We were lucky to catch up with JOHN WENDEREIN recently and have shared our conversation below.
JOHN, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
To find purpose is in all that I do. You see, there are no pessimists in my line of work, only optimists. Working around those who are like thinkers is lovely, even in the most challenging times of some people’s lives. There is hope—a promise of things to come. I must say that when waiting for that next call, which will put me in the room of a patient and their family, I see the need to come quickly and share what I know. Everybody has a life story that must be not should be told. My purpose is all that drives me to the next meeting with the patient, given months to live. Purpose drives me to the family, which is coming to grips with coming events one moment at a time. And sometimes, they never completely resolve the things to come. I think I bring a substantial measure of faith sprinkled with hope. By all imagination, the greatest gift is love. It has always been exciting to come along with these sweet people in the last season of their lives and celebrate a life always lived and often well lived.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I work as a hospice chaplain in the Central Florida area. I have been honored to author two books and will be working on my third by the end of 2024. I’m married to Melinda, and I live with my Yorkie, who also carries the name Yorkie. Go figure. My heart felt hope is if one person just one finds a sense of peace than I have done my job.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Never stop. At the end of one’s life, it’s not the money you have made. The positions you have captured are not the things that matter. After being asked once, someone asked me what life was all about. In describing it to this person, I said. The mark of a person will be most realized after you are gone. We never learn our impact on those around us until we are no more. My desire is when I remember it this way. First, because I’m a Christian, I love my God. Second only to my Lord is my wife, for as she breathes out, I breathe in, and my daughter, who I’m so proud of—followed by my grandchildren, who I believe in all that’s in me. If asked after I’m gone who your grandfather was, they explain who I was, just how I wish to be remembered.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
I hope I will touch just one person with my passion, and they will find peace in their lives. The obstacles are many. Many do not want to discuss what is coming for us all. And that’s ok. I hope that they will see “IT’S OK”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://remembermejw.com
- Facebook: John Wenderlein
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