It's tradition to celebrate National Nurses' Week every year from May 6th to May 12th. And during that week also comes Mother's Day. I've always thought that the coincidence is meaningful as so many nurses are mothers and of course, so many mothers are nurses. So tomorrow, Sunday, May 11th, is Mother's Day and I know that there will be brunches, and flowers, and dinners, and visits from grandchildren and children alike for many moms out there. And regardless that it IS Mother's Day, nurses will be at work taking care of patients because that's what they do. They take care of people. Please enjoy your special day and take in all the love and affection that's coming your way.
And for those of us whose moms have passed, it is a day of remembrance of happier times, perhaps. For me, having lost my mom 32 years ago, I think of what I used to do to celebrate my mom. How our family used to gather for Mother's Day Dinner—which either my father or my siblings prepared or hosted. How I would always fuss over the "perfect card." And how I would think and think about her gift even though I knew she would appreciate whatever I gave her.
I will be thinking of all my nursing friends and colleagues tomorrow as they celebrate Mother's Day with their families. And on Monday, May 12th—-Florence Nightingale's birthday—I will send out good wishes to them again as we celebrate the end of another National Nurses' Week.