Change and Continuity, Continuity and Change

by Senior Fellows, Marcy Jackson and Rick Jackson

There is a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
—William Stafford, excerpt from “The Way It Is”

In the long way that we take in, in our growing up, in the vicissitudes of life by which we are led into its meaning and mystery, there are established for us, for each one of us, certain landmarks. They represent discoveries sometimes symbolizing the moment when we became aware of the purpose of our lives; they may establish for us our membership in the human frailty; they may be certain words that were spoken into a stillness within us the sound thereof singing forever through all the corridors of our being as landmarks; yes, each one of us has our own…
—Howard Thurman, The Inward Journey

William Stafford’s lovely little poem “The Way It Is” speaks of the threads we follow in our lives and work, how they change and how they stay the same. Howard Thurman reminds us that there are landmarks that irrevocably mark the chapters of our lives, giving us a sense of purpose and trajectory. We are on the threshold of one of those landmarks that has both deep personal meaning as well as being a significant demarcation in the Center’s organizational life.

On July 1, following an eight month national search process, Terry Chadsey became the next Executive Director of the Center for Courage & Renewal. A round of exuberant applause please! As the Center’s founding co-directors since 1997, you might imagine that we have a lot invested in this decision and you’re right! That said, from the time we began discussing leadership succession three years ago, the CCR board stepped up wholeheartedly to what is arguably one of the most challenging of organizational passages—moving from the founding era into the next chapter. We witnessed a board and search process held with great care, intentionality and integrity for all concerned. Having worked with Terry over the past five years we can attest to his strong vision for the future, his demonstrated capabilities as a leader, and his gifts for being in relationship with others and for instilling confidence in all of us for what is possible. We’re also proud that CCR is in sound financial health and well-situated to build on the significant work of 150 Circle of Trust facilitators prepared through the Center, as well as on CCR programs, and research and publications created over the past thirteen years.

These kinds of transitions are complex in any case, but together with the CCR board we also elected to go down a path of leadership succession that is relatively rare—one in which the founders stay in the mix after a new Executive Director is selected. Sometimes referred to as a “Table for Two” transition, this “road less traveled” is far from the easier route to take. It requires negotiated understandings between the board and the new ED, and the new ED and the founding directors with clear lines of authority and responsibility. So, we are embarking on a transition that not only involves a new ED taking the organization into the next chapter of its unfolding but that also contains roles for the two of us to continue to contribute our experience and social and intellectual capital to the Center’s work and programs.

Going forward we will be “Senior Fellows,” working part-time for the Center and part-time discovering what our next set of inner and outer landmarks may be. Marcy will continue to lead the Center’s Facilitator Preparation Program and support the ongoing development of Circle of Trust facilitators. She will also contribute to the dissemination of ideas and writing related to the Circle of Trust approach and its manifestations. Rick will focus on new program development in specified areas as well as partnerships and special projects with kindred organizations. This IS a time of change and continuity. And for us, this is a time for reflection, celebration and letting go.

Howard Thurman’s quote about “landmarks” has particular poignancy for us as we cross this threshold, filled to the brim with gratitude and not a little wonder. It has been a privilege and honor to work closely with Parker these many years, with the competent and caring CCR staff and our marvelous network of facilitators, and of course with the many dedicated individuals in our circles who came seeking renewal for their weary hearts and found reserves of courage for their service in the world. We have truly gained (and grown) more than we’ve given. From the beginning we hoped to create something of lasting value that could meet a growing need for people to come together in circles of trust to explore vocation, identity, integrity and courage to act on their deepest values and commitments. But we could not imagine how the Center’s work and its reach would develop over time. In retrospect we see how threads of love, vocation and friendship have been integral to the strength and vibrancy of the fabric that we, with so many others, have created.

Kahlil Gibran writes “On Work” in The Prophet:

“And what is it to work with love?
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart…
It is to build a house with affection…
It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy…
It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit…

Work is love made visible.”

So it has been for us and so it will continue!