AFFIRMATION OF A NURSE

I am the keeper of life, the wiper of tears, the attentive ear and extended hand.  A neophyte once, malleable to the tenets of Nightingale’s vision, impelled by innate compassion and ripened wisdom; I have emerged a nurse. 

I am the provider of knowledge to abate your fears of the unbeknownst, the preserver of dignity and the restorer of hope.

If infirmity befalls you and you’re stifled by mere existence, I will deliver unto you a breath of endurance and strength. 

I will rejoice in your happiness during the melodic cries of life brought forward, and if fate chooses, I will be your happiness during the melodic cries of Life brought forward, and if fate chooses, I will be your companion during the somber time of your final moments.

When the precariousness of the future evokes misdirected wrath, in armored heart, I will embrace it o lighten your burden.

I will render comforting words when you’re overwrought with emotion, or perhaps when necessary, I will bring to you an offering of shared silence.

You in all your totality transcending the sum of your parts will be honored with committed care, kindness, empathy, and respect.

I uphold this affirmation, a testimony of giving in its purest form, and take with me at the somnolence o the day’s end, fulfillment that the tradition of nursing carries on.