Holidays are something a nurse misses with her own family. The work schedules are long, and most of the time out of control of the nurse. People are still sick on holidays and someone has to be there for them. For 21.5 years that was me and what my schedule looked like. I can count on my hands how many holidays I have been scheduled off for the week to fully enjoy my family. It is easy to count because…it never happened until this year.
I enjoyed the whole week with my family and felt rested and in the holiday spirit. I woke up wanting to cook and attend the many homes that we had on the list to visit.
This year I had time to reflex on my family and the things that I have missed with them…and how much I gained by being there for someone else.
My family has gotten very small. All 3 of my grandmothers, 3 grandfathers, and 3 aunts, and step father have all passed on. I have one uncle, one brother and my mother left to enjoy. When I began reflecting I felt a little resentment rise that I missed out on spending time with the people in my life. However, I found myself smiling at the ones that I had around me on holidays.
A call for hope
I thought of 5 reasons that blessed me working on holidays that made me smile.
1. Holiday Pay (is always nice)
2. I did not have to cook – just eat and run
3. I was able to witness special moments between patients and families, the hugs, the gifts, surprise visits we all priceless.
4. I was reminded how lucky and blessed I really am. After my shift was over I still got to return home to my family who were waiting for me.
5. I only had to work 13 hours – I still had 12 that I could see my family – even if it was only for a few very tired minutes. They were worth it.
There is a bright side to working holidays. I had the opportunity to be there for someone who may not have had anyone else that day. I had the chance to share a smile, a joke, or gesture that made their day. Actually I was more blessed by them than they were by me.
Angela Brooks is a mental health nurse educator who spent the last 22 years working in a state funded mental hospital. In 'A Nurses Story', she shares not only what her patients have taught her over the years, but what we can all learn from those we consider 'at the margins of society'. But it's also a book about nursing, about nurses, and about how a nurse healed alongside her patients. Ultimately, "A Nurses Story" exposes a raw truth – that each of us, individually, can inspire self-worth and purpose in every life we touch, if only we choose to.
What are nurses really thinking? What causes them to be frustrated and want to quit nursing even when they love taking care of people? What makes nurses stay, even when it feels like everything is against them? In 'A Nurses Story', you'll discover the answer.
The words in this book give voice to the millions of men and women who care for us and our loved ones every day in our most vulnerable times. ‘A Nurses Story’ is their story.
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