Teacher & Nurse

From what I've been seeing on the net, this week is both Teacher AND Nurse Appreciation week.  Two incredibly difficult and (in my opinion) underrated professions that certainly do not get the appreciation that they deserve.

Think about the teachers in your life for a minute.  Is there anyone out there who can't come up with at least one name of a teacher that made an impact on their life?  An unforgettable teacher that did something that made an indelible mark on you?  It doesn't matter if it was preschool, elementary school, high school, college...hasn't everyone has had at least one teacher that did or said something that made a difference in your life?

To name a nurse might be a bit more difficult, but still I doubt if there is anyone out there who is grateful for one specific nurse that helped them in a time of need.  Nurses are the faces of a hospital; the ones who are there on the floor when you need them.  I will never forget the nurse who brought me our son for the first time.  (Or the nurses who stocked us up on formula when we left the hospital.)  I will never forget the nurses who cared for my dad for all those weeks that he was in the hospital and care center.  Appreciation does not begin to describe what I feel for them.

Both professions are often bogged down with administration that I wish would go away.  Since I'm neither a teacher nor nurse, I cannot speak for them, but I truly wish they could do what they do best.  Teachers should teach; not spend days on end prepping their class for a standardized test.  Nurses should nurse and not be filling out endless forms and chasing down doctors to get answers.  

I have been blessed to have had wonderful teachers in my life and doubled blessed that my son has had the same experience.  I have been blessed that whenever I have needed a nurse, one has been there for me and for my family.

For those teachers and nurses out there; thank  you.  You do so much and receive so little in return.  In my opinion, YOU are the rock stars.  You are the ones who change and transform lives.  Without you the world would be...well I’m not sure what the world would be without you and I don't want to imagine it.  Life may be full of lumps and bumps, but without you that road would be rougher and unnavigable.

It is not enough, but thank you.  Thank you.  THANK YOU!  And know that each day, perhaps though even in a small way, you are making people's lives better.