henry is now on his way to his own hearing aids! finally! it’s been a long, arduous, red-tape filled process, but his little blue oticons will be ordered in the morning. what a relief. we’ll get to give back the loaners we’ve had for the past 6 months and concentrate on keeping this newer (more expensive set) dry.
my audiologist has put in a lot of hard work trying to get these hearing aids. and not just any run-of-the-mill pieces – she wanted the best for henry and she petitioned and petitioned until she got them.
i’m not sure that there are words with enough power to complement a true job well done. to see someone in his or her element, doing what they were created to do… it can only be described as delicious. and i’m not even talking about all the applause and kuddos that come with it – it’s not about recognition, it’s about fulfillment.
it’s caused me to think a lot lately… i read / heard about the word vocation – the word we use to refer to a person’s field of work – is from a latin root word, (i want to say vocar ?) but it has the same root as “calling” (think “vocalize” or “voice”). unfortunately the church world has somehow began to differentiate between a “calling to ministry” and the call to fulfill a life’s purpose. we may not all feel as if we should be serving a church, but we are all indeed called to a purpose, a vocation. there is work to be done in this world that when you and it collide it makes the most perfect-pitch, clearly sung melody. it just fits.
and because i believe it’s the way the world was created, when a person lives out her vocation, it benefits those around her. the goal is not self-gratification (though it is fullfilling), but rather to play the part in a larger song that is being sung.
i’m so grateful that the woman we chose to help henry onto the road to better hearing is a person that is living out her vocation and making our lives better as well.