Thank you to the Heroes!

Hello All,

May is an important month for our national heroes – our teachers, nurses and hospital staff. Actually I should say our national treasures! National Teacher Appreciation Week – National Week of the Nurse – National Hospital Week – all are celebrated in the first two weeks of May. I think that if there is a positive to this crazy pandemic, our recognition of and appreciation for these wonderful people is it!

National Teacher Appreciation week is May 4th to today. As schools closed, every parent developed a new appreciation for the importance of teachers! There was true wonder about how the teachers handle not just the individual parent’s child/children but a whole room full of them! The creativity needed to make learning fun – the skill of discipline while not making it feel like discipline – the breadth and depth of skills and tactics required to bring out the best in children of different learning styles, attitudes, aptitudes – their incredible passion for their work, including spending their own money and much of their home time to create success – these dedicated professionals are impressive. I know that each of us can tell the story about the individual teacher who made an impact on our lives. In grade school for me, it was Mrs. Massengale. Not only did she bring our classes to life, she also gave me my first F! I was devastated – but she taught me how to read and dissect information differently, and how that one failure didn’t mean the end! In nursing school, it was Maryann Ford, whose passion for nursing came through in all she did. She taught me the power of compassion and the importance of making a difference. I started my nursing career in Intensive Care because of her. I wanted to become the same excellent nurse that she was and make an impact.

Week of the Nurse is celebrated every year from May 6th to May 12th, ending on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Every year there is a different theme for the week; this year’s theme is “Compassion. Expertise. Trust.” These are the hallmarks of a great nurse – and as you have watched and heard the stories about the nurses at the front line of this pandemic, these are qualities you have witnessed! Nurses are truly at the heart of the hospitals’ mission. They are advocates, educators, coaches, counselors, problem solvers, confidants, mentors, leaders, change agents, coordinators and so much more. Consistently they have been named the most trusted profession in the United States, a true testimony to the impact they have on our lives!

National Hospital Week is May 10th to the 16th this year. This important week recognizes the important contribution of each and every person who works in the hospital and all of the free-standing emergency departments and ambulatory sites. If you think it takes a village to raise a child, imagine the number of people it takes to care for the health of our communities! From the minute one enters the healthcare site and even long after the trip home/discharge, literally hundreds of people have touched your life – whether you saw them or not! This incredible TEAM makes it all work through collaboration and communication. How lucky we are to have them at the ready when we need them!

I can’t close without mentioning the other heroes being celebrated this weekend – mothers! Sunday is Mother’s Day. None of these other incredible people would exist without their moms. It is a day to celebrate them, their commitment to raising all of us, to giving us all they have and to providing unlimited love. I know I am blessed beyond measure with my little mom. She has been a role model for me and my biggest champion. I became a “momma” very late in life with my adopted daughters; I can only say how blessed I am, and it is amazing how one heart can hold so much love.

For all of these dedicated people, their professions are their calling. In fact, caring is their calling. They don’t do it for the money, they do this because they know the profound difference one person can make to and for another. Whether it is raising children to be successful adults, lifting students up with new knowledge, or giving healing and hope through healthcare, their commitment to all of us and their work shines through.

Let the people you know who serve in these desperately needed roles how much you appreciate them! We are blessed to have these incredible people caring for us!

Phyl