Nancy

Few of us know the impact we make as we walk through life.

Few of us imagine the lives changed, the goodness imparted with a kind word, the effect of a lingering presence and a listening ear.

Few of us see our life for what it really is, a series of moments hanging in the landscape of time as we glide by, sometimes carefully but always quickly, far too quickly.

My friend Nancy knows it. And yesterday, at 5:00 pm CST, after decades of faithful service at Children’s Memorial Hospital, my friend Nancy retired.

For those of us connected to Children’s Memorial Hospital life as we know it will never be the same again.

We live in a culture more interested in vacations than equations, more focused on feeding the ego than feeding the hungry, a culture where total independence has supplanted interdependence and where isolation and individualism are sought at any cost.

Amidst the chaos of senseless pursuits and self centered living occasionally comes someone who is willing to live against the grind, someone who is willing to sacrifice, someone who is willing to love. And in that life we see that it is not how much we accomplish in life but how we do it that matters. In that life, we see that the value of one’s life is not in the size of the portfolio but in the size of the heart.

For the past eight years I have had the privilege of watching such a life up close and personal and I have learned much.

I have learned that loyalty is not an option, and that faithfulness in the little things matters. I have learned that interruptions are not inconveniences but opportunities to show love. I have learned that a million little things add up to a life of greatness. I have learned that kindness and patience are possible even in the most difficult relationships. I have learned that grace is not simply a character trait, but the whole of a person reflected in countless and unseen ways.

Monday morning will bring business as usual, but in one office in Chicago, it will be unusually silent.

The lessons, though,  will be remembered forever.

Thank you, Nancy Ryan, for teaching us how to be.

Thank you for showing us grace.

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