A Calling

Some people seem to be destined for greatness. They seem to be called to do great things - doors open for them and they zoom to positions of great influence. I was astounded when we toured the Mayo museum at the innumerable military awards that the Mayo brothers had accumulated, along with their father. The clinic started off in Dr Mayo's house, then moved to bigger and bigger buildings as the practice got larger. Did you know that they received the Nobel Prize for discovering the cortisone shots would help releive the inflammation of arthritis. I saw the display - and the Nobel Prize. Nothing short of awe inspiring.

Now Mayo Clinic is synonymous with innovation, and their motto: The patient's needs are first, is very evident in everything they do. I had always hoped that I would be able to do something great - I think everyone hopes that at one time or another. During our trip, I have realized that my life is more like the guy on the seashore throwing in starfish back in the ocean - there are hundreds in need, but I can at least make a difference to the one in front of me.

I always thought being a field nurse with the Navajo was my calling - it sounds romantic and exciting enough to read pretty well on a tomb stone, especially for a girl from suburban Indianapolis. My heart is most assuradly still there. Even in the Twin cities airport in a gift shop laden with all sorts of Native American jewelry, the stuff I kept picking up was Navajo. The flute of Carlos Nakai in the canyon playing in the gift shop carried me back to those trips we took to White House Ruins.

I still dream about the mountains and the creek in Lukachukai -and the memories of my family and my dear friends in that place are some of my best ones ever. But that is not where I'm planted now. I am in the suburbs ( except fo my little two acres of country at home). I teach diabetes education, and I am trying to learn even more so that I can be of more help to folks. My job, at least on the inpatient side, has morphed to include more and more consulting. When your job is to help, it sometimes feels like there are so many people in need, and so few hours n the day. Actually, it feels like that a lot. It makes me wonder if my dreams of going back out to Arizona will ever come true.

When I headed out for my big adventure, my dad told me to look for confirmation of my impulses and dreams from the Holy Spirit. Confirmation means that you have three coincidences, or three people bringing something up about your "issue" that would otherwise be unrelated. When I went to Arizona we had three things: My mom ran into a lady in Kokomo Indiana whose family was right outside the area I was looking for - there are about 10 Navajo in Indiana, and she managed to run into one of them; three weeks in a row the homily was about caring for the needy and God's need to send someone to them; and the third was the grandma I helped back to her house once I got there, who asked me if I was a nurse there: when I said no, she said I should be. Things just fell into place, and while I went to help, it was me who really recieved the help.

I don't know if the world will be a better place after I go, but I can't help thinking that I have to at least try to leave things better than I found them.