What would you say if I told you

What would you say if I told you you changed my life?

That the words spoken, gift given, correction offered, letter written shifted me from one track to another?

Would you wonder why I never told you before now?

Feel motivated to continue to walk in your glory with the affirmation of your gifting fresh in your mind, letter in hand?

There are times we think to share appreciation with those who have made an impact: promotion, retirement, relocation, career change, but those opportunities are so few and far between.

Some time ago I decided I wanted to send one letter a week to a person who impacted me: a note of gratitude with observable ways someone had affected or motivated me, or ways I have seen them make a difference.

Here I sit, MONTHS later, still roosting on that idea, never yet hatching it.

I know there are varying degrees of un-appreciation in every profession- but having only lived the occupation of nurse the last 18 years, I'm going to speak to that.

Maybe it was night shift, working casual for so many years, or never feeling competent enough but I can honestly say I didn't experience a feeling of impactfulness (I made that word up) very often.

Stressed out parents, maxed out co-workers, over-extended management really left a void in the appreciation arena.

On a core level I knew what I was doing mattered, and I knew it would be remembered by others, especially families, as life-giving work.

However, at the end of the shift, heading home into the rising sun, I never knew if I had done enough in the eyes of those who's lives were touched by my hands.

My dear colleagues, if that is you, I want to tell you again and again: you are amazing, skilled, caring, experts in your field.

I see what you do, see your tears, your frustration, your victories, your fights, your celebrations.

Going without a bathroom break, eating a protein bar out of your pocket while paging the doctor with the another, sucking on the straw of your full water cup because you haven't had time for a sip in 12 hours (which luckily makes you not need to pee too often!), briefly mourning the cold wash of your coffee down your throat 5 hours into your shift.

I see you.

All you do, you do for your patients, for their families.

If I could, I would give EACH ONE OF YOU a Daisy award*!

Since I can't give out Daisy awards, and this blog is a bit impersonal, I'm going to do what I planned: start my letter-writing, gratitude campaign.

So, I'm asking you for accountability, and perhaps you would join me?

I'm going to send a letter a week for the next 52 weeks.

If you don't get one next week, don't feel bad, I hope to never ever stop and some time, some year, you'll get yours!

Because you rock.

I bought 50 Thank You Notes and 50 stamps.

I will provide you with as many as you wish to remove the last barricade to your ability to say thank you.

Because lets be honest, who has time to go to the post office?

Comment below or in the Facebook/Insta link and I'll get you hooked up!

What would you say if I told you you made a difference in my life?

*The DAISY Award is a nationwide program that rewards and celebrates the compassionate care and extraordinary clinical skill given by nurses. Children's MN is a participant.