Religion and spirituality have been a part of my life for a long time. As a young child I followed my grandparents to church every Sunday. My grandfather was a deacon and the choir director, and my grandmother was the organist at the small Presbyterian church in rural Minnesota. Service to others was ingrained as we were taught the tenets of faith, hope and love.

As my greatest spiritual teacher, my grandmother taught me to be open-minded and accepting of others. She shared with me the magnificence of creation and talked with me about different faith traditions. She offered insight into Native American spirituality as well as Eastern religious thought. I was encouraged to pray for strength and guidance as I made my way in the world.

In my late 20s I was called to the ministry, but I never thought I was good enough. It took me several more years before I realized that the ministry wasn’t about me, but that I was being called to be an instrument of God’s love.

After a major health crisis I was given a new lease on life. My family shared their love, my faith deepened, and I had a profound sense of hope. I trained as an interfaith chaplain because I wanted to share that hope with others. I then worked for several years in hospitals in California, always assigned to the Intensive Care Unit where I dealt with patients who were dying and the family members who gathered about them.

Death and dying became of great interest to me, and it became clear that this is where my ministry was leading me. While death is not typical dinnertime conversation, it is part of life. Some people want to have everything medically possible done for them up until the time of death; others choose to live out their lives without use of extraordinary measures.

Talking about these issues with loved ones before death is imminent can ease a lot of heartache and assure that an individual’s wishes will be honored. As I discussed my wishes with my own family, my prayers for strength and guidance were enhanced.

November is National Hospice Month. The theme for this year is “hope.” God brought me through a very difficult time in my life by answering my prayers for strength and guidance. Now as a team member of Cascade Health Solutions Hospice, I am privileged to share hope and my own spiritual journey with patients and families. With guidance and support, the hope for a cure of their disease can evolve to appreciation for a life richly lived until death.

One of the things that most draws me to hospice work is that life’s ups and downs are peeled away so that what is left is the authentic essence of a person. I call this the “divine” essence. To witness how those confronted with life’s most difficult event transcend their fear and pain always serves to give me strength and hope.

Margie Sherman holds a master’s degree in liberal arts from Naropa University and is an interfaith chaplain with Cascade Health Solutions Hospice, a community-based nonprofit agency. This column is coordinated by Lane Interfaith Alliance to offer inspiration, share personal spiritual experiences and bring a deeper understanding of individual faith perspectives with the intention of blessing the community and the world. For information, visit www.laneinterfaithalliance.org or call 344-0430.