Nurses are extremely busy people. They frequently miss well-deserved breaks and meals to provide reassurance, administer pain medication, or to meet the next need. Within all that busyness there are moments that can remind us all why we do what we do. I looked out my office window and saw a patient being wheeled in a large chair. This patient had the look that many patients do when they have an NG tube coming out their nose... total defeat. I don't know his story, nor did I ask. The details really didn't matter to me.

What mattered to me was this petite nurse pushing around this man and finding him the best possible place to enjoy the weather in the garden without the sun in his eyes. After she found just the right spot, she removed his black socks exposing his white feet to the sun. She gathered up some chairs and sat down next to him. The nursing intern that had been assigned to her that day followed close behind. I could overhear them all talking and at times even the rumble of laughter. An hour later I watched her push him past my window on the way back up to the unit. I am sure the compassion she showed this man made a difference but if not, she surely made a difference to me.