My Little Way

“The world’s thy ship and not thy home.”- St. Therese of Lisieux

I know I used this quote yesterday, but I really want to think more about it. I had a really good talk with the aunt yesterday, and it made me think of the quote, as it put a lot of things into perspective. The world really is only the ship to get to Heaven.

Recently, I have been realizing how much I have that I really don’t need. I gave up Instagram for Lent, and I realized how much I really don’t need all of that in my life. I don’t compare myself as much to people, or I don’t feel the need to see what other people are doing. (However, I do miss getting new gluten free recipes). My aunt and I talked about how she, as a visiting nurse, has seen so many different people and has been to so many different areas. She’s been in houses that are completely wrecked, and places where people have been too sick or don’t have the money to fix things in their house because they have to use their money for meds. A lot of people, including me sometimes, don’t realize how fortunate we are.

We also talked about how people don’t understand illness unless they’ve been in that situation. Being sick for this long, and still not really knowing exactly what’s wrong, has taken a toll on me and no one understands what it’s like. You can have sympathy for someone, but that only goes so far. People always try to give ideas and suggestions about things for me to try, or they even try to diagnose me. To be honest, it’s really annoying. However, I know they’re doing it out of love. My aunt has seen so many people who are sick, and even though she hasn’t experienced much physical pain in her life, tries her best to pray and to care for them both physically and emotionally. As someone who has chronic pain, I can testify how much it helps to have that emotional support as well as the physical support. She has such a big heart and I continue to learn how to care for people as she does.

We don’t need all of the extra stuff in our lives, because this is only a temporary home before we get to our real home. My aunt was saying how anything can happen in our lives, and who knows what will happen to us at any moment. We could be here one minute, and then gone the next. Not going to lie, this kind of stressed me out, but also motivated to try to make the most of my life, even though it’s hard with my depression and illness. The thing I loved is how she said we were put on this Earth to help people. Even though we might not understand what other people are going through, we should still try to be there for each other and to show love and care. So many of us tear people down instead of building each other up, and we should be there to support each other. Our goal is to get to Heaven, and it is our job as Catholics to help each other get to Heaven. It is easier to get to Heaven when you have a ship that’s on a straight path, so we need to cultivate a world of support and kindness. (Reminds me of Jaws….We’re gonna need a bigger boat!)

The Little Way helps us to recognize that each day is truly a gift, and that with our lives we can make a difference depending how we choose to live. By putting hope in the future that God will be all you need, love will become part of you. The Little Way helps up to choose life, rather than the darkness of greed and pettiness. By following St. Therese’s life, she teaches us how much love makes a difference if we make it part of each day. I try to choose love as much as I can and do as St. Therese says, “do little things with great love.” Sometimes it’s hard for me, cause I get impatient and it makes it hard to love sometimes, but I try my best to see the best in others and do little things in order to spread love. My aunt goes above and beyond for her patients, not just doing her job and caring for them as a nurse, but caring for them as family. She even brings them their favorite food sometimes, and makes little treat bags for them after the holidays. She is a great model of someone who puts others first and does little things with great love.

By using the Little Way and St. Therese as a role model for our lives, we can realize how we don’t always need all of the “stuff.” All we need is God, and to make love a part of our lives. Soon, it will become part of ourselves.