God bless you, Nathanael. I pray God’s blessings over you, that He is working His power over you, that He heals your hurting body, soul & spirit. You are an angel here on earth. You have been a servant for a very long time. I pray healing, rest & peace to consume you right now in the name of our Mighty Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. You are loved. Thank you for your bravery in truth. Feeling broken has been such a bedfellow to so many of us in his field. We all need to speak these things over one another. This prayer of blessings, healing, rest and peace are for all who are going through these same things. May the Father give us all His tender mercies and grace.

I would like to give thanks for the creation of this blog and I would also like to give my thanks to all of you who have given so much of yourselves in this often thankless career. I, myself, have been a nurse for 22 years and I am all too familiar with that seeming feeling of having poured out every fiber of your being at the end of your day. Most people that are not in the field truly have no idea what we go through. There are many careers out there that are challenging. This we know. However, most people will openly admit that they could never do what we do! I know I can speak for many of us that many prayers are uttered before the start of a shift, all throughout the shift and all the way home afterwards due to the demands, the stretching, the inability to do all that we know needed to be done for the patients that so deserve proper care, care that they are paying for! Huge hugs for all of you out there! Most of us are stretched so far. The stretching doesn’t stop when we leave work. Life at home is often incredibly demanding as well, as we are often the ones in our extended families who also are the personal caretakers of our sick loved ones because our families can no more handle that role than work in the field. All, in addition to being the matriarch or patriarch. So, here we are…left with little time to take care of ourselves. Most of us have our own physical challenges that we just can’t get a break from, but somehow, we keep going, running to stay ahead of the freight train that always seems to be barreling down the tracks behind us! We all need to do ourselves a favor. Be kind to yourselves. Don’t forget your own self worth. When the bladder is pressing…just stop for that 3 minutes. You’ve earned the right and your body will thank you.

Now for a bit of cut and pasted humor…

Murphy’s Laws for nurses…

That enema you gave four hours ago produces a huge code brown just five minutes before the end of your shift!

You have been working flat all day without even a coffee break, but the moment you sit down, the supervisor walks around the corner and sees you doing nothing.

Your nose will itch the very moment your gloved hands get contaminated with bodily fluids.

Here’s 2 from my own personal experience (& likely yours too)

There’s help around when you don’t need it & none when you do.

Just as soon as you get the patient clean & smelling good, it’s time to do it all over again!

Be blessed!

I am very fortunate to have rarely needed to go to a hospital but for those few times I have I am grateful to everyone there who works so hard. As nurses I am sure you see the most and see people at their worst. Please know as patients we don’t forget your caring and kindness once we leave the hospital. I will always remember the male nurse who recognized that I was in so much pain I was feeling nauseated and he quickly got me medicine that helped alleviate both. Because of him I felt safe. I knew I was a person, not a number, not just another patient. We notice and we are deeply thankful. Hope this helps you stay strong in your challenging moments.
Oh, and as a fellow cat lover, thank you for including your cat in your blog. They make our lives whole.