I have a newish idea. One that’s been growing. The idea of adding Caring Lessons Now as a blog topic.

The idea started at Women & Children First last spring when I did a reading of Caring Lessons: A Nursing Professor’s Journey of Faith and Self. During the Q/A, a nurse in the audience asked how my title came about. I knew immediately that she was thinking about nursing theories related to caring. We had developed our second curriculum at Trinity Christian College around caring, and I was aware of the vast amount of nursing literature out there.

But I had no brilliant theory-based answer. Probing my head for words, I said something to this effect: “I didn’t base it on any nursing theory. I just think nursing is all about caring, and I learned a lot of lessons along the way.”

That answer didn’t really satisfy me. As a nurse educator,  I could have gone on to say that at Trinity we’d drawn from Roach’s definition of caring, portrayed through the 5 Cs–a person’s  commitment, conscience, confidence, competence and compassion–and then explained how that background must have subconsciously influenced my title.

A bit later, Rhonda Funk, publicist for Deep River Books, asked me to fill out forms for a media kit she was putting together. The question resurfaced: What do you mean by the title Caring Lessons?

This time, I had a few days to formulate a response that I purposely kept simple: Nursing involves caring for and caring about our patients. It also involves caring for and caring about ourselves as the caretakers. While caring, we learn many lessons along the way.

You may be wondering, how is this related to adding Caring Lessons Now as a blog topic?

I have another simple answer. Even though I’m retired from nursing, I’m still caring for and caring about others and myself, and I’m still learning lessons.  Plus, I’m observing many other people doing the same.

So, stay tuned.  I plan to begin chatting about my Caring Lessons Now soon.

Source: Roach, Sr. M.S. (1984). Caring: The human mode of being, implications for nursing. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.