Lessons from LeAnn
One story thanked the nurse who ministered to a lonely wounded soldier in Vietnam on Christmas Eve.
Another told of a nurse at the bedside of a burn unit patient, afraid to look in the mirror. The nurse administered medications and treatments, then put her earrings on the woman and told her she was beautiful.
In yet another, a nurse speaks softly as she tenderly bathes a dejected, agonizing AIDS patient, renewing his dignity and courage.
The stories go on and on with people thanking nurses for their extraordinary care. But these nurses insist they were simply doing their "jobs,"...caring with compassion and competence.
This poem from Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul, Second Dose sums it up:
Thank You for Your Care
It must be very hard at times
To do all that you do;
To serve others so unselfishly
While "thank yous" are so few.
You work long hours and yet you smile
While giving needed care.
I've seen concern within your eyes,
And kindness, deep and rare.
You choose to go that extra mile
When you know you are needed;
The virtuous call of nursing
You have truly heeded.
Thanks for all you did for me
While I was in your care;
You'll be remembered in my heart,
And in each and every prayer.
Nursing is a calling. And to all who work answering that call, I say thank you. You may believe you are doing ordinary things, but you are making an extraordinary difference.
Happy Nurses Week; thanks for all you give!
P.S. Forward this to a nurse you know!
