I think part of shining is accepting the need to grow and evolve and yes, change.
Change can be as simple as altering your morning routine, so things run more smoothly or as complicated (and Scary) as switching professional paths. Big or small, your willingness to change represents a desire to have things better than they are – to Shine.
This morning’s changes to the House of Shine website are just that – a desire to have things better than they are. To shine. We hope our changes suit you.
Most of what you will notice is cosmetic. We have finally removed some links that have been dormant for over a year; minimized portions of the site and expanded others to better reflect our House of Shine priorities; and made other changes that you will only notice if you are a real House of Shine junkie, spending hours a day hanging out in our pad.
An immediate change that we hope you notice is our decision to revert back to the simplicity of how commenting worked before. No more, “Visit us in the Community Forum section labeled, ‘Today’s Post’.” From here on out, simply do what you used to do. Leave a comment on today’s post by clicking below.
Easy Peasie.
We aren’t bidding farewell to the Community Forum Section. We are just going to reevaluate how and when to best use them.
Of course, it goes without saying that a lot of the changes we made were apropos of generous and thoughtful feedback received by many of you. Thank you for continuing to care about the House of Shine, and our mission, enough to share your insights. To say we are appreciative is an understatement.
And, if you are uncertain about some of the changes we made then no worries. The site is bound to change again.
Shining off until tomorrow….
Some of you know that my elderly father is not feeling great these days.
The list of unfortunate circumstances is long: He is less mobile than he has ever been; my elderly mother is providing the majority of his care and I worry it is more than she can do alone; the northeast, where they live, is getting pummeled week after week with snow (exacerbating an already difficult situation); and I live thousands of miles away. To name a few things.
It is Leonora (Lee) K. who is making this miserable situation even remotely tolerable.
Lee is a nurse. She was my father's nurse twenty-three years ago when he was in the hospital to have cancer removed from his leg and, because her parents live across the street from my parents, our families remain in touch. Lee stopped by the house last weekend to check on my father and, as my mother explained, "to give him a boost." The discomfort of his situation, coupled with the cold and snow, has left my father feeling down. Lee visiting my parents was like temporarily transporting them to a sunny oasis. She is positive and upbeat and, because she is a nurse, knew exactly what to say to make my parents feel cared for and hopeful.
From thousands of miles away, Lee made me feel better too.
That is the power of a good nurse. A good nurse can make you feel safe and cared for and hopeful, even when circumstances are less than ideal. Take a look at what this week's nominator has to say about a nurse she recently encountered:
"When giving birth to my youngest daughter Meagan happened to be the nurse assigned to our care for our last several days in the hospital. We are fairly new to Texas and our families had already left to travel home so my husband had to spend most of the day caring for our 3 year old. Meagan was a fabulous support for me and such a warm and friendly presence. Of course she also knew that this was an important time in the life of our 3 year old so she embraced her and celebrated her new role as big sister. The last day she made my oldest daughter a "Big Sister" wristband to match the wristbands my husband, newborn and I all had. Our daughter was SO proud of the fact that she had a "bracelet" just like the rest of our family. Meagan truly shines at the work she does and it was so nice to encounter a nurse who is truly in the right career."
Notice, the gestures of Lee and Meagan were not grandiose, expensive, or time intensive. But, let there be no misunderstanding, their acts were, in their own way, life changing. Both women showed compassion and granted simple acts of kindness at exactly the right time. Both Lee and Meagan willingly played the role of loving family member when there were no family members around.
The letter I write today will be for Meagan. But, I will send it knowing that someday I will likely need help from a nurse who also shines. Today's anonymous letter of gratitude feels a little like paying it forward. Thank you Meagan for being passionate about your job. Now go forth and spread your shine. Lead by example and inspire fellow nurses, hospital staff, and doctors to do their jobs in the same way you do yours. Do that and know every day citizens, like me, feel indebted to you.
Join our Yellow Envelope Project by sending Meagan your own yellow envelope. The rules of play are easy. Write a short, but heartfelt, letter of gratitude. Seal it in a yellow envelope (or a white envelope decorated with yellow stickers and markers) and mail it to the address listed below. It's anonymous, so no revealing your name or return address. Instead, simply place the words, "Yellow Envelope Project" in the top left hand corner. One more step. Commit to mailing it sometime before next Saturday when we meet again to nominate another worthy recipient.
Meagan A. RN (Mother Baby Unit)
Baylor Grapevine Hospital
1650 West College
Grapevine, TX 76051
The gesture isn't grandiose, expensive, or time intensive. But, let there be no misunderstanding, for Meagan your act of kindness can be life changing.
Shining off until tomorrow...
Big S, little s, What begins with "S"? I'll tell you what...Sunshine Glaze and the Super Bowl and we are talking about both of them this Free For All Friday!
Click on the video to enjoy a quick video to see what we were up to last night, then head over to the forums to share with us your thoughts.
Shining off until tomorrow...