For Rachel Naomi Remen, author of My Grandfather's Blessing, medicine has been "a front row seat for mystery." In the early part of her career as a doctor, she saw a heavy emphasis upon mastery, the facts, and fixing people up. Now after 25 years of working with cancer patients and training doctors, she stresses stories instead of facts, questions instead of answers, and wonder instead of analysis.
Remen believes that service is more than duty and obligation. It is closer to love and generosity. She learned this from her Jewish grandfather who died when she was only seven years old. He told her stories with a seed of wisdom in them. He believed in giving to others, making things better for them. Or as he put it — be a blessing!
One of the challenges in our time is to see our place in the larger story. Remen respects everyone as a work in progress. Oftentimes, we learn more about ourselves and our mission in life when we go through the darkness rather than trying to avoid it. Remen reads several of her favorite stories from My Grandfather's Blessing. She concludes: "Life has an elegance that far exceeds anything we might devise."