One day a wealthy woman walked through the doors of a mission hospital and saw a nun on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. The wealthy woman said “You couldn’t pay me enough money to do that.”
The nun said, “Me either.”
If you have ever known someone who has answered a calling, you know this is true. Priests, other clergy, members of religious orders, lay missionaries, sometimes even nurses, teachers and other people who choose to serve, know what it means to answer a calling. Whether the calling is to serve God, or simply to serve humanity, saying yes to that call isn’t easy. One doesn’t usually answer a call like this with visions of becoming rich and famous. A life of service nearly always has inherent sacrifices.
However, the world is unquestionably a better place because of those among us who answer a call to service. With this post I would like to thank the many wonderful people I have encountered in my life who did answer that call. To name but a few, the Reverend J. Marshall Dunn, Sister Carol Gaeke, Father Giles Barreda, Father Francis Hanudel, Father Adam Midor, Father Jacek Labinski, Father Micheal Pucke, Dr. Edna Quinn, the late Dr. Thomas Erskine, Dr. Karen Badros. You have made a difference in my life and I am a better person because of each of you.
Ceci
Ceci Giltenan, Author 
Great post, Ceci!
I just had a conversation with my brother earlier tonight. He’s been in the emergency field since he was 16 and volunteered at the Rescue Squad and fire department here locally. He’s been a Paramedic for 30 years. I was trying to tell him how much I admired him for what he does but really couldn’t find the words to express it deeply enough. The things he sees and deals with daily would bring me to my knees…. his best way of explaining how he copes? He said there is a place in his mind he stashes it all but once in awhile a few of the crazies get out and he has to herd them all up and stick them back. He said there are nights he has dreams and he’s sure when he takes his last breath there will be things on his mind. I feel those dreams and things are times when he feels he may have been able to do that little bit more to change the outcome even though I know he does his best and more each and every day or they may be the ones he can’t truly understand himself, like children hurt or people trying to hurt themselves… things that may seem senseless or without reason… I didn’t ask him specifics. He pours his soul into helping people and saving lives. It’s his calling. What he was born to do. I admire people like this deeply!
Leah,
Thank you so much for sharing this story. This is a beautiful example of choosing a life of service because it is a calling.
Ceci