James Mattson

There are some people in our lives who are standouts—people who, at a critical juncture, encouraged us to go on or challenged us to pursue excellence. In some cases, they had more faith in us than we did and, as a result, we hung in there just to fulfill their expectations, expectations that ultimately became our own.

As you read the above paragraph, was there someone in your nursing career, perhaps more than one, who immediately came to mind? Maybe it was an educator, someone on your unit or perhaps a supervisor. Maybe you’ve said thanks to that person before, or maybe you haven’t.

As Nurses Week approaches (6-12 May), Reflections on Nursing Leadership is providing a way for members of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, to publicly acknowledge nurses who encouraged them and helped them along the way. At the end of the article titled “Encouragement for the journey,” which includes an example of such a tribute, there is a place to comment, just as there is for every article published in RNL. But this time, we want you to use that vehicle to pay tribute to that special nurse who made a positive difference in your life and career.

Think of it as an e-card tribute that’s read by every RNL reader who accesses the article. And the person you’re paying tribute to? Well, they won’t hear any music, but your tribute will be like music to their ears. RNL