpses
of dragons, grey precipices, white capped peaks
lightening weaving electric
sparks of angels dancing
On a distant shore of sky, sun slips
beneath, glowing orange
morphing into a red sea
carrying hopeful dreams,
lived well or left, broken,
hearts bleeding stuck
in earth’s browning
and twilight gives way
to crescent’s opening shape
Luminaries grace earths body
welcoming you home
inviting release of life’s bitter taste
to retrieve your heart
let your mind sift
the barren sand, see
the vast ocean of Love
you swim, let her
waves wash over this hurt
to accept Love’s gift
~liz
Dedicated to a most quiet and extraordinary caregiver; Tom

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Karen York

August 24, 2009

I appreciate this acknowledgement of the faithful caregivers everywhere whose goal is to make someone else’s life better. They tuck sheets, knead bread, sterilize equipment, balance ledgers and so it goes. We would be nothing without them.

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~liz Wessel

August 25, 2009

I would like to honor one of the quiet hero’s within our midst. Her name is Lillie Porter and she works as a home health aide. Lillie cared for a woman who was terminally ill with a brain tumor. This was Lillie’s first experience caring for a patient who was bedridden. The women often spoke of the Huntington Library in Pasadena and how beautiful it was. Lillie mentioned that she had never been there so the patient said she would take her there, and that she would drive as she knew the way. This woman had always been in charge of her life so Lillie went along with her request. She brought several items from her closet for her to wear and the patient selected an outfit, adding “Don’t forget the shoes!” Lillie laid her pants on her legs and placed all her other clothes over her as she lay in bed. Next, she put on her sunglasses and then they simulated the drive as the women explained to Lillie the different exhibits and the beautiful flowers in the gardens. While this was going on one of her daughters came in and asked “What is going on in here?” Lillie looked at her and whispered, “Please come along with us.” At this point the woman was reliving her fond memories and taking Lillie and her daughter on a virtual tour. There were many times that Lillie went on these virtual journeys with this woman, such as the Sushi Restaurant for sushi and martinis (Lillie has never had a martini, so the woman advised that she should only have one, but she, however, was going to have two!) They would wear wigs and sunglasses, etc. It just went on and on, she felt her life was still worth living, if only in an imaginary way! Lillie helped her to continue to live and love life through the gift of reminiscing for as long as she was able to do so.
(As recounted by Karen Leahy)

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Victoria Facey

August 25, 2009

am fortunate to work with a few quiet and loving people. (“She” is the term I will use for each one). She starts her day by smiling and wishing us well as she goes about her mission to address/resolve issues and support others with her caring heart and focused intent. She doesn’t advertise, carry a soap box, nor does she give people an update on her progress with her workload. She continues to hold her arms out, as others place new projects and requests on her. If she is over-burdened, you’d never know it. She would just make more time and room for her workload.
She looks into our eyes, laughs and is a great comrade in lighter moments during the workday. When the issue becomes difficult and elevated, she makes herself available to contribute where needed. All this while holding a soft and caring pose – amazing!
She is Liz Wessel and she keeps good company with Karin Reiss, Joan Kasewitch, Janyce Lawson and Vickee Stoner. And I salute, admire you all – and am often in your debt…

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Carolyn Olney

August 26, 2009

As a family caregiver, pain experienced by the person I care for has been a really difficult issue. The pain was like a barrier, making life very difficult for both of us. I wanted to take it away, deny it. Thankfully, a baclofen pump has all but eliminated the pain. I realized how grateful I am to that device.
Working on the assisted suicide issue in California, I discovered that many legislators who wanted to loosen restrictions had had family members who had suffered from unmanaged pain at the end of their lives. Our country’s “war on drugs” has made pain management difficult. May we have healthcare reform that will pay for things like baclofen pumps as well as have a better understanding of appropriate pain management.

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Carolyn Olney

August 26, 2009

Liz, thank you for that beautiful poem. Karen, thank you for that wonderful story of Lillie Porter and the woman she cared for. What imagination that lifted them both! And thank you Victoria for recognizing your colleagues. I can just see them “Being” like that!

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