"Good evening. Again, on behalf of all the students sitting in this room tonight, I would like to thank you all for being here. Thank you for your love and your support that you have given us over these past two years – because each one of knows that this night would not have been possible had it not been for each and every one of you.
Now I want to talk to the students for a few minutes. You know, I’ve had a long time to think about what this speech was supposed to be about. What exactly is it that I am supposed to say at a moment like this; a moment when we are all sitting here about to embark on a new chapter in our lives. We are all starting new journeys with new challenges to face, new people to meet and new memories to make.
I heard it once said that at the end of every journey, is when you take the time out to remember the beginning. I can remember my first day at Cumberland two and a half years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday – I was sitting in the front row, all my books neatly situated in my bag, my notebook sitting on my desk, pen in hand and I was ready to go… The faculty came in to introduce themselves and I could feel my excitement building up inside of me as I thought to myself…I am finally here…and then came “the speech.” The one we know very well, and the one that we all now joke about to this day. I came to class expecting encouragement and a fresh start, but instead, heard comments like “this will be the hardest two years of your life….if it is going to happen to you in your lifetime, it will most likely happen to you in nursing school…you will have no life from here one out…look around you, the people you are sitting next to will become your family…you will cry, you will fall and at times you will want to quit.” I thought to myself, “boy, if this is true - sign me up for the next class!”
I went home that afternoon puzzled about everything. I kept thinking to myself, “now why did they do that? Why so much discouragement?” And ever since that moment, and every time that I have thought about that first day, I think those same questions…why? And you know I didn’t find the answer to those questions until only weeks ago. They didn’t make those comments to discourage us…they weren’t trying to push us away and in fact, everything they said was true…this was the hardest two years of our lives. There were times when we felt like crying, times when we did cry. There were times when we fell down and times when we wanted to quit. But the main point is – we succeeded. Despite everything they said that would happen – now, on this day we can look back and say to ourselves, “They were right – but I made through it, and I came out on top.” Now that is an accomplishment.
One of the classes that some of us took a couple of semesters ago was about putting the art of caring back into nursing. You know when you are studying lab values, disease processes, rhythm strips, pathology, pharmacology, etc – it is so easy to forget the real reason why we are really here – and that is to devote our lives to care for others. This class really put an emphasis on what we do on a daily basis, and that is that we act out the story of the good Samaritan every day that we go into work. The book that we studied was written by Eric Chapman who is well known in middle Tennessee for his work with hospice care. When reading this book, there was a certain paragraph that has stayed with me throughout the rest of our time here – I wanted to read it to you all… He says,
“In charitable care giving, your “boss” is the person you serve. The people you serve, by the way, are not customers. They don’t come in to buy a shirt or dress, they come to you in deep need. They have cancer, or heart disease, or have come for your help in delivering a baby. They are the raped, the abused, the homeless, the ignored. They are you mothers and brothers and sisters and children. They come to you because they are suffering in body and soul, and they are calling out to you for help. They are the voice of humanity in distress. They are not asking you to fill their shopping bags but to tend to the cry of their hearts. They need service far beyond customer-focused politeness. They need loving service from people who see their work as sacred.”
After tonight, we will all go our separate ways. Some of us will work acute care some intensive care. Some will work with adults, while others will care for our children. And later on, some of us will go on to further our education. But my prayer for all of us is that no matter where our road may lead us to, whether we go on to be nurse practitioners, teachers, CRNAs, charge nurses or managers – I pray that we will never lose sight of the real reason that we went into nursing in the first place. People always say that it takes someone special to be a nurse…this is true. And it is because we have been called to serve others. There is a quote that states that “For one human being to love another is perhaps the most difficult task of all, the epitome, the ultimate test. It is that striving for which all other striving is merely preparation.” In my opinion, if we will use the knowledge that we have gained from this program and partner it up with a giving spirit and a loving heart that always puts others first, then we cannot fail.
This is the Florence Nightingale lamp and at this time I would like to call the class president for the junior class up on stage. As it has been explained already tonight, Florence Nightingale committed herself to nursing back in the 1800s inspired by what she called her “christian divine calling.” During her work while taking care of the wounded soldiers, she gained the nickname The Lady With The Lamp, which was derived from an article in The Times; it read:
“She is a ‘ministering angel’ without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every poor fellow's face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night and silence and darkness have settled down upon those miles of the sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds.”
This lamp resembles a life one person who devoted her time, her skills and her heart to care for those in need. One life, that had an effect on thousands. We have all taken an oath tonight to do to the same – and I now pass on this tradition, this responsibility and this calling to the next generation of nurses.
As the students in my class know, I have a beautiful little boy Zachary who is sitting right over there tonight. One of our traditions that we have developed this last semester is that we sit in our living room, watching a Disney movie while mommy studies advanced topics. The other day, we were watching one of his favorites, The Fox and The Hound. And even though I have seen this movie one hundred times and can quote almost every word to it…there was a certain song that when it played, it caught my attention. The reason being because when I heard the words to the chorus, I immediately thought of you -- so I wanted end with that:
Goodbye may seem forever. Farewell is like the end. But in my heart is a memory, And there you will always be…"
From the bottom of my heart I am so proud of each and every one of you! Congratulations friends, we did it!"
Zachary thinks the world of his Uncle Ben!
Now this is camping!! (Ha!) And don't forget the wasp spray -- if you know me well, you know that I don't go ANYWHERE without it! I don't do wasps!
The Captain and his First Mate
Nice try bro! ;)
Spartan Cheerleader!
Awe - thanks buddy!
There is nothing better than a meat and three! 
