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.

Recent Posts

About

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.

Circling the Still Point

EC PANTHEON   Is life about different kinds of marriages – to people, jobs, landscapes, hobbies? The determined fellow portrayed looks stuck. 

   What is it that we marry in others, author Michael Ventura asks. He describes it as "a process that goes on while we manage to earn a living, go to the m0ives, watch television, go to the doctors, walk on the Palisades, drive to Texas, follow the election, try to stop drinking, eat too much Haagen-Dazs."

   Is this the whirlwind of your caregiving life? Do you live under the commands of the moment or dance circling a still point?

   We imagine balance. Yes, hope is the answer. Depressed people never think, "I feel so hopeful." So hopeful generalizations crush nuance and never dent suicide's trends.

   My passionate journey down wildly diverse paths looks whimsical. My current travels generate as much depression as joy as I flail for meaning beyond simplistic advice. 

   My best still point is a salvific, God-centered, imperative: Whatever I do must serve others.

   This is so lofty I am often lost, floating amongst the Palisades, running to the cliff's edge, screaming into the void, and stopping to eat too much Graters.

   Does approaching journey's end force setting priorities in our cathedral? OR, can even caregivers release goals, sit in center of the chapel and watch the dance? I have visited the mediation room but have never stayed. It is not a thing you "do."

   What is it like to be? Can we be and do in a new marriage where the still point dances?

-Erie Chapman 

Portrait, "Erie at Parthenon" Minton Sparks, 2019 

   

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2 responses to “Circling the Still Point”

  1. Liz Wessel Avatar
    Liz Wessel

    In the quiet of evening, in this still point moment as I read and reflect on your essay, Erie. This is one where I, read a line and let the meaning sink in… a lifetime of service of making a difference… of meaningful work… I sit a while… keeping company with these thoughts… the journey can be hard at times….let us be there for one another… share our joys and sorrows…your closing inquiry offers a beautiful image “to be and do where the still point dances”… as we come into a place of unity. Thank you for the depth of your sharing.

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  2. Laurie Harting Avatar
    Laurie Harting

    We all face this challenge as we retire from our care giving and executive lives. I have felt that transition myself and wondered “what else is there?” As much as we didn’t like the fast hectic pace of our lives during our employed years, I do miss the feeling of being part of a team and pursuing great feats that influence the lives of so many patients, loved ones, and colleagues. Yet, over the past year I have also learned that circling the still points in life is also rewarding. Appreciating simple conversations with strangers, walking and noticing the beauty of the landscapes. Capturing some of that beauty in my artwork has also been therapeutic. Getting our minds out of the past and looking into the present with more depth and clarity has been my answer. For you Erie, writing is your art and your way to explore the unknowns and it helps others by giving us something to think about as well. Please continue your thoughtful writings and know it is appreciated.

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