A GIFT TO HELP SURVIVE NURSING SCHOOL TRAUMA

Nursing school was a traumatic experience, from the first day of the first class to the final, final exam. (Can I get an AMEN, sisters and brothers?!)

One of the many people who helped me persevere through the trauma was this young lady...

Morning School Commute

God gave me a very precious gift to help me off to a strong start on the nursing-school journey: my first year of college and Helen's senior year of college overlapped.

She was my school-commute buddy the first year of school (to be more precise, she was my chauffer, because I did not have a car of my own), and she was undoubtedly my biggest day-to-day cheerleader and encourager.

We rode together to campus and back most days. All our classes were in the same building. Several days each week, we met in a study lounge for lunch, usually hot soup from the Gooch Hall canteen, served by our sweet friend Ayree. (Ayree knew potato soup was Helen's favorite, and always made sure to have some set aside for us because potato soup sold out fast.)

On really bad days, when we both left campus feeling beaten up by life, we would pick up miso and sushi for dinner on the way home. Miso makes everything better.

And on really, really bad days, we'd skip homework and studying long enough for an episode of Downtown Abbey.

We cried together a lot that year, I more than Helen. We also laughed a lot together. Side by side, we made PowerPoint presentations and flashcards for our different classes, stayed up late together studying for exams, and drank coffee together on our early morning commute to campus. It was a rough year for both of us, but it was absolutely precious.

I'm reminiscing a little tonight because this amazing young woman has a birthday coming up soon, and thinking about her, I can't help but remember what a tremendous encouragement, delight, and inspiration she has been to me over the years, especially through difficult times...like through nursing school. She is one of the strongest, kindest, most beautiful, most resilient souls I have ever known.

Thanks to Helen - and many others - I finished school. I've been a real-life nurse for over a year now, and I've learned to do lots of new grown-up things. (Read more about that HERE.) I'm still growing, and still have lots to learn. As I continue to learn, I hope I grow to be more like Helen.

Thank you, sweet child.