AJRCA Spotlight: Trina Leshay Williams

Why did I become a chaplain? Are you ready to become a chaplain too?

It took me a long time to find the word Chaplain. I knew I wanted to help people heal their broken pieces, and I had some idea that this was to take place in the spiritual/emotional realm. What was missing was the language to describe what was growing inside of me. I was convinced I should become a Pastor, because I perceived the distance between the pulpit and the people would help me heal without breaking myself. I knew that I was called to a work that was more interconnected, active, dynamic and personal. And, I knew I wanted to work in the hospital.

Thus began my guided tour of the top 5 careers I would explore: 1. General Practice Doctor, 2. Psychiatrist, 3. Lawyer, 4. Writer/Poet, 5. Pastor.

Grandma told me that I would never make any money as a writer/poet, so off I went to Seminary to find my way as a future Pastor. My favorite courses turned out to be Pastoral Care and Counseling & Theology. I had found a point of view and my creativity began to flow again. I became fascinated with the concept of going out into the world as a light in (literal) darkness. I wanted more than teaching and preaching; I wanted to take action. I wanted to touch those who were hurting with more than words from on high. I wanted to be on the highways and byways providing care on the spot.

Not finding much that kept my interest, I made an appointment to withdraw from Seminary. Instead, my advisor encouraged me to take a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) before withdrawing, because it could help me find work while I figured out my next moves. For those unfamiliar with CPE, it is formally defined as, “Interfaith professional education for ministry. It brings theological students and ministers of all faiths (pastors, priests, rabbis, imams and others) into supervised encounters with persons in crisis.”

I signed up for my first CPE unit in 2003, and I never looked back. I was hooked!

After searching for years, of trying to fit into this box or that rectangle, I had finally found where I belonged – Chaplaincy. I have served in a variety of clinical sites including hospice, hospital, and Pediatrics. I completed my Certified CPE Educator Training in 2019. I have had the honor of teaching hundreds of students in the United States and 10 in West Australia. I am blessed with the opportunity to witness lives being transformed by CPE training.

As I think back over my time as a Hospice Chaplain, I can remember my team leader saying, “Dang it Trina! You are the spiritual expert on this team, so act like it.” That day I realized the importance of my role in the holistic care of our patients. I have a different lens through which I view the patient, and when I use my skills in combination with my instincts, my prophet voice adds to the power of the care team.

What makes a chaplain a spiritual leader? For me, a chaplain becomes a spiritual leader when she/they/he is compelled to answer the call, to advocacy, justice and liberation. I have come to understand that many of the issues humanity faces are spiritual. Chaplains are uniquely positioned to see the signs of the times and discern appropriate assessments and interventions.

Now, my top five careers are quite different than when I began this journey. As a spiritual leader,I am the Chaplain, the Poet, the Empath, the Scholar, the Revolutionary, the Pacifist, and The Paradox.

One of my favorite quotes from the prophet Micah sums this up well.

Micah 
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, 
and this is what he requires of you: 
to do what is right, to love mercy, 
and to walk humbly with your God. 

6:8 (NLT) 

Writing the Right 
A poem by Trina Leshay Williams
“PoeTrina”
ACPE Certified Edcuator
IPM Certified Poetic Medicine Practitioner

In the space from which I write 
I seek to light the darkness  
Of wrong’s rule   
 
In the space from which I write 
I can see visions of a new world arising  
I can hear the harmony of voices singing redemption’s song 
 
From this righting place 
I can feel the healing of broken spirits  
I can taste the sweetness of dreams realized instead of deferred 
 
When it is right 
I can smell the aromas 
Of long-awaited justice and peace  
 
From this space, our place 

I seek to make things 
Right as I write 
 
From the place where I am right 
There is more than enough 
Enough love 
Enough food 
Enough justice 
 
From the place where I am right 
Hope springs eternal 
As little boys and girl are safe 
And big boys and girls are free 
 
From my right place 
Peace passes all understanding 
And joy flows like a river 
 
No famine 
No genocide 
 
No drought 
No rape 
No war 
 
No outcasts  
No prisoners of any kind 
 
No blindness  
No blurred vision 
No damn it! 
No! 
 
I am right in this place 
As the words I write 
Scream for justice 
Fight for the fathers 
Cry for the mothers 
Reach for the babies 
Holding on with all my might 
For, YES, I am right! 
 
This is the place from which I write! 

  Trina Leshay Williams“PoeTrina”
ACPE Certified Edcuator
IPM Certified Poetic Medicine Practitioner