The following reflection is a letter that my good friend Nathanial Vose M.Div, BCC, SEP shared with colleagues as he reflects upon his healthcare journey and beauty of working hospice care.
For the past nine years, I've been blessed to work with the most amazing, compassionate, and skillful colleagues. Mother Theresa is quoted to have once said, 'You can't do great things, you can only do small things with great love.' Through experience, I might paraphrase this slightly and say-- 'You CAN do great things, only by doing small things with great love.' In my past nine years here, I truly feel that we have done great things together by doing small things beautifully, compassionately, and lovingly over and over and over again. Every day, I witness, hear about, and am inspired by the sacred encounters that each of you engage in, the way that you bring your values to life and make them real. Personally, I've always practiced approaching this work we do not simply as a job, but as a spiritual path-- one in which my purpose is to cultivate the seeds of compassion, love, and understanding in myself and in the world around me. I've had my share of struggles and successes on the path, but I have always been buoyed by the inspiration and caring of those around me and the knowing that I was never walking it alone.
Hospice work is sacred work, and we are blessed by the opportunity it provides to open our hears, discover our unique and interwoven humanity, and deepen our understanding of the nature of reality. The thread of intention and love that called me into hospice work as a volunteer at the age of 18 is perhaps a similar thread to one that others of you may carry. It is a thread much bigger than me, bigger than an organization, bigger than a movement, bigger than a life. While we may need to let things go on our path, we continue hold onto the thread of our intention and calling and it carries us on a deeply meaningful journey.
May you always be strengthened by the thread of your deepest intention and aspirations.
May you continue to do small things with great love and, in doing so, continue to build something GREAT together.
Thank you, beyond words, for the gifts, teachings, care, and love you have offered me. I am so deeply grateful to you all!
With Great Love,
Nathaniel
Nathaniel's approach to living his calling is an inspiring illustration of sacred work and Radical Loving Care.
Shared by Liz Wessel with permission from the author. May all the blessings Nathaniel has bestowed on others return to him tenfold as he begins a new carrer opportunity!
