When preparing for a Nurse’s Week Service I searched for an image I could use in a blessing. When I found out it would be outside, I thought of a tree:

Rooted and strong, upright but flexible, reaching out, but firmly grounded, providing support and shade, providing nourishment as it clears the air and replaces the oxygen – helping us breathe better.

So this was my blessing:

Creator God,

We come before you to ask for your blessing on our nurses:

May they find in you the root source of their strength and compassion

May they be grounded in your wisdom

May they be supported by all those nurses who have passed before them

May they be inspired to reach out and risk being vulnerable

May they be kind and gentle with themselves as they work to balance self-care with patient care

May they be healed of the sorrows and stress that often accompany their work

May they be ever nourished and renewed by the beauty of nature

…. May they be blessed

Chaplain Mona Villarrubia

2018