On Sunday evening I attended an evening with Sara Miles author of Taste This Bread. Her memoir tells the story of her work as the ‘holder'(my word not hers) of the Food Pantry at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Fransisco. It was a book I found very helpful and quite profound so it was a privilege to be in her presence. The ways in which she speaks of the holiness of food rings true to me. The generosity with which she moves in the world, and the guts she has do to so, is inspiring. If you have not read this book, I commend it to you.

At some point in her talk she was speaking of the volunteers that staff the Food Pantry. Describing them and the passion they have for what they do, she said they are ‘running toward the work.’ At this point I stopped just listening and actually wrote down that phrase. Running toward the work. I thought of the people I know who run toward their work, those who find such joy and satisfaction and meaning that they literally run toward the act of work. Many of these people are actually paid for this work which brings them such fulfillment but I fear there are often too few in their company. I thought also of those who hate their work, find it demeaning or a place to put in their time, waiting for the paycheck, watching for the clock to run out. And then there are all those who long for work, any work, to prop up their longing spirits,their depleted bank accounts. Work is such a defining and important part of being human.

For some reason Sara Miles’ statement reminded me of my teenage years in which I was a Girl Scout. I will be honest….I was a terrible Girl Scout. I was, in fact, every devoted Scout leader’s nightmare. I hated camping. I saw no possible reason in the world to do tasks in which I was not interested in order to earn badges which would be sewn onto a uniform I would not be caught dead in. But what I did love about Girl Scouts was being a Candy Striper.

Candy Stripers, for those of you who may not remember or never knew, were young women who wore red and white striped jumpers and volunteered in hospitals. This service of the Scouts was one I ran to with all my heart. My fellow ‘Stripers’ always knew that if they ‘had something else to do’ when their shift rolled around that I would take their turn. It was work I ran toward. I ran toward this work not because I had a delusion that I would make medicine a career. My science gifts were few and my math skills nonexistent. What I loved about this work was delivering flowers and mail to the hospital rooms and seeing the delighted smiles on frail and hurting faces. What I loved was taking trays of food that often went uneaten but which provided a time to talk about things other than illness with a young person who happened by. I suppose it laid the groundwork for the times I now stand in similar places offering diversion, a kind word, a prayer, a presence.

As far as I can remember, I never earned a badge for Candy Striping. But in those years when it was easy to be self absorbed with the latest fashions and newest song on the radio, this work provided meaning and a connection with something larger than myself. I think it is a similar thing that the volunteers at the Food Pantry experience.  It is what, perhaps, we all want from whatever work we do: a sense of meaning and a place to make a small difference in some one’s life and the life of the world. This has very little to do with any monetary reward and so much to do with seeing our place in the grand scheme of things.

My prayer today is that all may find work they can run toward. Whether paid or not, may the work lift us all above the smallness we sometimes feel and connect us with others in a way that lasts.

And if a badge is important, and earned, may it be bestowed and received with grace and love.