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Nurse Stories, Part Nineteen: Sometimes You Just Gotta' Stop And Pray...(By Louisiana M. Sandusky, R.N.) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
A nurse relies on a Higher Power to help her face each day at her job, and the challenges, joys, and even tears, that go along with it.
I am blessed to be able to help people in their time of need, when they are at their most vulnerable and helpless. If it were not for people like me or my fellow nurses, patients wouldn't have a chance, and they would then have to face their injuries, illnesses, or hospital stays with fear and uncertainty, and honey, but that isn't no way to live!
I became a nurse because I felt compelled to do so after nurses helped me get back onto my own feet when I was but a child. I fell out of a tree and nearly crippled myself permanently; and I spent the next several years learning how to walk again on leg braces and Lofstrand crutches. They really made a big difference in my life, and I have never forgotten the compassion, love, or caring they showed not only towards me, but to my older sisters, and also my parents, who were all having just as rough of a time as I was. This was one of the reasons I became a nurse in the first place, and when I started nursing school, it was indeed a big dream come true for me.
Sometimes, things can go very well on my job; and this is when nursing as a whole brings me nothing but joy and satisfaction; but more often than not, things go (and do) go wrong, and it is up to us to try to help patients whenever they start to get into trouble. Now, I know death is as part of life as is life itself, but it is never easy, and when it does happen, it can hit one hard smack in the gut, and it can make or break you. This is when I rely on a Higher Source because sometimes He is the Only One to help me through the grief process. Or He helps me deal with the forthcoming demise of the person in question, and I try not to get so attached to a patient, but it is hard when the patient has touched me so deeply. I also have problems when the patient is an infant or a child, and there is no hope for the baby or child. Yet I somehow get through it, and yes, while I may cry at first and grieve over the loss of the baby, child, or adult, I get over it, eventually. (It may take a while, yes, but I eventually get over my grief; I always do.)
I also rely on God when my family members are sick or possibly dying; and to a mother, daughter, or wife, there is probably no sadder (or worse) sight than the vision of your loved one lying in a sea of tubes, looking more dead than alive, with only the monitors and sounds of beeping to tell you that your loved one is indeed alive. I have seen different members of my family lying helpless and hopeless in a hospital bed, fighting for every ounce of their lives; and this is when I go to the chapel and pray out my anguish and fears to the Cross. Somehow, when things seem at their very worst, God always sustains me with enough faith, enough hope, and enough courage to make it through another day, and somehow He always reassures me that "things are going to be okay; they are safe with Me". And He gets me through it with a neverending supply of Grace and Mercy, and eventually (but not always), my family member recovers, and they are soon home from the hospital, looking better than ever.
This is a journey that I have had to take on many an occasion, and it is a place I would NOT recommend on a regular basis; yet things happen, and loved ones can (and do) get sick when one least expects it. But I am glad that God gave me the knowledge in my head and the skills in my hands to be able to help them (and other people) in their golden hour of need, and when things go according to plan, then there is nothing sweeter or more satisfying in knowing that you had a major role in making a difference in somebody's life, be it friend, family member, or complete stranger. They came to you for help, and you were able to deliver, thanks to the Loving and Healing Hands of God Above.
Note: Since my husband's cancer surgery 4/25/05, this book content has been integrated into the public speaking content for audiences interested in a sassy approach to personal and/or community awareness events. Another chapbook on intimate love poet
I have written a chapter called I Am That, I Am in this inspirational compilation book by best-selling authors and wonderful people from all walks of life xox :-D (Its sister book is called Adventures In Manifesting - Success and Spirituality)
I am blessed to be able to help people in their time of need, when they are at their most vulnerable and helpless. If it were not for people like me or my fellow nurses, patients wouldn't have a chance, and they would then have to face their injuries, illnesses, or hospital stays with fear and uncertainty, and honey, but that isn't no way to live!
