Dear Colleague,
It is with great pleasure that I send to you my
best wishes for a great National Nurses Week to you. It
is a celebration to the noble profession to which you have dedicated
yourself. A profession rich with tradition and committed
to an ever evolving process of improving the quality of life for
those whom we care.
As you go through this week, and throughout the
rest of the year, I hope you will remember just how valuable you
are to our society. As nurses, we have the distinct honor
to play a very significant role in the lives of thousands of people
during our careers. In our role as nurse, we touch lives,
often in ways we simply cannot appreciate. In our fast paced
society, we often don't hear back from patients that we have cared
for, but every once in a while a patient will take the time to
say not just thank you, but will express to you just what a profound
difference you made in their life or the lives of their family.
Now, you must know in your heart that for every one time you hear
it, their will be dozens of times that the same sentiment is felt
by others for whom you have cared.
Sometimes, we get to continue our care for a family
long after we traditionally expect to do so. A couple of
years ago, I went to the office supply store, as I was checking
out, the clerk looked at me for a long moment and asked, aren't
you the nursing supervisor at _______. I replied that I
was, she started crying. She apologized and told me it was
her late mothers birthday and that when her mother was dying,
I came to the room and stayed with them, and held her hand as
her mother took her last breath. Sadly, I did not recognize
her or remember her mother in particular, but the M.O. was certainly
one that I tried to accomplish any time we had a patient whose
prognosis was terminal. She thanked me for being with them
and for the care that all the nurses had provided to her mother.
We held hands again for a moment while she regained her composure.
She was convinced that her mother had sent me to the store that
day. She still, to this day, grieves heavily the loss of
her mother and I seek her out every time I go to the store and
check on her. We talk about how she's doing, her needs,
and her family. I always leave thanking God that I was able
to be there for her and her family and for allowing me to help
her through one of life's hardest times.
In my life I have had many titles, parent, spouse,
manager, educator, volunteer, president, but none gives me more
pride than saying "I'm a nurse". I thank God that
I was given the gift of compassion.
Remember always my friends that you are indeed a
gift from God to all of humanity. As I have written in the
past, imagine a world filled with people who had the greatest
qualities of nurses: compassion, a need to help others, a respect
for the beliefs of others, a tradition of non-judgment.
Indeed, the world would be a much better place. Oh, we'd
still have our problems, but the problems would be much different
then the ones we deal with today. I believe we would have
a world that would not have to deal with starving children, a
world that was not suffering preventable deadly epidemics, and
a world that respects and even honors diversity.
So, as we go through National Nurses week, take
great pride in what you do and who you are. You are indeed
"angles of mercy" and the world is a much better place
because of you and the vital work of your profession. Be
humbled by the awesome gifts that God has given you, none the
least of which is the gift to so significantly impact the lives
of others. Be blessed always in your life to know that even
though you may not always hear it, the world is grateful for you,
and our society is better because of you!
May God bless you always and keep you in the love
and warmth of eternal light,
Pat Mahan
Founder
Nurse-Recruiter.com |
