A Committed Life

We celebrated the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday at church yesterday.  Our pastor quoted Dr. King as having said that when he died, he hoped he would be remembered for leaving behind a committed life.  The pastor went on to challenge us to consider how we are each being called to a committed life and how we would answer that call.  I looked around at my fellow parishioners, wonderful people doing extraordinary things, leading committed lives through their vocations and avocations.  And then I thought of my mom, who although dying of cancer in our local nursing home, found myriad ways every day to lead a committed life in service to others.  She often could be found pushing another resident in a wheelchair.  She'd insist that others be served at the dinner table before she was or that another resident's call light be answered before hers.  It was in my mom's very essence to live a committed life. And she did so with a natural grace all the way until the end of hers.  We will not all be remembered for our heroic deeds or receive wide acclaim for our accomplishments, but each of us does have the opportunity to make small, thoughtful decisions and choices every day that make for a committed life.