Living Memento Mori Part 6: The Smallest Kindness Makes a Difference
I don’t know about you but most of the books I buy are often associated with other writers or content creators- a reference in the text itself, a foot note, etc. I was introduced to Phil Volker by Terry Hershey, who in turn had written an endorsement to a Robert Capon book I had just purchased. I’ve had regular correspondence with both Phil and Terry over the last few years. Their encouragement and impact on me has been profound, leading me to make some significant lifestyle changes.
In 2019 both Phil and Terry made their home on Vashon Island here in the Northwest. Living on a small island, they were neighbors.
Phil was a regular blogger. Known worldwide, he wrote about his journey living with stage 4 cancer. His dream was to walk the 500-mile Camino de Santiago, but his regular chemo treatments prevented him from leaving home and doing this. So, living on 10 acres, he created his own backyard Camino. The walking paths he created weaved in and out of forest land and pastures. After each walk, he charted his progress on an actual map of the Camino. Over the years he walked the distance of the Camino de Santiago several times over.
Phil said something that has stuck with me over the years. In spite of his weekly trips from Vashon to Seattle for chemo infusion, he made a point to do something daily, if the opportunity presented itself, for someone else. This was often just a word of encouragement to a stranger. A simple gesture of kindness.
The sixth station, Veronica wiping the face of Jesus, was a “big little thing” as Emily refers to it in her book. What we may think of as an inconsequential act may not be so trivial to the one on the receiving end. We have no idea the impact our actions and gestures have, even the so-called small ones, on others.
Living Memento Mori means we consider others, their crosses, even though we are carrying a cross ourselves.
Thanks for reading!
Curt Bumcrot, MRE
Post Script: Phil’s oncologist eventually gave him the go ahead to walk the actual Camino in Europe. His journey was turned into an award winning documentary by Annie O’Neil titled, Phil’s Camino. It can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/philscamino.
Phil died on Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, at the age of 73.
_______________________________________________________
Early Bird Testing Discounts Concluding Soon! Register and pay now for remote testing and save $5.00 to $10 per student! To take advantage of this limited time offer and see the 2024 testing dates, go to
To schedule a remote private test call Jenny at 503-557-2223
