Why I Am A Nurse, or Why Am I A Nurse?

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I didn't always plan to be a Nurse - it just never entered my mind when I went to College! In fact, I wasn't sure what I wanted to be "when I grew up!" I only went to College because it was "the thing to do."

My dad's philosophy - "Why does a girl need College?" - was all I ever heard on the subject. But he was willing to pay for one year. After that, I was on my own! So there wasn't much encouragement there. You see, I grew up in an age when girls were supposed to be thinking about marriage and babies, not careers.

And so, I set off to College in September of 1957 with no idea of what my major would be. When I got there, I had to declare a major, so I chose "Business." I had already had some experience in an office in my summer job, and I had taken typing and a business course in High School, so I figured that was where a "girl" should be. Secretarial training is more what I had in mind.

Gerry changed all of that! I met him on the first day of registration in the Field House. It wasn't "love at first sight," but there was something about him that I liked. He was 8+ years older , and that was a bit unnerving. But, unlike most of my boyfriends up to this point, he was a nice man and he was LDS.

From that very first day, school was a blur. I couldn't concentrate on much, but Gerry got me through and at the end of that first year, we were married. My dad's philosophy proved to be the right one. At least for now.

None of this has anything to do with why I am a Nurse, but it did put me on a path to a boatload of experiences that would lead me there. I found that when you are a wife and a mother, you have many opportunities to practice nursing skills within the four walls of your home. Children get sick and they fall down a lot and scrape knees and elbows. Sometimes they break bones and cut themselves. Caring for minor wounds came naturally for me, because my mother was good at these things. Fevers scared me though, and I found I needed Doctors to tell me what to do.

Husbands need nursing too, sometimes. They cut themselves; they get sick; and sometimes they need to go to the Hospital.

I honestly believe that Nursing is a calling and sometime in my 35th year I heard the call. It came through a friend of mine when we were living in Rowland Heights, California. I was having a difficult time in my life and needed something more than "motherhood" and "wifehood" to make me feel fulfilled. I have been told I was selfish and that may be correct, but something else was calling me.

My friend had just finished Nursing School and I asked her about it one day. Her answer surprised me and got me to thinking. She told me her experiences and asked "Why don't you try it?" That was all it took. Yes, why not?

And so my adventure began. At first it was a step off the ledge of uncertainty into pure darkness, but I didn't fall headlong into nothingness. No. I fell into a love affair with compassion, caring, skills I never knew I possessed and the greatest fulfillment outside of marriage and family I will ever know. And it has lasted over 34 years!

Why am I a Nurse? Because I was called to be someone who feels deeply the wounds of others and wants nothing more in life than to ease their pain. I have found that I can't always heal their wounds or cure their illnesses or even prevent their ultimate battles at the end of their lives. But I can be the salve to take away some of the pain, the listening ear when no one else wants to hear, the hand to hold when life is at its end, and the comforter in the dark of night when tears come easily.

I am a Nurse because no other calling on earth has lifted me so high or challenged me intellectually, mentally, physically or spiritually as much as this one has. My gift came from my creator and I am grateful for the ability I have been given to magnify this calling.

I am a Nurse because where there is need, I need to to be there to fill it.

I am a Nurse because somewhere in the back of my mind I hear my dad's voice saying, "Choose for your life's work something you love to do, and you will always love your work." I have found this to be so true.

I love my work, and therefore it is NOT WORK! It is a labor of love.


Sorry for the really bad picture quality here, but this is a copy of my "Nurse of the Year" picture from Dixie Regional Medical Center, St. George, Utah, 1996. The honor came to me after 21 years in Nursing, and 4 years after receiving my Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Weber State University, Ogden, Utah in 1992.

The Road That Led Me Here...

Have you ever thought deeply about how on earth you got from where you started to where you are today? Do you ever find yourself asking, "What if I had taken that other path?" Or, "What would my life be like if I hadn't gone that way?" Our individual journeys from birth to death are each an amazing and different highway that gets each person to a different destination.

My particular road that led me here has not been a "Super Highway" by any stretch of the imagination. Nor has it been a back-woods, dusty road. No, my road, probably like many of yours, has been one filled with pot-holes, detours, bumps, hills and a variety of forks-in-the-road. It has not even been a straight road, but one encumbered with sharp turns, gradual turns, hair-pin turns and maybe, no turns at all.

I started this journey in the company of a good mother, an honorable father and a big brother who lived and loved to tease his little sister! I think he must have spent all night dreaming of ways to "get my goat" and then carrying out his plans in the daylight hours. Except for these minor bumps in the road, my early years were spent on a relatively straight path. Fortunately for me, those traveling with me could read the warning signs along the way and took no chances with unfamiliar, though tempting side-trips.

As I grew and began to pull away from the protection of my loving parents, and charted my own coarse as a somewhat "rebellious" teenager, the opportunity to travel "solo" presented itself. It was at that time that I discovered that the "less traveled" road was pretty boring. That's when I came to my first "fork-in-the-road"! Do I take the boring, less traveled route? Or travel down that very tempting, well-worn path that "everyone else" was traveling down?


Which way to go? Unfortunately for me (or fortunately, depending on how one looks at these kinds of decisions) I chose the "path of least-resistance" or the well-worn path as my first solo adventure. I was choosing independently, ignoring the warning signs that told of dangers ahead.

For a good while, the road seemed to be a lot of fun and didn't present any problems for me. I made a lot of friends along the way, because the road was a busy one and quite crowded at times. My new friends and I had a lot of fun, and I thought to myself, "this is a good road!" And then the first "pot-hole" appeared. It took me by surprise, and I tripped and fell head-long into it! Those friends that I had made along the way just stood by, laughed and went their merry way to let me work myself out of this "pit!" These pot-holes of bad decisions turned out to be quite a nuisance! But I did crawl out, picked myself up and caught up with my "friends"!

No sooner had I finished patting myself on the back for having accomplished this feat and getting back on the road, that I found myself right in the middle of an extremely muddy, washed out portion of the road. Most of my friends were wading right through the middle of it and making it to the other side, but I noticed that they didn't come up on the other side without getting really, really dirty and soiled. It was at this point that I sat myself down, watched my friends muddy themselves, and thought long and hard about my dilemma. "There's got to be another way around this mess," I thought.

And so, I began to look for another detour. I looked around me and found there was another way that I could go. So alone, with no friends to follow me, I set out on yet another journey. I thought, "Perhaps this new road will be a smoother road." I soon discovered that that was not the case. I traveled alone for quite a long time, looking for a better path. As I traveled I found I was getting further and further away from that "less traveled" road and deeper and deeper into darkness. With a clouded mind entrenched in darkness, finding that "right" path becomes harder and harder.
I ran into dead-ends! I ran into 3, 4 and sometimes even 5-way forks! I ran into roads that led to nowhere! I climbed hills, I traveled along treacherous paths, and occasionally I found a lonely resting place. Every time I came to an intersection, I looked for the "easy way." But, always it eluded me. My eyes were not yet ready to see it. I was still avoiding the "less traveled" route.

At last, weary and tired of the darkness, I came to one of the biggest and most confusing intersections I had ever encountered! If I traveled to the left, I was promised a "great life, with no worries!" If I traveled straight ahead, I was promised riches and fame and servants to meet my every need! If I took that jog slightly to the right, I was promised a good life -- not a great life, but a good life with all of my choices being made for me. Or, I could take that sharp turn to the right -- that "less traveled" road that took a steep incline upwards with the promises of hard work, service to others, a chance to learn knowledge, introduction to friends who would not judge me nor would they laugh at me. And the rewards for all of my hard work would come at the very end of that very long, hard, less-traveled road.

I contemplated long and hard about this decision that I desperately needed to make. I was weary and didn't think I would have the strength to make that long, upward climb. It was at this impasse in my life that "something" or someone inside of me spoke softly to my heart, saying that "this was the RIGHT way!"

And so, I picked up my heavy load, decided to listen to that inner voice and turned to the right to begin my climb. I hadn't gone far before I found I was not alone on this road. The hill was steep and my burden heavy, but my companion began to carry part of it for me. I persevered and continued the climb, feeling less and less burdened as time passed. And, as I continued, the darkness began to dissipate.

By the time I reached the crest of the hill, my burden was gone and my companion took all of my fears, worries and confusion and left me there to begin my down-hill journey with the promise that He would never be far from me, should I ever need Him. The road ahead was not without bumps and hills and forks and pot-holes, but I knew I could call upon my friend to help me over the rough spots. Such has been my "new" road which carries me on my daily journey.

The road that led me here is my road. You have your own road. I have not traveled it alone -- not even when I was on the wrong road! It has taken me a lifetime to realize that! Am I sorry that I chose unwisely on several occasions? Of course! Do I wish I had taken a better road on those occasions? Absolutely! But, for me, the experiences that I have learned the most from in my life were the ones that taught me that I had chosen unwisely! That I could and should do better! I am fortunate that I can see that! Not everyone can! Oh, how I wish they could! My ultimate companion for the biggest and best part of my journey is my Savior and I can turn to Him every time I feel lost and alone. That is a comforting feeling for me. I am not alone!

August...Another BIG Anniversary Month...

It would seem that next to June, August is the favorite month for marriage. At least it is in this family.

A huge HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Mark and Jacki in Tempe, Arizona. They celebrate their anniversary on August 6th. (Oh my, that's today!) What a wonderful life they have had thus far. Many dreams coming true for such a young and amazing couple. They added a little one to their family this past year and are enjoying new experiences with that little boy.

On August 8th, Dean and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary together. It has been an interesting journey for us and we celebrate this anniversary with smiles and a lot of love and respect for each other. I am so grateful for these past 10 years and the growth they have brought into our lives. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, dear Dean!

Debi and Brian will celebrate yet another happy year together on August 9th. Theirs is also a remarkable union and the love they share and the interests they share in common have created a bond that is beautiful to behold. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to the two of you on your special day.

On the 30th of August, my sister, Chrisie and her hubby, Bob will celebrate their anniversary. What a wonderful ride it has been for them. I am so grateful for the love and companionship Bob has brought into my sister's life. I love you guys! Have an extremely HAPPY ANNIVERSARY celebration.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Just look at her! Isn't she the most beautiful girl you have ever seen? I cannot believe it has been a year since last I posted a little picture book of her early years for her birthday, and here it is rolling around again.

Heather, you have been my sunshine, my comfort, my joy for all of your 37 years. Whenever I think of the woman you have become and look deep into your heart, I feel something akin to what our Heavenly Father must feel towards ALL of His children. He doesn't see their hard times or the mistakes they made -- He sees your heart and loves you deeply.

Being a mother has given me a greater appreciation for the love we receive from our Heavenly parents. I imagine they, too shed tears from time to time when we just "don't get it!" But, in my heart of hearts I know there is an abundance of love.

I am so blessed to have you for my daughter and to share with you the friendship and love and respect that we have for each other. Happy Birthday, my beautiful "baby" girl!