Nursing School Chronicles ~ Pinning Part II ~ with pics!!!

I noticed that there is not a flag here for goofy smiles.......there should be.....just sayin'  (These pics are not the most attractive ones I have ever taken)

ok....small prayer.....Gather please don't eat this article.

OK back to commencing the commencement.....

So when I last left you.....I saw people I never expected to attend show up one after the other.....

And it was time....time to make the walk to our pinning.  This was the moment that we had all worked for, prayed for, and could hardly believe was here.  We were getting our pins and no one could take that from us.  No one.

So .....we opened the ceremony with the no cell phones slide.  Our interim director spoke.  Our former director spoke.  These were all interesting but I am getting to the meat of the thing here.

Two of our classmates were chosen to speak about the significance of the pin, the lamp and the cap....Francine...Francine.  She is one of the most stoic people in class ever.  The last days of class I just wanted to see her smile.  It has been a long road.  She didn't want to do it.  She said it was silly.  Well she started to read about the pin.....and she stopped...and we stopped breathing....and she cried....and we all wept.  Because the moment was so heavy...so real....so unreal....so.....wow.  All mascara applied was gone by this point.  And the Will spoke......about the lamp. He made it thru for us.

Then it was time for the awards.  Our class was kind of sad.  We wanted everyone to get awards.  Barbara N.  got the MacGyver award for having and being able to fix anything.  I got the Over Achiever award.  I think it really should have been the 'Runs with Ass on Fire' award.  I just did cos I had to.  There were only two awards being given.  An academic award for the highest GPA for day class and night class.  They called my name.  I turned to Shelia.  Who?  You.  No.  Yes.  Not me.  me? Me?  ME?  are you kidding????????

It was me.  Wow.  So I hope I didn't ruin it.  But all I could think was thank you GOD.  So I pointed to the sky and lifted the hands.   I still cannot believe it.  CAN NOT.  I wish we all could have gotten awards.  Because we all worked harder than you can imagine.  Every grade was a battle we all won.

Then it was time for the pins....

Then the lamps.....nobody went up in flames.....

For me the best part was about to happen.  I wrote something to my

classmates....and my teacher read it to the group.

It went a little something like this.....

~~~~~~~ 

We shouldn't even be here.

Less than 50 years ago we should have been white, unmarried, under 30, women, and without any children.

But today is the day we broke the mold. Redefined. Exceeded all expectation.

And tomorrow is where we disprove the theory that we as a class should have been counted out when it came to nursing.

In these pages you will see the face of the future of nursing. In your tomorrow you will know how 11 women and 1 man changed and enhanced all that nursing could be. We will bring the bravery of our existance, the fortitude of our spirits, the collective of wisdom that we all posessed but was increased twelvefold by the benefit of having come together at the place, sharing who we were, becoming who we are, and forming the persons that we will be.

We celebrate this time with God who sustained us in the darkest of days and our families and friends who believed in the possibilities of our contributions.

We celebrate this time with the instructors who shared their knowledge and wisdom. We thank the preceptors and the facilities who took the risks and responsibilities. All pushed us out of the nest and now we can fly.

We thank our patients for inviting us into some of the most private and personal moments of their lives and healing

Yesterday's expectations counted us out. But our diligence, drive, and innovation has brought us today. And today, we redefine the Image of Nursing.

Today........WE are the future.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you all for sharing my journey......thank you for taking the ride with me.  Look at me... I am a nurse!!!