Peacock Tales
Volume 18, Number 1 · January 2008A Sabbatical Report
by Wes Cramer
Learning. Development. To me, that's what a sabbatical is all about. Before May 14, 2007, I resolved I would not let myself sit around and collect dust for six months. Don't get me wrong, after spending 28 years of working "overtime," the idea of "vegging out," was tempting. But I couldn't let that happen. I wanted to be able to look back and say that the time was spent productively.
So what did I learn? Plenty, as my 30+ page diary reflects. About 15 years ago, the late Bob Ceisler, one of the great thinkers of our day in the Washington legal community, asked me several questions: "Where did coal come from? How did it get here? Why is it in layers (seams) separated by rock and soil?" I was embarrassed. I had spent much of my professional career representing the coal industry, but Bob's questions left me dumbfounded. I made a mental note that day - if I ever get some time extra time. . . .
When my wife Toni and I arrived in southwest Florida in May, one of our priorities - in addition to doing a lot of cycling, bird watching, beach walking and handyman work on the apartment - was to get some answers to Bob's questions. We unearthed several different theories of creation. In the late 1800's, Isaac N. Vail posited in the Scientific American a theory known as the Canopy Theory. It never became popular because it opposed Darwin's evolutionary theory, which permeated the world and filled the minds of most of the scientific community. Although it remains a minority view, Vail's theory harmonizes with the Genesis account of creation. If Bob were still with us, one of my top priorities would be to sit down and have a nice lunchtime chat.
From the Florida Keys to the Oregon Coast, we drank in beautiful sights of wildlife, restored lighthouses, seascapes, antiquities, landscapes, etc. It was good to experience the magnificence of God's creation on a new level, especially with family and friends.
Halfway through the sabbatical, Toni and I got busy conquering a few projects that had been lagging around our Carroll Township home. Although we hired-out a few of the larger jobs, we were determined to learn or relearn how to hang new storm doors, rebuild sliding glass doors, install a high-tech water purifier, install a computer system, and more. Spending a little time working with my hands has always been therapeutic.
But my goal was not to come back to work with a head swelled with scholarly information, computer files overflowing with vacation photos, or hands loaded with calluses. As a farm boy and member of 4H many years ago, I learned that personal development must be balanced - head, heart, hands, and health. More than head growth, sightseeing, and home improvements, I wanted this sabbatical to result in my growth as a person. I wanted to learn better how to reach out to others - especially those hurting and in need. We were rewarded with more opportunities than ususal to write cards, make phone calls, and spend time with and help those bereaved, sick, and having a tough time of it.
Of the many things I learned, one towers
above the others. As strange as it may sound, I learned how one dies with dignity and grace; how one dies without fear, bitterness, or complaint; how one can be in excruciating pain, yet be thinking of others; how a person may leave a legacy that is far more valuable than anything money can buy; and how one can preach a powerful sermon about faith, love, and courage, without speaking a single word. Like everyone else, I am no stranger to seeing death. But this one was different. The weeks leading up to and culminating with Mother's death on August 7 were life-changing.
I am deeply indebted to my partners and staff at PKE for granting me this opportunity to develop. I am grateful to Toni for her many insights on how to improve the use of our time. I am hopefully returning from sabbatical a better lawyer, a better partner, a better husband, a better boss, a better Christian.
I am also grateful to the clients that I have served for their willingness in my absence to forge new relationships with my colleagues at Peacock Keller. Not only did I grow in my time off, but Peacock Keller grew stronger as well as it rose to the occasion and served our clients in my absence. In this respect, my sabbatical is no different than the four that preceded mine or the ones that will follow. Each one leaves us a little better equipped to meet the challenges of the future and, hopefully, will make the world a little better place.