I sat down last night to give some space and time to an idea for 2020, a dream: Peru.
Some places and corners of the earth call to me, like Peru. Answer the call, Steph! Even though I tend to let calls go to voicemail most days, this one got through. The picture came about because I enjoy making collages when I have some thinking to do. We are creative creatures, people. Use your hands, head, and heart!
Nurses En Route is an organization that came out of my brain, my heart, my dreams. This entity has a mind and a heart and a dream or two of its own, and now I am just the curator; I am entrusted with guiding, leading, and answering the call. I am a borrower. And just like borrowing a pinch of baking soda from a neighbor, this requires asking for help, admitting you don't have everything you need, saying thanks, and then giving back. It also requires leaving the house. Sigh. So this year I want to leave the house again, and the country, and take a team of nurse volunteers to Peru to teach Helping Babies Survive (AAP.org).
We are volunteer nurses that love travel. We love to be needed. We are Moms. Sisters. Dads. Daughters. Sons. Husbands. Friends. We believe in educating mamas and birth attendants. We want the help to multiply, so we help the helpers and then go home. We like to explore. Dance. Eat. Sing. Drink. Buy things. Laugh. Run naked on the beach. We cry sometimes. We're mooshy. We're stone cold. We're warm and fuzzy. Fierce. We help when and where we can. We sit comfortably with difficult things when there's nothing else to do or say. We run on adrenaline and coffee and integrity and disappointment. We are perfectionists and addicted to real human connection. We loathe fake. We are anxious. Sad. Content. Tired. Happy. Slap happy, sometimes.
Convince us to stop, I dare you.
Soon I'll post some reflections from our October 2019 trip to Mozambique. I hope to make this a space for the community that surrounds our organization, Nurses En Route. Everyone is welcome. All are valued. Thank you!
Go make something good with your hands, head, and heart.
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Love this.. love the ideas and reasons for the nonprofit. Love the nurses who can/do volunteer.. love their loved ones who make it possible so they can do such amazing work.. ahhh, if I was just a younger nurse!! 💕💕🙏🏻✝️🎶💕