"The Sentinel" by Casey Cep is a beautiful profile of Ron Walters, civil servant, head of the National Cemetery Administration. It's long, inspirational, kind, and thoughtful. A sample from near the end:

… “He would’ve made a great priest,” Rosemary Williams, a lifelong Catholic, told me. “There are people like Ron who work in the federal government, and you can tell they’ve answered a call. Ron always makes me want to be a better person.”

… “People who come into contact with him are inspired, and, to me, that’s the mark of a great leader.” I experienced it, too, leaving every interview with him wanting to be the Ron Walters of my writing, the Ron Walters of my exercise regimen, the Ron Walters of my marriage.

Who among us doesn’t want to be better at everything? Not just our work, however momentous or mundane it might be, but every aspect of our life: relationships, friendships, health, hobbies, community, stewardship of the earth, everything. Most of us, thankfully, aren’t terrible at what we do. We’re okay or pretty good. But Walters reminds us: Why not be better? Why not be the best? It isn’t impossible; it simply demands our constant devotion. Perpetual care, it turns out, is not just for cemeteries.

_{(see Washington Post gift-link for "The Sentinel"; see "The Canary", another Post profile of an amazing civil servant, via this gift-link — and here, cf Among the Missing (2001-10-20), Memorial Day (2002-05-28), Mantra - We're the Best (2017-11-26), 2020-08-26 - Haiti Cemetery (2020-09-09), Fifth Risk (2024-09-18), ...) - ^z - 2024-09-19}