It was you.
It was you who held my hand when I said "I don't know if I'm ready for this."
It was you who told me to push before the epidural ran out, and boy did I push.
It was you who stayed long after your shift had ended because you were just as excited as I was to find out whether we were welcoming a boy or a girl.
It was you who took the camera and captured our first moments without us even having to ask.
It was you who made my child laugh while the doctor checked to see if he needed stitches after a bad run in with a coffee table.
It was you who cried with me after the doctor told us that our son had an aneurysm.
It was you who brought me coffee while my husband was in open heart surgery.
It was you who let out a sigh of relief with me when the doctor came out to tell me the surgery went well.
It was you who answered the phone at 3:00 a.m. like an old friend to comfort me and tell me that my husband was sleeping comfortably while I was home caring for our baby.
It was you who hugged me when the ultrasound showed that our baby had no heartbeat.
It was you who made me laugh when my water broke as I walked to the bathroom.
It was you who made me feel like I was capable of anything.
It was you who ran into the room to comfort my son during a CT scan when you looked at me and knew I was at a loss on how to do it.
It was you who jumped up and down shouting "It's a boy! It's a boy!" making me feel like you were part of our family even just for that brief moment.
It was you who brought me ice packs and chocolate chip cookies at 1 am when you knew I was not able to sleep.
It was you who helped me navigate the unknown waters of motherhood.
It was you who finally latched my son onto me as I cried worrying he was in fact going to starve.
It was you who spoon fed my grandmother.
It was you who stayed to pray with the family.
It was you who cared.
It was always you.
You are a nurse. You were our nurse. Every day you go to work you deal with the good and the bad and you do it in a way that only you can. You care. You love. You grieve. You don't expect anything in return but today I want to thank you. Thank you for doing what you do because without you the hospitals would feel empty. The doctor offices would feel empty. The delivery room would feel empty. The waiting room would feel empty. You do more than you know and long after the doctors go home you are there. Long after the surgery is over you are there. You are there checking in on us and taking care of us. When we go home you are the one we remember. You see being a nurse is not just your profession it's who you are and we love you for being exactly who you are. You may not realize it but we think about you long after we have returned home.
Thank you.
