Journal of Sacred Work

Days 29-30 Deepest Thanks to Caregivers

In this fragile frontier-place, your kindness
Becomes the light that consoles the broken-hearted,
Awakens within desperate storms
That oasis of serenity that calls
The spirit to rise from beneath the weight of pain,
To create a new space in the person’s mind
Where they gain distance from their suffering
And begin to see the invitation
To integrate and transform it.

May you embrace the beauty in what you do
And how you stand like a secret angel
Between the bleak despair of illness
And the unquenchable light of spirit
That can turn the darkest destiny towards dawn.

May you never doubt the gifts you bring;
Rather, learn from these frontiers
Wisdom from your own heart
May you come to inherit
The blessings of your kindness
And never be without care and love

John O’Donohue, Irish poet and philosopher

   

Sometimes our light goes out
but is nurtured into flame
by another human being.
Each of us owes deepest thanks
to those who have rekindled this light. 

–Albert Schweitzer

I believe each of us can bless. When a blessing is invoked, it changes the atmosphere.
Some of the plenitude flows into our hearts from the invisible neighborhood of loving kindness.
In the light and reverence of blessing, a person or situation becomes illuminated in a completely new way.

~John O’Donohue

Offered by Liz Sorensen Wessel
Artwork by Liz

Did Jesus Laugh? (Days 24-28)

    Many wonder what might be missing from the  book we were raised to believe was both sacred & perfect, the Bible. As a kid, & even after my ordination in 2009, I was confused by a number of aspects. For example, why do men hog most of the Bible's key roles? We make up only half the population & have caused virtually all wars!

   There is another truth the current Bible wrongly excluded.  Where is the humor? Did Jesus lack laughter, a trait common to every great leader?

   Wit is basic to humility so Jesus must have had it. 

   The answer may have been hidden by the exclusive, men-only group who assembled the books of the New Testament more than three centuries after Jesus' crucifixion.  

   At the command of Emperor Constantine, these men met at The Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. They picked every book of the Testament simultaneously excluding several other gospels & texts for various reasons. Constantine then endorsed the decision, ordered those in his empire to become Christian & to use the new Bible as their "field guide."

   Expanding our understanding of Jesus' humanity requires consulting gnostic writings including the Gospel of Judas. (fragment circa 220 A.D.)

   Do not be put off by Judas' name. Many believe he got a bad rap. That he betrayed Jesus because he was commanded by Jesus to do so in order to fulfill prophesies about the Messiah.*

   Judas had eyewitness credibility. The gospel that bears his name contains this revelation in Verse 36 (decontextualized):

"His disciples said to him, 'Lord, what great generation is better and holier than us, that's not in these realms?'"

"Now when Jesus heard this, he laughed. He said to them, 'Why are you wondering in your hearts about the strong and holy generation?'"

   My point is not to engage an academic argument but to offer proof of an essential quality of, arguably, the greatest leader in history: That he laughed. This excluded gospel is the only text verifying that.

   Jesus laughed. Thank God. 

-Reverend Erie Chapman

*Across 2007 & 2008 under the name Dane Dakota, I wrote a short story & play (performed in two cities) & then an award-winning feature film called "Who Loves Judas?" available via Amazon

** Cf Journal of Sacred Work, March 27, 2017 

 

 

Days 22-23 The River of Life- A Guided Meditation

I wish to share this story by author John Perricone:

Several years ago, as a teacher, I invited a Buddhist monk to speak to my Senior elective class, and quite interestingly, as he entered the room, he did not say a word (that caught everyone's attention). He just walked to the board and wrote this: "EVERYONE WANTS TO SAVE THE WORLD, BUT NO ONE WANTS TO HELP MOM DO THE DISHES." We all laughed. But then he went on to say this to my students: 

 

"Statistically, it's highly unlikely that any of you will ever have the opportunity to run into a burning orphanage and rescue an infant. But, in the smallest gesture of kindness -- a warm smile, holding the door for the person behind you, shoveling the driveway of the elderly person next door -- you have committed an act of immeasurable profundity, because to each of us, our life is our universe." 

 

This is my hope for you for the New Year -- that by your smallest acts of kindness, you will save another's world. (John Perricone) 

 

I am discovering, tt is all about kindness.

And Today, I offer you a guided meditation that I recorded. I hope that you find it a relaxing break from the busyness of life to experience the peace within that is always whispering and beckoning you to come be.

 

Download The River of Life Meditation

(Press control-click to listen, no need to download)

With love and gratitude,
Liz 

Guided meditation/photo by ~liz

The Mona Alternative - Days 17-21

   Who is this? Not the Mona Lisa we are used to seeing but another version painted by Leonardo DaVinci. He does not portray Lisa del Giocondo, the original subject, but a different model, Pacifica Brandano.

   This gorgeous creation is the second and only other verified "Lisa." But among the most interesting facts is that hidden beneath the surface of the masterpiece we now know Leonardo had painted some stunning prior versions. 

   Do harried caregivers care? Since western civilization still considers the Mona Lisa the best expression of beauty on canvas could Mona relieve some of our daily suffering?  

   Without Beauty, life is not worth living. Modern civilization, computerized, industrialized, terrorized, has put Beauty, and thus our lives, at risk. 

   Years ago John O'Donohue sounded the alarm. "...all the contemporary crises can be reduced to a crisis about the nature of beauty."

   All we need do is look around to realize his statement is increasingly true. This time it is not limited to wars or even to the pandemic or political issues. 

   To a stunning degree, Beauty has become dispensable to most. 

   The ancient Greeks understood Beauty. So did the population of Florence, Italy during the Renaissance. 

   Do we no longer have time? Have we forgotten what she looks like?

   There is nothing new about ugliness but the noise of it today is overwhelming.

   Beauty does not shout. Its murmurings live in our soul. It requires slow listening to hear her sweetest whispers. 

   For those who think they are too busy Rumi offers the best of advice. "Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. 

   Amid the suffering caregivers confront there is beauty. Kneel in humility & you will find it.

-Erie Chapman

   

Days 15-16 A Cup of Loving Kindness

God is love. Various Faith traditions hold distinct beliefs and images for God, but one unifying source is an all-inclusive love, an expansive circle that includes all that lives.

God is a mystery and beyond our ability to ever fully define or articulate but rather our knowing is informed by our experiences and our openness to giving and receiving love in relationship all beings. Nature invites us into communion with the sacredness, i and divinity of all life. 

In the Christian tradition we share in the understanding of a Trinitarian God; a “God is formlessness (the Father), God is form (the Son), and God is the very living and loving energy between those two (the Holy Spirit).” -Fr. Richard Rohr

The Trinity’s relational aspects reveals the interdependence of all life. In current times we are acutely aware of the significant impact our actions can have on one another and the entire biosphere. We realize the global imperative to prevent the worsening of climate change as we strive to restore the intricate balance of nature. This can only happen if we cooperate collectively and work together as a world community. The underlying force that holds the unviverse together is Love.

Ancient Trinity spirituality reveals that “God is a circular rotation and a total outpouring and receiving among three intimate partners.” (Rohr) St. Bonaventure described Trinity as a fountain of fullness of overflowing love. Picture the analogy of a moving water wheel with three buckets that continually are filling and emptying themselves and pouring themselves completely." Love manifests in relationship.

 Catherine La Cugna described it this way, “You cannot reverse, slow, or limit an overflowing waterwheel of divine compassion and mercy and a love stronger than death. It goes in only one, constant, eternal direction—toward ever more abundant and creative life! This is the universe from atoms to galaxies.” This understanding offers light, even in the dark days. We are a people of “original goodness” as we glimpse the Christ in one another, in our vulnerability, in our brokenness and strength, we have the capacity for great love, compassion, forgiveness, and most especially kindness.

Elizabeth Johnson shared these insights, “Wherever the human heart is healed, justice gains a foothold, peace holds sway, an ecological habitat is protected, wherever liberation, hope and healing break through, wherever an act of simple kindness is done, a cup of cool water given, a book offered to a child thirsty for learning, there the human and earth community already reflect, in fragments, the visage of the trinitarian God.”

As I live through these difficult times, what is becoming clear to me is that it all comes back to kindness. As our hearts soften we bridge gaps, expansively we move from stranger to friend, to listening to the each others stories, our hopes and dreams, and we begin to recognize the universal Christ in each person we meet.

Let us share a drink from the cup of loving kindness.

Note, this reflection is based on teachings of Richard Rohr as I distilled the wisdom that resonated with me.

Liz Sorensen Wessel
Artwork by ~liz

BEST CARE'S MAGIC KEY! - Days 10-14

I. Magic At The Door

   Liz Wessel, quoted Dietrich Bonhoeffer this weekend: "Jesus is standing at the door. He lives in the form of a human being among us."

   The second sentence is more important than the first. Whether you believe in Jesus, there is magic key nearby now. It is not in a lock box held by someone looking like Jesus.

   The most important thing I have learned in fifty years of leadership? You have this magic key & can use it to unlock power in others. 

   I have used this key so consistently that it amazes me that everyone does not use it. It also surprised me when I forget it. 

   Healers are magicians that do not use tricks. They awaken Love's natural energy in others. 

   Effective appreciation requires a potion: truth mixed with sincerity. 

   Find something good about another. It may be as simple as complimenting their smile. It may be more complex like recognizing potential someone did not believe they had until you named it. 

II. The Impatient Patient vs. The Harried Caregiver

   For decades I have trained leaders to care for caregivers. What if I am the patient? 

   If I become an impatient patient (as I have done) my chance of better care drops. Here are examples of what works:

   My nurse is slow answering a call light & I say, "You must be so busy & tired. Thank you for coming & I'm sorry you have to clean up the sheets I stained."

   While they are cleaning up I say, "Seeing you at the door was like seeing an angel." 

   You must feel this to say it. Absent sincerity the key will not work. 

   What if they say, "If I am that good they should pay me better." I say, "You are worth a million dollars."

   Is there a time to turn tough-minded? If I conclude my caregiver is more devil than angel I enlist diplomatic allies to speak privately with a supervisor. 

   The key in your hand is colored with kindness & made of steel. If you think the caregiver is a danger, write a fact-based note to the Chief Executive Officer. 

  Follow up & ask others to join you. 

   The Mother Test™ I use requires zero tolerance for caregivers acting incompetent or cruel & affirmation for Radical Loving Care^®. 

   Meanwhile, God is at the door. Invite Love in. 

-Erie Chapman 

Magic Key image from "A Morning Think" blog post.

   

   

Days 8-9 Standing At The Door of Your Heart

"The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature."
~ Joseph Campbell

Amanda Gorman does Just that in her  poem, "New Year's Lyric. " Listen has she captures your heart and spirit with her inspired words and thaoughts that "match the beat of the universe!"

“As long as there are people, 

Christ will walk the earth as your neighbor,

as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, 

makes demands on you.

That is the great seriousness and great blessedness 

of the [Christmas] message.

Christ is standing at the door.

He lives in the form of a human being 

among us.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Artist William Holman Hunt

...and may we match our true nature with Nature, and may our hearts open to discover the Christ (Love) and Beauty in every being!

With heartfelt love,
Liz

Offered by Liz Sorensen Wessel

DAM THE COVID RIVER! - Days 3-7

   Across three decades, two hospitals founded by different faiths gave me the chance to lead them. Both shared the same name. The first, Riverside (Episcopal), flanked the wide & mighty Maumee River in Toledo. The second, Riverside Methodist in Columbus, towers over the narrow-flowing Olentangy.  

   Initially, I expected hospitals close to water. Both were set back where the ground was firmer & risks of overflow from river into Riverside's were minimized. 

   Riverside is a fine name for a center of healing. The eternal image of flowing water feels healing.

   The third part of poet Linda Gregerson's poem, Waterborne, begins with language helpful in the wake of the winter solstice, "Turning of the season, and the counter-/ turn/ from ever-longer darkness into light,..."

   Then, "...and look: the river lifts to its lover the sun/ in eddying/ layers of mist..." Followed by a warning: "...as though/ we hadn't irreparably fouled the planet/ after all."

   We foul our planet in avoidable ways. Metaphorically, some swim in a river polluted by a virus &, because they refuse vaccine's protections, overflow into our hospitals forcing exhausted caregivers, family & friends, to care for them. 

   Yes, sometimes the virus breaks-through the vaccine. But two truths are clear: 1) A massive majority of intensive care patients are unvaccinated, 2) It is increasingly rare for vaccinated patients to be hospitalized. 

   Millions can make this new year better for everyone, especially caregivers. They can dam the COVID river & keep it from overflowing into hospitals by choosing vaccinations.  

   Gregerson understands: "The vapors draft their languorous/ excurses on/ a liquid page. Better than the moment is/ the one it has in mind."

   May "the moment...in mind" be one that brings relief to each caregiver committed to Radical Loving Care^®. 

-Erie Chapman

Photo: Rushing River by Erie 2020