How could. the most successful quarterback in sports history possibly have any regrets? Somehow, he found one.
Interviewed recently he confessed that he took himself too seriously.
"I watch (Super Bowl Champ) Patrick Mahomes out there running around in the backfield, having fun," he said to myself, "Why didn't I do that?"
Brady made a mistake most caregivers commit every day. Instead of taking, their work seriously NOT themselves, they fall into an intensity level that steals joy from their long careers.
Obviously, caring for the sick and wounded IS serious work. But there is nothing wrong with finding chances to laugh, to celebrate the rewards of knowing how you helped people. In fact, the"wrong" thing is Brady's mistake.
Living love not fear, includes following your calling with a high focus on the one thing you control, your own performance. Are you ever glad for times you let Fear control you?
Extensive studies reveal that those who work hard AND celebrate the privilege of their calling perform better, longer, and with higher personal satisfaction.
If superstar Brady wishes he had laughed at himself more in the past why don't you that in the present? Even if"retired" you can find joy in knowing how many you have helped and STILL help.
The following story by Autumn Barners and Laura Kwerel is an excerpt from NPR's "My Unsung Hero" series, and the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.
"It was just a really rough time. My mom was very fragile [and] needed a lot of attention,
a lot of support," Lorrie Paul said.
When dividing her attention between taking care of her mom and talking to the doctors became
too overwhelming, Paul decided to take a walk through the hospital. After wandering for a
bit, she stopped at a windowsill to look out
“[I] just stared out at nothing. And I started to sob. It got to be too much, and I just
thought, 'I'm gonna lose my dad.'"
As she cried, Paul felt a reassuring hand on her left shoulder. She instantly felt at peace.
Rather than turn around, Paul allowed the stranger's hand to provide a moment of comfort.
"Having someone there and showing that compassion — that love — brought me this sense of
calm," Paul said.
"They didn't try to fix the situation. They didn't try to console me. They didn't try to find
out what was going on. It was just presence."
Her sobs subsided, and she felt her body relax. Then the stranger squeezed her shoulder and
simply walked away.
Paul doesn't know who the person was. But nearly 30 years later, she says she still thinks about
that person often.
"It was so incredibly powerful," Paul said.
"This compassion they shared with me, this sense of humanity — that they were sharing my
sorrow — brought me such a sense of peace that I was able to go back in ... and help Mom and be
there for Dad, and get through.”
Caregivers offer the gift of compassion in the most intimate sacred moments of accompaniment. These tender moments often go unwitnessed and untold but always remembered by those who expereinced the kind gesture. This is the healing power of human connection, where both the giver and the receiver are mutually touched by the experience. The sharing of caregiver stories higlights our humanity and reminds us of our true nature and purpose; to love one another.
Ai gurus ask, "How much longer will people be needed?" What about the current power shift around gender roles?
I. 1950's
In the binary world of the 50s I heard no existential questions about gender. Women ran the home. Men ran the world as they always had even though male militancy wrought massive suffering.
Was that just about physical strength?
The '50s inquiry, "How could we have won WWII (or any war) without men?" begs the question of whether there would have been a war if women had been governing. How much would more feminine presence have improved organized religion?
II. 21st Century
Caregiving:
Despite a wildly diverse career, my life has been about two things: caregiving and the arts.
Both have been male dominated. Both must yield to a balance of feminine and masculine energy for both to thrive.
Excellent leaders know this. They remain rare. Caregiving, founded by women, still chokes in the grip of insensitive male energy including when any female leader allows aggression to destroy compassion.
Arts:
Pending a rebalance, I am a feminist advocate, My art reflects that. The goal, however, is humanism.
My classical figurative art of women hews to early training from Roberta Waddell at the Toledo Museum of Art. Other women, including 35 female subjects, and sculptor Alan LeQuire, have been massively helpful.
Abuses by many male predecessors have pushed some feminists to over-correct: "Beauty can only be portrayed by women," they say. Public sentiment is moving their way.
This problem arose when my 2019 film art show, "The Feminine Divine" debuted at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Noviewers complained about nudity. Instead, some complained I had not gone far enough. "Where are transgenders or heavy women?"one feminist asked.
"Not my interest or expertise, but did you see my still-animation of a transgendered Jesus?" I asked. "Missed that," she said, generously confessing, "Maybe I was too anxious to criticize a white male."
Women can self-portray. Males succeed only in partnership.
What if women took charge of healthcare and the arts? Could this correct historic male overreach?
Absolute answers are nonsense. The question is not whether women need men. We all need each other.
And our questions must prod us to figure out how to better equalize our culture. Soon!
The rapid explosion of innovation in AI technology has been unleashed and there is no turning back. We can embrace advances in research, medical break throughs and the good it offers in addressing challenges. Yet in a complex and chaotic world, it is increasingly difficult to know truth from distortion and worrisome to consider what can happen in the hands of the nefarious. As Erie has previously cautioned, we are at risk of losing our humanity. Now more than ever cultivating compassion, human connection, and our relationships is of primary importance. May we fan the flames of compassion and be the torch bearers of Radical Loving Care.
In the words of Judy Cannato,"Compassion changes everything. Compassion heals. Compassion mends the broken and restores what has been lost. Compassion draws together those who have been estranged or never even dreamed they were connected.”
Sending Forth Compassion by Joyce Rupp
I stand at the door of a light-filled dawn where the gift of hope rises in my soul. I open my heart and send forth this gift to each and every person longing for joy, To all whose spirit grows dim with sorrow.
I stand at the window of midday where the flurry of the day’s activity beats upon the pane of urgency. Opening my heart to where peace resides, I send forth this abiding harmony to all who are caught in the claws of poverty, whose endless work seems never enough.
I stand at the gate of the lengthening dusk, the transitional place between light an dark; I send forth confidence from my heart to those who are unsure in their transitions, to each person who questions the future.
As I stand at the entrance of the dark I open my heart to send forth compassion to those whose bodies or minds knows pain, to all whom the nighttime brings burden, not rest.
Throughout the day and into the nighttime I stand with the Holy One by my side, calling out: “Peace to one. Peace to all. Hope resounding. Love indwelling. Compassion abounding.
Joyce Rupp
May we offer loving kindness to all beings and oursleves.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful.
May you be well.
May you be free of suffering
May you live with ease.
Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel Photo by my gifted niece, Chrissy Connors
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?
On this Father’s Day week-end let us express gratitude for our fathers. For those who bless our lives with their presence and fathers who are no longer with us; we cherish your memory. For those who have shaped us, loved us, or have been as father to us. For our ancestors known and remembered and grandparents we love or who we may never have met. We thank them for the great sacrifices they made on behalf of their children and those yet to come so that we could have a better life.
I share this poem by Joy Harjo in honor of all fathers dedicated and those who have been as father for us. For our adult children who are loving fathers nurturing and loving their children. We give thanks!
Remember by Joy Harjo 1951 –
Remember the sky that you were born under, know each of the star’s stories. Remember the moon, know who she is. Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the strongest point of time. Remember sundown and the giving away to night. Remember your birth, how your mother struggled to give you form and breath. You are evidence of her life, and her mother’s, and hers. Remember your father. He is your life, also. Remember the earth whose skin you are: red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth brown earth, we are earth. Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems. Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the origin of this universe. Remember you are all people and all people are you. Remember you are this universe and this universe is you. Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you. Remember language comes from this. Remember the dance language is, that life is. Remember.
As you reflect on those who have loved you into being, we invite you to share a memory, a name, a blessing or a thought to honor those who have been as father to you.
The story still haunts me. Rosalyn Carter was siting on the front porch with Jimmy the day after he left the President's office.
"I need to replace some of those bricks below the front steps," he told her.
"When Jimmy said that," the former first lady told a reporter, "all I could think was that the day before we had been dealing with the Iran Hostage Crisis. Our life horizon had suddenly shrunk from leading the free world to worrying about bricks."
Astride any large stage in our lives, our attention is focused on what seem to be big issues. When our stage shrinks, we keep doing the same thing. A crack in the front steps sucks our attention as if it were something earthshaking.
Sometimes, the stage changes size twice in the same day. The nurse manager of a giant ER who has spent all night multiple victims of a mass shooting may chuckle to herself when she comes home to see her teenager fussing about a cut finger.
It is difficult and important to sustain perspective. Indeed, that skill has a direct impact on our ability to practice once of life's most essential skills: gratitude.
When we love a person, we accept them exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong with the fearful, the true mixed in with the
façade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way. ~ Fred Rogers
In this season of our lives we have an opportunity to shed our old skin in a regenerative way. Our friends are the cherished beings who see beyond our faults to our true essence, as brilliant as the northern star.
May the light of your soul guide you. May the light of your soul bless the work You do with the secret love and warmth of your heart. May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul. May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those Who work with you and to those who see and receive your work. May your work never weary you. May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement. May you be present in what you do. May you never become lost in the bland absences. May the day never burden you. May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, Possibilities and promises. May evening find you gracious and fulfilled. May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected. May your soul calm, console and renew you. -John O' Donohue
We love catch phrases. It's so much easier (and lazier) to say, "Haste makes waste" than it is to discuss how rushing can cause trouble. I, too, love some of these sayings including the doctor's injunctive, "first do no harm"
Still, catch phrases can cause trouble.
At each of the three hospital systems I have been privileged to run, staff often greeted me with, "Erie, this place is doing fine. And 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it,' right?"
Wrong. Most of the time. Leaders must always seek meaningful improvement.
Recently, I asked the incoming head of a crucial training program at a large hospital about her plans.
"I have none," she said. "The program is doing fine."
Seeking to preserve the status quo is a deceptively dangerous strategy. Status quo leaders frustrate meaningful innovation. Leadership grounded in staying the same in an always-changing world pursues a dicey proposition.
What if Steve Jobs had decided in 2007 "The iPhone is fine. No need for more."?*
This truth holds for us personally. Contemporaries declining to learn new technology risk irrelevance.
God hands us presents. Universal wisdom holds that we die with countless gifts unwrapped.
Those who see no need to work harder to live love are, in important ways, not fixed but broken.
-Erie Chapman
Photo: First iPhone, 2007
*Not to mention the Apple II (1979) computer's world changing transition to the Macintosh - so user-friendly that when I turned on mine in 1984 the first image on the screen was a smiley face! It rapidly became the first mass-marketed computer.
As I continue to reflect on my pilgrimage experience in Le Puy France and the impact it has had on my life, I believe it will continue to reveal itself over time. Nearing the end of our journey we particpated in an exercise in which we each looked back over our journey and notes and recollected some thoughts that stood out to us. This is what surfaced for me that I would like to share with you. (This is my first attempt at a pantoum, a 15th century style poem with repeat stanzas.)
I say yes to the invitation, to the strong power of Love, to a contemplative way of prayer. How do I reflect Gods love in this world?
We are called to surrender, emptying of self, of ego, to put on the new, relying on God’s grace in every situation.
The great love of God is in everything, everywhere and all of creation holds God’s life-giving presence.
All is a gift, reverence one’s being and find the good in all things.
We are called to surrender, emptying of self, of ego, to put on the new, relying on God’s grace in every situation.
As we love others, we learn to love ourselves.
All is a gift, reverence one’s being and find the good in all things.
“That all may be one”, in the fullness of God’s great love, in communion and in service to humankind and all of creation.
As we love others, we learn to love ourselves.
The great love of God is in everything, everywhere and all of creation holds God’s life-giving presence.
“That all may be one”, in the fullness of God’s great love, in communion and in service to humankind and all of creation.
I say yes to the invitation, to the strong power of Love, to a contemplative way of prayer. How do I reflect God’s love in this world?
When all else falls away, we recognize what really matters the love we share. What better way to sepnds one life than to love it all away?
When veterans were honored at church I wished I could rise. The Chapman tradition of military service began in 1779 with Constant Chapman (with Washington at Valley Forge) and continued through every generation. It includes my cousin Terry's Navy service and our first cousin Harlan Chapman's* (left) heroism as the first Vietnam POW.
Harlan, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He passed away May 6 (summary below)**
I would have entered the military legacy but for a diagnosis at age 19. In 1963 Crohn's Disease could be fatal. My doctor warned, "You'll be lucky to live to 40. Quit college, ditch law school, go home."
From 19 to 24, I hid my illness and pretended wellness while pain and isolation cursed my days. Then, the tragic Vietnam War. All Ohio males 18-26 were called for physicals. Part of me wanted to serve. The other part? I was a sick law student with a pregnant wife.
I cruised through my physical until the Army doctor read a letter from my doctor. "Crohn's makes you 4F," he said. "You're out."
Had illness saved my life? Probably.
Crohn's causes vulnerability via diseases like Black Water Fever (common in Vietnam) and makes for unreliable soldiers. Attacks trigger "Failure-to-thrive Syndrome."
But we can be prisoner's of illness as well as war. My cousin was a 7 year prisoner in a hell. Simultaneously, I was a life long prisoner in a different hell. Even in America, I was hospitalized in 1989 and in '99 barely survived a second attack.
Gladly, blessings emerged for Harley and me. He lived happily with dear wife, Fran. Even though my disease remains, I just celebrated 25 years in remission.
And Crohn's caused something else. Across 7 years in courtrooms and 50 more in hospitals, my suffering fueled a passion to help others through Radical Loving Care.
A life saved confers on survivors a moral imperative to serve. A reason why I continue that to this day.
Memorial Day calls for profound thanks to every veteran. They saved our country.
Today, we may also honor veterans suffering in illness prisons and the Radical Loving Caregivers that help free them.
**After bombing a bridge, Harlan was shot down, trapped in mud, and captured. His 7 years of torture (beside Senator McCain) created many heroes. Contrast that with former Commander-in-Chief Trump's statements that McCain and POWs were "not heroes" because, "I like people that weren't captured" and Trump's statements, verified by his Chief of Staff John Kelly, that 1800 soldiers who died in a WW I battle were "suckers"; that dead or captured solders are "losers," and that he refused to be filmed with amputees because "It's not a good look for me." Trump brags about avoiding the draft. His claim? "Bone spurs."
Journeying on a pilgrimage removes us from many of the aspects of our daily lives that help to shape our identity to include our family, friends, work and other endeavors. This stepping away invites us to center ourselves as we enter into a unique experience as seekers on a spiritual journey.
Nine of us had an extraordinary opportunity to participate in a pilgrimage to Le Puy-en-Velay, France accompanied by two remarkable Sisters of St Joseph of Orange. As the Sisters describe it, "This pilgrimage is in response to a “Call to the More, the more of God” as the charism of the congregation is “to bring all people into union with God and one another. The Mission of Jesus we serve: That all may be one.” Our journey was embarked upon for the purpose of expanding our understanding of spiritual precepts and to learn about the lives of the men and women who first visioned the foundation of "the community of the great love of God." A retreat that included guided presentations, sharing of the heart, reflection, prayer, journaling, exploring sacred sites. Opening a window into a transformational experience, pointing the way to living life with deeper meaning and purpose.
Le Puy is a beautiful town in south central France with narrow cobblestone streets and stones houses that reflect a reverence for its history and a spiritual energy that permeates the atmosphere. The culture is relaxed with a slower pace that encourages enjoyment of being and living within a lovely sense of community. Le Puy is known as the starting gateway to the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage trail as well as its lace making. It is home to a 12th-century Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral with its gorgeous frescoes and a cloister. Perched on a volcanic rock, is the magnificent St-Michel d’Aiguilhe chapel that dates back to the 10th century. Nearby, upon another volcanic pinnacle is an 1860 statue of Mother Mary who radiates peace as a beloved protector of the town. I love the fact that she was sculpted from melted down cannons.
To experience this pilgrimage in a small group allowed for a more intimate setting. The sharing of each persons varied perceptions was tremendously enriching in an environment of mutual unconditional regard that was truly life affirming as we shared our stories, experiences, faith, laughter, tears, wisdom, insights with deep gratitude for being there together and most especially deep gratitude for the Sister's who made this all possible.
Liz Sorensen Wessel photos by ~liz
Note: The photo of St-Michel d’ Aiguilhe chapel in the evening and the unusual opening or window through the clouds was quite beautiful to behold and perhaps a metaphor for our journey. (The photo was not altered in any way.)
It is a great gift to be able to hand out gifts. Especially if the present is cash award that recognizes the centerpiece of Radical Loving Care: Compassion.
The gift handed me was the chance to be the keynote speaker at the annual nursing scholarship awards. What a magnificent event, as you will see in the video (Click on link above a photo of the event.)
Since my speech was only 8 minutes, I am attaching the link and hope you will take a moment to listen to remarks that include one of the most touching examples of compassion I have ever seen in a half century of leading healthcare organizations.
It has been a quarter century since I've gone back to Riverside Methodist Hospital for a formal event. RMH is also the flagship of the OhioHealth system I founded as President and CEO in 1984 so my visit, on May 2, was during the 40th anniversary of OhioHealth's founding.
Congratulations to the winner of the Erie Chapman Foundation Compassion Award, Sarah Hemans, BSN, R.N., who was selected by her peers from 20 nominees!
His 6'5" frame embraced me with the power of someone who makes you feel safe. And that is exactly what Jeff Dysart has been doing for staff at Riverside Methodist Hospital for more than 30 years.
It was a thrill to see him still doing that since back when I was CEO there. His greeting and gratitude were among the most meaningful things I experienced during my pilgrimage to Riverside on May 2. "You're a legend around here," he said several times in ways that affirmed the team back then more than it did me.
Why do Jeff and his partners matter so much? It is so obvious it is often forgotten. The success of care depends heavily on first line caregivers like him.
That is why the most quotable thing I've ever shared is: the number one job of leaders is to take care of the people who take care of people.
No one comes into an ER and asks, "Have you got enough executives here?" They need first line caregivers!
Leaders can do something VERY important. Their "patients" are not the sick but those caring for them. It is axiomatic that the better job leaders do supporting first line staff the likelier patients will receive great care.
There are the same number staff at RMH now as then, 6000, plus another 30,000 at OhioHealth, the system I am grateful to have founded exactly 40 years ago. Dr. Steve Markovich, Rob Circek, Kanesha Moss, R.N,, and other top leaders are trying hard to support them. Wonderful!
What is it about a mother's love that warms our heart when we remember that she always wanted the best for us?
This Mother's Day, enhance your caregiving by recalling your mother's loving care of you.
We know that when we commit to giving loving care to someone, be they a familymember, friend, or neighbor, they flourish! They carry the feeling of being truly cared for into their striving for full healing, regardless of their situation in life.
Do you warm people's hearts when you interact with them? Here is a checklist to gauge the level of your care:
First, are they glad to see you each time you are near? Do they willingly share how they are feeling and specifically what they need to feel better?
Do you always follow up on providing what they care about? If you answer yes to these questions, you are probably providing a high level of care!
But how to replenish your own wellbeing and capacity to provide even better levels of care? Take scheduled time for quiet and physical activities like mountain hiking, walking, jogging, sailing, reading, travel, or your choice of fun and other renewing activities! And schedule quiet time regularly for yourself.
And, try to add a new interest, hobby, or activity to your life which will invigorate you and enable you able to sustain longer periods of loving care for those you serve and who depend on you over time. Take a weekend trip to a new spot or sit by yourself and create a bucket list of your most cherished dreams, hopes or activities you would like to pursue if time permits and then
Schedule your personal renewal time with specific timeframes and steps to move toward living these desired items!
It has been three decades since I visited the stage at the place I once led, Riverside Methodist Hospital/OhioHealth in Columbus, still Ohio's largest hospital. When I was introduced as the featured speaker to a magical group of nurse-scholarship recipients there was a murmur during which I overheard someone whisper, "Erie Chapman...Is he still alive?"
The question makes sense. In important ways, we marry our job. Fellow staff members become family. No matter how long someone works anywhere, when they depart, they "vanish"...as if dead.
We are three dimensional. Our personhood loses a dimension for those who remain. We slip from 3D to 2D pictures and memories.
My return tossed me into "The Rip Van Winkle Syndrome" (the character who fell asleep for twenty years reawakening in a new world.) Faces have changed, parts of the buildings rearranged, added to, or subtracted. Technology? Wow!
Consciously, I knew that. Subconsciously, I may have thought the same cast would remain...and wish they had.
Does that explain why at school reunions, former boy and girl friends reunite and sometimes marry? Do they see the lover they knew or the real being before them?
It was deeply moving to return. Of all the places I worked before or since, none meant more than Riverside and the OhioHealth system I founded from that flagship in 1984. It was exceptionally affirming to see how well the place had thrived. And a big part of me wished I could have stayed for that ride.
-Erie Chapman
(Special thanks to Joanne Ingledue, R.N., for the photo of me taken at the event)
In a destructive hurricane in 1982, chickens were released from the captivity of coops across farms in Kauai, HI. Since then, chickens have roamed free on the island and there is a law that protects them from harm. We are vacationing in Kauai and just outside the patio door there is a mother hen and her four chicks who have claimed this little patch of heaven as their home.
They are very entertaining to observe and I am reminded that Mother’s Day is just around the corner. The mothering instinct seems to be encrypted deep within the DNA of all creatures. Watching Hildie, yes, she definitely looks like a Hildie Hendersen to me, she is a fierce protector. If other hens come near, boy, with lightning speed and a sharp warning she chases them away. She is a teacher showing her chicks how to hunt for food modeling those little pecking movements in the grass as they follow close behind. When the regal Sir Henry rooster shows up dressed in his best, it is clear he is a welcomed member of the family.
The mornings are cool and windy here on the ocean front, the baby chicks, Sandy, Pitch, Flint and Zelda are yet to develop a feathery coat thick enough to keep warm. So Hilde offers her body, gathering them into her warmth. She poofs up her feathers taking them under wing, as only a Mom could do. When they are mature and independent enough, she will begin nudging them to venture out on their own.
The mothering instinct reveals itself in many beautiful and unique ways. Just this week, I was blessed to meet a lovely woman, who we sat with on the plane. She, shared photos of her beloved babies, two adorable white furry dogs. She mentioned too that a young woman friend has declared her as "mom", such is the impact of her loving presence. Also, she delighted and surprised us when she popped by the restaurant we were at to wish me a happy birthday, on her way to meet up with friends. What a thoughtful gesture that made my day!
Wherever there is a kind and loving motion towards another being that is a way of mothering, nurturing, affirming, and giving rise to love's ever expanding healing energy.
With gratitude for the many ways, you each express love in your own unique and irreplaceable ways.
“Give your hands to service and your heart to love.” Mother Teresa
In an age where artificial intelligence is increasingly integrating into the realm of healthcare by taking on responsibilities of caregivers, Erie’s poignant reflection points out that “the value of human hands and hearts is threatened.” The following reflection is an excerpt from a conversation I had with Mirella, a dedicated nurse who is imbued with a gift of healing. Her story highlights the beautiful gift of love and compassion that is beyond any substitution of AI.
“I come from a family of seven siblings, growing up we frequently visited my grandmother in Mexico. I recall how she would receive me in such a loving way. I would run into her arms and hug her. She would always clasp my hands, kiss them, and bless them by saying, ‘may these hands touch the lives of others, may these hands bless the lives of others, may these hands heal what is touched.’ As a young girl, my inner self believed that this was true. My grandmother inspired me to believe in the power of words spoken over and now I can see how it has truly influenced my life. For 20 plus years, I see that when someone speaks over with encouragement those words just have so much power, as much as the power of touch.”
"My home care visits embody and embraces the person where they're at in their moment of need. It's easy to get caught up in rushing, taking vitals, doing a task, and not really getting to know the person. It is foundational for my patients to trust me, allowing me into their home, their lives, and sharing what concerns them. When they see the transparency, love and sincerity of me as a nurse that opens the doors to so many things that sometimes I'm amazed about these day-to-day encounters of just giving hope and encouragement to those that we visit, they're beautiful moments. I get encouraged, they get encouraged and I'm fulfilled by immersing myself in the moment, observing and serving."
"As a home health nurse, I don't need to say anything about my faith. I can’t explain what happens but it’s in the non-verbal cues. When I get that tug in my heart, I believe somewhere down deep in the patient’s heart or in their memory, and as I sense their need and I’ll ask if they would like me to pray. Just offering the love of God they become truly embraced in the moment. I see people smile and showing love, patience, kneeling down at their level, meeting them eye to eye, paying attention and listening."
"I genuinely care for people of all walks of life. I believe that it's a calling and you have to have the heart and passion to serve God's people and I'm serving one at a time in my community. I’m believing that every encounter makes a difference. They will see me not only as a great nurse but someone who took time to help care for them."
"We can never underestimate the power of one because in that one there are many, in the many there is one, always acknowledging and knowing that you're surrounded by love, and support. When you allow yourself and say yes to the calling, know that the love and peace of God is with you, and just walk in faith."
"For me it was those words that were spoken over me by my grandmother that I took into my heart, and I believe them every single day of my life knowing that I walk in a calling, knowing that I love to serve, and every door is an opportunity to serve our community, one by one I'm knocking on the door serving and showing love to many.”
Thank you, Mirella for living love, for the wisdom shared and for opening your heart and hands to the gift of healing.
After he became a patient himself, famous Neurosurgeon Allan Hamilton echoed what millions already knew: “All the way through residency, I thought it was about efficiency, speed and accuracy when it was really about compassion.”
That was fifteen years ago. Now comes news you have heard but is more frightening. Our healthcare and our humanity are entangled in a strange war.
The value of human hands and hearts is threatened. Artificial Intelligence robots threaten to rip the Golden Thread of loving care from human hands.
Yes Ai is a great but what about the threat? Robots are revolutionizing care for the elderly in Japan and Korea. Big companies are bringing them this way fast. They don’t just do task work. Ai now includes Artificial compassion (Ac?). They fake compassion by mimicking what we thought only we could do.
Corporate structures increasingly frustrate kindness on the altars of efficiency and money. They LOVE efficiency, speed and accuracy. Compassion? They do not see money there. They win unless we increasingly demonstrate the unique power of humanity's most profound healing gift: loving care.
Here's the thing: Neither robots nor humans can always cure. But humans can always deliver something robots cannot: healing.
Humans can keep Ai in its place. But only by drawing down the Golden Thread of compassion from the hem of God’s grace to sew up the wounded spirits of patients.
This is our most important healing power. Soon, it may be the only one we have left.
EARTHDAY.ORG grew out of the first Earth Day in 1970, and is now the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for our planet.
OUR VISION FOR CHANGE
“Our world needs transformational change. It’s time for the world to hold sectors accountable for their role in our environmental crisis while also calling for bold, creative, and innovative solutions. This will require action at all levels, from business and investment to city and national government.
That’s where you come in: As an individual, you yield real power and influence as a consumer, a voter, and a member of a community that can unite for change.
Don’t underestimate your power. When your voice and your actions are united with thousands or millions of others around the world, we create a movement that is inclusive, impactful, and impossible to ignore.
Every Earth Day can drive a year of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to create a new plan of action for our planet.” (EARTHDAY.ORG)
We are accustomed to the conveniences of modern life, quick and easy access to products, that are often in disposable wrappings. It has become known that for that for the most part recycling isn’t really happening as well as the incredibly harmful effects of plastics on our environment, ocean life, humans and our planet.
“The Global Plastic Treaty is an opportunity for the United Nations and Governmental Organizations to prove the health of the planet and its citizens take priority over an industry threatening the health of every human on Earth.”
“Most importantly, though, it is a chance for our world to come together as one, and truly pledge and commit themselves to restoring the planet, following the model of the successful international cooperation found in the Montreal Protocol.”
“The Global Plastics Treaty has the potential to end plastic pollution, protect human health, and lead to a waste-free world. We cannot allow our governments to waste this pivotal opportunity.” (earthday.org)
Tips on how we each can help in small ways that can have a huge impact if we all do our part.
Always choose quality and durability over convenience. Single-use bags, cups, and other products usually cost you more in the long term — and definitely cost our planet.
RECYCLE
Find the plastics you no longer need and dispose of them properly. If you can, replace them with long-lasting options.
TIPS
Bring your own reusable shopping and produce bags to markets, and avoid using single-use plastic bags.
Bring your own reusable coffee cup when going out to get beverages.
Like sipping through straws? Get a durable stainless steel, glass, or bamboo one to use instead of wasteful plastic ones.
Instead of buying water in plastic bottles, invest in a water filter and trusty water bottle(s). Bonus: it’s cheaper in the long run.
Bring a reusable container to a restaurant with you when you expect to have leftovers.
Instead of bulky laundry detergent bottle use laundry strips. There a various products on the market, I happen to use strips Tru Earth https://tru.earth/ (Liz)
Instead of bulky fabric softeners bottles try wool balls in your dryer, they are great! (Liz)
Earth Day will be celebrated on April 22 this year. Wishing you a blessed Earth Day!
Immediate past president of the Baptist Healing Trust (Healing Trust), Nashville. President & CEO, Erie Chapman Foundation, Chapman Health International, Inc, Dane Dakota Productions, LLC, author, Radical Loving Care, artist.
Erie Chapman, Editor, Liz Wessel, R.N., M.S. Associate Editor
