Sometimes by looking back, we see how things converge and come together. A dozen years ago I was finding my way, blending my vocation as an RN with a new vocation as a deaconess. That very year, 2012, I was introduced to two very different people who, unbeknownst to me (and to them), would be my mentors, guiding me on a path of mercy. Both knew hardship, poverty and suffering, but each had such a blessedly kind spirit, and lived with a deep and quiet joy. I am but one of the grateful recipients of their generosity.
The first person, Heather King, I met through her written word, essays in the monthly devotional, Magnificat. Her writing was sublime and I was hooked, reading much of what she wrote. In her memoir, Parched, Heather unflinchingly chronicles her life as an alcoholic barfly, working as a waitress even though she went to law school and passed the Massachusetts bar! A family intervention lands her in rehab for a month, leading to her sobriety. She “pulls herself together” (she was raised with the Puritan ethic of a New Englander after all!) gets married, works as a lawyer (which she despises and quits), finds her home in the Catholic Church, and eventually her vocation as a writer. She suffers divorce, a bout of cancer, the death of her father, and the slow demise of her mother to dementia. She is no stranger to suffering–her own and the suffering of others.
Heather has the gift of blending vulnerability, humor, with a deep devotion to Christ who came to serve the suffering: the poor, the downtrodden, the outcasts and those on the margins. Eventually, I garnered enough courage to sit at her feet (virtually) through two of her writing courses where much of my writing was about Kenya.
Heather King
The second person, John, I met in Kenya. John was a husband, father, and provider for his family. His tall, muscular build was a familiar sight on the soccer fields where he coached kids in the game he loved. Unfortunately, when I met John, he was confined to a couch much too small for his lanky frame. Stage four breast cancer was ravaging his chest and his entire body, rendering him almost helpless with pain and fatigue. John, however, was a kind and humble man, ever grateful for the smallest of things that might help him and his family: a crucifix to hang on the wall by his couch; a water filter providing clean, safe water for drinking and for cleansing his gaping chest wound; pain medication to give him some comfort in days he knew would come to an end soon. In fact, on my last visit to John, he held my hand, looked me in the eyes and said, “Sister, I am dying.” I kept my gaze steady and simply said, “I know”, acknowledging the truth of the words no medical person had ever spoken out loud to him.
Despite his own suffering, John’s concern was for me, wishing me a safe journey home and promising to pray for me. Sadly, a few months later, John died. His beautiful face still haunts me.
His plight moved me to want a way to help people spend their last days swaddled in compassionate care, easing some of their pain and suffering.
John
Fast Forward to 2024
For twelve years, each in their own way, John and Heather have been guiding me on my journey of mercy. Mercy is a path we don’t walk alone. It is a converging path, where things come together, connect, coincide, unite or merge.
John’s life and his death sparked the dream of creating a hospice: a refuge for those who are weary and beaten down by the ravages of disease; a place where they can receive compassionate care; a sanctuary where each person is seen as one created and loved by God; a place where kindness kisses anguish and mercy soothes the ragged edges of pain and suffering; a place where hope sustains in the midst of despair. This dream is becoming a reality for the future Johns we encounter. You can see our outpatient clinic and progress towards our hospice here https://alwaysmercy.org/
Heather’s writing, her guidance and now her friendship as a dear sister in Christ, helped me give voice to those who have no voice in this world. She opened my eyes to the art of paying attention, and encouraged me to persevere, although she probably doesn’t even know she did this! Another most recent and unexpected gift~a request from Heather to interview me about Always Mercy and the mercy work in Kenya. You can read her finished article here https://www.heather-king.com/2024/01/28/always-mercy-a-kenyan-hospice/
Or here also published in Angelus News
I am forever grateful to Heather and John. They are but two examples of the convergence of the countless people, like you, who have come together to journey with me along this path we call mercy.
