Nursing School Life: A year of reflection

Was it only a year ago I got accepted? Good thing I didn't know what was to come.....

Well I am officially 50% an RN. Okay so really just an SN (Student Nurse) I have officially finished my first year of nursing school and now have at least one second to reflect on the last year of my life.  It was the best of times and the worst of times. Here is just a short list of life long lessons…

My husband loves me. Okay so it didn’t really take nursing school to realize this but I mean he has had to give up many, many things including but not nearly limited to good smelling laundry and healthy hot dinners. He has also had to take over some of the more enjoyable parenting tasks such as fighting with Grace over her wardrobe choices (including flip flops when it is 13 degrees outside) and running in forgotten boots just in the nick of recess time. He has seen me at my worst when I am a mess and ready to quit and even when he would probably love nothing more he wraps his arms around me, looks me in my eye and tells me “You are going to be the best nurse and you are NOT going to quit.” You see my husband loves me. A lot. 

I have an awesome support system of beautiful friends. They continue to ask me to hang out when I have had to turn them down for the 50 millionth time. They send me precious texts and emails letting me know they are praying for me when they know I have a big test or week of clinicals. And this is after I have snubbed them for the last 9 months. I am surrounded by the most precious people. 

Nursing School=AMAZING FRIENDS! These girls, I can’t even put into words what they mean to me. I wait by my phone on test day to hear how they did so I can rejoice with and sometimes mourn with them. These girls are different than me, let’s face it younger, smarter and cute! But they love me and even invite me to their 21^st birthday parties. (And let me tell you is has been a long times since I have been invited to one of those!) :) They are beautiful people that are now forever friends, if I have any more children I am pretty sure they will be named after at least one of them. 

God is real. Okay so I always knew this too but I have learned it in a new and different way. I mean our bodies are beyond amazing. If I didn’t think I would bore you to death I would explain to you how your kidney operates and you would know what I mean. ONLY an amazing God could create such an intricate design such as our kidney. And don’t even get me started on the colon, seriously crazy cool stuff.

Life is short. I know people say that all the time right? It is so cliché but it is so true. I talked to a patient who was 96 years old and she reminded me how short life is. She told me she blinked and now here she is 96. Life is short. People matter, stuff doesn’t. Period that simple. 

Unless you are dead, it is never too late. 19 years ago God placed this little dream of being a nurse in my heart. But I doubted Him. I doubted myself but because God is the God of grace and mercy He has given me my 364^th chance. And here I am in nursing school. Doing what I only dreamed I might ever do. Because it is never too late to do what God has placed on your heart to do.

The year has been long. It has been the hardest, craziest, most rewarding year of my life. I can’t wait to be done. To be Lisa Fernelius RN. Truthfully most days I wish it were a year from right now. Yet when I am really honest with myself I know not to rush it for if I do I will miss all the beautiful little gifts in the process.

Here's to a GREAT summer! Cheers!