A lot of you travel nurses are working today. You are away from home and are serving others so their life may be better. It can be a sad time and I’d like you to know some of us out here understand and appreciate the sacrafices you are making. Yep, travel nursing isn’t all fun and games.
It is Christmas morning and I am waiting for the kids to wake up and attack the Christmas tree. I had a wonderful Christmas Eve with some of my family last night and as I sit here waiting to enjoy a nice Christmas morning it makes me reflect on the time I was away from friends and family one Christmas a long, long time ago.
It was December, 1967. I was a young Marine serving along the DMZ during the Vietnam war. I had just been released from the hospital after being wounded at Con Thien and then coming down with a severe case of malaria. Not the best time of my life. There was a “cease fire” for the Christmas holiday, (pretty funny concept when you spend the days trying to kill each other), but we were not really sure the enemy would play by the rules.
It was night, Christmas Eve, and the chaplain had gathered us as a group and said Mass. We were all standing there, a bunch of young Marines in our combat gear with our M16 rifles slung over our shoulders. The chaplain began leading us in Christmas carols. The sad moment that stuck in my mind, and comes back to me every Christmas, was when we started singing “Silent Night.” I began feeling so sad. So sorry for myself. All I could think of was my family at home in their warm little house having a wonderful Christmas. And here I was in this damn hellhole.
Eventually I realized that we were doing something important. What we were doing was one of the reasons those folks back home got to have such a wonderful holiday. I swung into the spirit of the song and ended up feeling a little better about things. Every Christmas, including last evening at Mass when we sung “Silent Night” I get teary eyed remembering all of the people in the world who are doing things to make other lives better and sacrificing their holiday.
I include nurses, and especially travel nurses, in that group. Thank you to all of you for doing what you do.
We love you for it.
Happy holidays.
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