The Rev. John Simon on the work of words

 

Caring for the Caregivers: an E-Journal

Most of life is constituted of relationship. Gravity is a relationship of bodies; matter a relationship of particles;
fire a relationship of substances; logic a relationship of ideas; truth a relationship of realities;
love a relationship of spirits; religion a relationship of being. [1]

Relationship comes before task. However, the tasks involved in the pursuit of excellence in operational and clinical outcomes in hospitals at times take precedent over relationships. The dialectical tension in this innate task-oriented vs. relationship-oriented culture can leave the corporate soul anemic and in need of care. As a professional chaplain, I remain curious. ”Where are the sacred spaces that permit us to remember and recognize our common humanity in the pursuit of our raison d’être?” [2] As chaplain and a director in charge of building a new Pastoral Care Department at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, I became convinced that if we as an organization were to reach our goal of growing from Good to Great [3] and become a member of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, part of the answer would be found in reclaiming the primacy of relationships in our shared corporate life.

Sir Thomas More said, "The world does not need so much to be informed as to be reminded." [4] The spiritual void apparent, reminding became essential to our wholeness of life. Absent was a corporately sanctioned space to remember that it’s the relational that binds us together. The Chapel was not the answer. A practical platform (that was paperless) was prayerfully sought. The scope had to respect the dignity and spirituality of all persons within the organization in order to go mainstream and remain viable. The old adage, “the tall tree catches the wind,” aptly applied. It was a risk but safety would have only secured the department a place on the periphery.

Being mindful that words make the world real, I took up the work of words through the power of story. The creation of the bi-monthly Caring for the Caregivers: E-journal took form and was e-mailed to all our employees 30 days into my tenure. It is a two-page document featuring a main story on page one, the second page beginning with a section entitled “For the Leader in You,” followed by an interfaith calendar with a side bar section detailing departmental information and quote of the month. All stories featured are copyrighted referenced materials of published works. “People recognized the voice of the genuine” [5] in the E-journal. One poignant response was, “I have found the journal to be a source of inspiration in my daily work; when you educate patients; you are providing a lot of emotional support. This can be draining, especially when one feels emotionally drained from one’s own life. Those few minutes last much longer than the time to read them. I feel a source of spiritual support at my workplace – what a treasure that is!” Nurturing relationship is to nurture spirit.

The entire edition of the E-journal can be found at www.vassarbrothers.org under Pastoral Care.

 

[1]Petruska Clarkson, "Integrative Psychotherapy, Integrating Psychotherapies, or Psychotherapy after “Schoolism?" In Colin Feltham (ed.), Which Psychotherapy? Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1997, p.37.
[2] Raison d’être -- our reason and purpose for being.
[3] Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, Harper Business: New York, NY, 2001, p. 1-16.
[4]Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997.
[5] Dennis W. Wiley, The Concept of the Church in the Works of Howard Thurman, Ann Arbor: MI, UMI, 1988, p. 167.