The Calling - A Poem

I was compelled by a strong desire to be a nurse when I was a child. My parents and grandparents told me what nurses do and how they helped people. I was totally beguiled.

My parents painted a picture in my mind of nurses being angelic and noble people. Ones who had answered a call. Nurses give up their Sundays to care for patients. For, it is a calling that is of higher priority than congregating in a building with a steeple.

I have prayed for my patients at times when I had an overwhelming workload or was exhausted from sixteen hour shifts. I have often wondered how I managed to care for such a volume of patients without having dire consequences. Over the years, I have personally witnessed miracles and divine gifts.

Now, I have been a nurse for over thirty years. I have questioned my choice at times because of various obstacles, such as, high patient to nurse ratios and excessive paperwork that take away from time spent with patients. I have had to remind myself of why I was on this people helping mission. And I have always made a decision to stay on course with my virtuous peers.

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