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years ago and died only three months later. I treasure the time we had together and the sharing that we had of both our personal and professional lives.

In 1993 I earned my doctorate in ministry degree. Although I had been working with persons living with HIV and AIDS since 1983, I finally was in a position to direct an AIDS case management program at the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis. My clients were like brothers and sisters to me. I held that position for 8 years.

At age 50, an Ojibwe elder contacted me for assistance in bringing her cousin's body home from Chicago. The funeral home wanted nearly $2,000 and she and I made the trip for $400! On our return to Minnesota, Verna turned to me an said, "Now, you must do this for our people." I took that to heart and before I knew it, I was 52 and beginning a one year accelerated program in mortuary science at the University of Minnesota. I graduated at age 53 and I now operate a funeral home for those with low incomes.

So, what is the best profession a woman can achieve in her life? It is any profession that brings about satisfaction, is a multitude of professions, it is caring and nurturing a family, it is living a single life and doing whatever one feels called to do, it is becoming a priest or sister, a minister, a lay reader. There is no one single answer to this question. Each of us knows in our heart of hearts what is the best place for us. Sometimes and for many reasons, we mistake the profession to which we have been called or we work our way through a number of professions.

The best profession we women can achieve in our lives is that which reaches out to others either directly or indirectly. Our best profession will be grounded in the belief that we do no harm to anyone and that we uphold those with whom we work. If we profess a religious tradition, we will find that manifest in many ways in the professional work in which we engage. We will often find ourselves quietly humming or singing a cheerful song. Although our hours may be long, we willing give of ourselves for the good of the majority.

We cannot write the perfect job description for anyone but ourselves and when we find that perfect place, I hope and pray that we thank God for the grace of leading us there.

Learn more about this author, Claudia Windal.
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