For Esther’s Writing Prompts challenge, using the prompt word “test.”
The real test came on an ordinary morning. I had dropped the kids off and was sitting in my car outside my first hospice visit. I had been a nurse for years, but this field was new, and I felt the weight of doing it while raising two children alone. I remember gripping the steering wheel and wondering if I could carry everything that waited on the other side of that door.
I walked in anyway. I met a family who needed calm, and I found it in myself even though I wasn’t sure it was there. I guided them through a moment that mattered, then went home and helped with homework and made dinner like any other night.
That was when I understood the test. It wasn’t hospice. It wasn’t single motherhood. It was discovering that I could hold both at once.
And I did.
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12 comments
We are often stronger than we think. Well done!
Thank you, Darlene. That is true.
This is wonderful, Kymber. ❤️🙏🏻
Thank you so much, John. 🌺🌺
come in and assay
assuage from a position
of compassion and perspective
Thank you, Utahan. I appreciate the compassion in your words.
We are often stronger then we give ourselves credit for.
Maggie, you’re right. We don’t always see it in ourselves while we’re in the middle of it, but looking back, the strength is there. Thank you for saying that.
Kymber, bless you for your kindness. That must be so difficult. I visited a friend in hospice the day before he passed and while it was a lovely atmosphere and kind people, the heaviness of the whole thing made me realize it requires a special calling 😎❤️🙏
Darryl, thank you. Hospice is heavy, even on the gentle days. I’m sorry about your friend, and I’m glad you were able to be there.🩷🌺
See????? Strong! Brave! Magnificent!!!
Pam, thank you. I didn’t feel strong when I was living through it. I was just trying to keep my patients comfortable and still be the mother my kids needed. Hearing you say that makes me stop for a moment and see it the way you do. I’m grateful you’re here.