Journal of Sacred Work

Note: reflection offered by Liz Sorensen Wessel

“All that a man has to say or do that can possibly concern mankind, is in some shape or other to tell the story of his love.” Journal of Henry David Thoreau, May 6, 1854

This has been the journey of a lifetime for Erie Chapman. Thoreau’s quote is part of Erie’s exceptional book, "The Seven Powers of Radical Loving Leaders." The pages overflow with fascinating stories of great leaders from their early beginnings and formative experiences to the insights and revelations that inspire.

We all seek purpose in life. Finding meaning in our work fuels passion regardless of the job or task at hand. It is not the “what” as much as the “how” we meet life and one another. Our encounters can create bridges and tear down walls or sadly, the opposite.

In this latter part of my career, I find myself reflecting on 40 years of nursing, the wisdom I have gained and the desire to pass on some of what I have learned to my colleagues who will be taking up the torch.  Especially meaningful to me, is Erie’s inquiry, “Do you ever think of the caregivers who came before you?”  In home care I think of the aide who spent her days in intimacy with patients bathing them and offering comfort, the on call nurse making night visits to patient homes to provide care and support and the physical therapist helping a patient restore function and reclaim his life.

Erie asks the following, “Do you ever think of the leaders who headed off to the place you work every morning, the ghosts who traveled the hallways before you and whose steps you walk in today?"

"What fields have your predecessors plowed and fertilized for you? How well are you doing harvesting the wisdom of your long line of predecessors?"

"What will your successors draw from the legacy of your leadership?”

These marvelous questions have been guiding light for my heart, mind and spirit as I seek to find my place in a rapidly changing healthcare system. I contemplate the meaning and purpose of our work, recognizing that I too will be one of the many invisible hands that came before to help shape a culture of caring and a legacy of love that will burn a little brighter into the future.  

In closing, I pass this quote in Erie's book by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin “Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves.”

Liz Sorensen Wessel