Too often we (I mean, me) focus on the dark side of things, the negative side of life.  The grade your child didn’t get on a test, or the laundry your husband left sitting in the washing machine as if it would get up and walk itself to the dryer.  The crime, the economy, the school reassignments.

And there’s a place for all of that.  But not today. Today, I want to give some shout outs of appreciation to some people who have done their job.  They may not have done anything extraordinary in a sense, but they carried out their duties with attention, caring and kindness.

My mother has been in the hospital since January 5th.  My sister and I thought that this was it.  However, she’s rallied and seems to be recovering.

In the many hours that I sat by her side, I saw so many doctors, nurses, and nursing assistants treat her so gently, talk with her as if she were their mama—even though she couldn’t respond, turn her carefully and prop pillows around her, and answer my many questions about her care.

You can tell when someone is putting on an act for your benefit.  So believe me when I say that this was the culture of the WakeMed Observation III unit.  So for all the names I know, like Mary, Becky, Lisa, Randy, Bernie and Francy—as well as the others, whose names,  in the hectic days of worry, I’ve forgotten—know this:  the care you gave my mother will be remembered.