Are you a mentor?

Have you ever thought about that question? I have. A lot. Sometimes because they made me think about it. Now, I think about it on my own. Who was your first mentor 

Webster's on line dictionary describes a mentor as someone who educates another (among several definitions).

I think my first mentor was my mom. I wanted to be like her. I had baby dolls. I was their mommy. I patterned my mommy play from her. I guess next was my mammaws. Both of them. Mammaw James was a teacher. I teach. I taught my children life lessons. I teach nursing students. I teach new nurses. I teach new to CCU nurses. I teach my patients and I teach their families. Teaching and learning are lifelong! 

Mammaw Childress was a midwife in her community. She delivered babies and even helped deliver her only twin grandsons! It was February. About 60 some odd years ago. There was snow butt deep. No one could get out or in. Those babies slept in a dresser drawer for a few weeks. They were like 2 weeks old before Dr Wilkes could get into see them! They are fine!! Now, I'm not even close to a midwife. But that's part of caring for others! She had no formal training. She surely knew what she was doing. Had 12 babies herself!! 

There were others growing up. Aunts. Friends mothers. Ladies at church. Oh! I just thought about that! Gertie Geralds could get ahold of the spirit of The Lord! So could Thelma Strange! Wava, Becky! Pauletta! Oh, my!! 

There were two nurses I admired too as i was growing up. One was Thelma Blanton. She worked for Dr Wilkes. (Her daughter is also a nurse.) the other was Mrs Alexander, the Edmonson County Health Nurse. I decided I wanted to be a nurse because of her!! I remember when she retired. She encouraged me to be all I could be. She's been gone a number of years now. I think she'd be proud of me. 

I want to be the kind of nurse who people will remember. Not because I was mean, not because I felt it necessary to follow the rules, not because I'm better than someone else. Because I'm not. I want to be remembered as a mentor who helped someone in ways so that they didn't even know I was helping until later. Like Thelma and Mrs Alexander. And Gertie. And Thelma. And Virginia. And the others!!

I love all y'all!❤

To be continued......

The bite is much better! Much better!!!