A Nurse Replies

“What do you see, you ask? What do I see:
And what are we thinking, when looking at thee?
We may seem to be hard, when we hurry & fuss,
But there is so many of you & so few of us.

We wish we had time to sit with you & talk,
To bathe you & feed you, & help you to walk.
To listen to those wonderful things you have done,
In your childhood, with your husband, your daughter, your son.

But time is against us, there is too much to do,
There are so many patients, & we are so few.
It’s a heartbreak to see you so sad & alone,
And where are all your family, your precious, and your own

We feel all your pain, & we feel all your fear,
That nobody cares when the end is so near.
But we are nurses, we are people with feelings as well,
And when we are together, we talk & we tell,
Of the dearest old grandma, in a very far bed,
Or that lovely old granddad & things that he said.

Yes, we speak with compassion, with love & feel sad,
As your memory relates the good times you have had.
But that time comes, as always, when you must depart,
And in silence you leave us, with an ache in our heart.

When you sleep the long sleep, no more worry or care,
There are other old people, & we must be there.
So please understand when we hurry & fuss,
There are so many of you,
And so few of us.
 

"Prayer is so simple. It is like quietly opening a door and slipping into the very presence of God. There, in the stillness, to listen to His voice, perhaps in petition or only to listen. It matters not. Just to be there in His presence is prayer."
- Author unknown