I’m glad you’re doing this. CPE is tough on different levels that don’t exist in any other dynamic, and every program is different based mainly on the educator but also in large part on the cohort you’re in at any given time. Hang in there. I’ll bet it’s doing importantly formative things in you that you will come to appreciate much later.
Thank you for this window into the sacred space you walk into almost daily and carry home in your heart. I love your willingness to sit with the questions and not rush to find the answers. It encourages me to do the same.
I have been reading a book on revising our spiritual writing and the way you shared this (story of your current experiences) fits so much with a quote I am lingering with from it:
p.71 of Living Revision by Elizabeth Jarret Andrew
“We write stories not because we have answers but because we have questions. The writing of a story is the wrestling with the angel,” says beloved children’s author Katherine Paterson.
Such a unique and intense experience you are having! I will say this, Jamie—that I was thinking the last time we talked—on my worst day you are just the person I would want in the room.
Thanks for this! I am CPE-curious, having also recently finished a spiritual formation graduate degree and spiritual direction training. I have a sense that chaplaincy in a non-hospital environment would suit me well. And I am interested in the idea of chaplaincy for athletic teams (I find athletics so spiritually formational, if one gives it a chance).
I often say that CPE was the hardest yet best experience of my life. I, too, had difficulty understanding it all during my time. I think it took years to unpack all the way it shaped me and my ministry approach. Wishing you the best as you navigate it.
Thank you for sharing your experience! It sounds like a LOT, physically, mentally, and emotionally. They are lucky to have you! Wishing you peace as you continue to navigate this busy time.
I keep thinking about how much I wish I had known to ask for a chaplain years ago when I was in a medical crisis after a miscarriage. It would have meant so much to me!
I’m glad you’re doing this. CPE is tough on different levels that don’t exist in any other dynamic, and every program is different based mainly on the educator but also in large part on the cohort you’re in at any given time. Hang in there. I’ll bet it’s doing importantly formative things in you that you will come to appreciate much later.
Thank you for this window into the sacred space you walk into almost daily and carry home in your heart. I love your willingness to sit with the questions and not rush to find the answers. It encourages me to do the same.
I have been reading a book on revising our spiritual writing and the way you shared this (story of your current experiences) fits so much with a quote I am lingering with from it:
p.71 of Living Revision by Elizabeth Jarret Andrew
“We write stories not because we have answers but because we have questions. The writing of a story is the wrestling with the angel,” says beloved children’s author Katherine Paterson.
Such a unique and intense experience you are having! I will say this, Jamie—that I was thinking the last time we talked—on my worst day you are just the person I would want in the room.
Thanks for this! I am CPE-curious, having also recently finished a spiritual formation graduate degree and spiritual direction training. I have a sense that chaplaincy in a non-hospital environment would suit me well. And I am interested in the idea of chaplaincy for athletic teams (I find athletics so spiritually formational, if one gives it a chance).
I often say that CPE was the hardest yet best experience of my life. I, too, had difficulty understanding it all during my time. I think it took years to unpack all the way it shaped me and my ministry approach. Wishing you the best as you navigate it.
I’m continually impressed by you and your willingness to walk through the darkness with people.
Superb essay! Grateful to know you. :) You’re doing fantastic!
Thank you for sharing your experience! It sounds like a LOT, physically, mentally, and emotionally. They are lucky to have you! Wishing you peace as you continue to navigate this busy time.
I keep thinking about how much I wish I had known to ask for a chaplain years ago when I was in a medical crisis after a miscarriage. It would have meant so much to me!