As part of the 15th Anniversary celebration for Natetheworld.com, I am hosting a 24-hour writing challenge. Starting in January 2024, readers began submitting essay prompts. My goal is to tackle as many of these prompts as possible in a 24-hour period.
For most of my childhood, my mother was a homemaker. She attentively and dutifully cared for her family. She prepared an endless number of meals. She washed, dried, and ironed clothes. She drove us to school and other activities. She served as mediator, hostage negotiator, psychologist, and tutor. She did all those things moms do, both seen and unseen, with grace, kindness, and a fraction of the appreciation due to someone performing at her level.
But my mother dared for more. To earn more money for the family, she added the title of Grocery Store Clerk at Coy’s Discount Foods when I was in grade school. She checked people out, balanced her register, stocked/organized shelves, assisted customers, and worked with her managers to make her store the best it could be.
But my mother dared for more. At some point in her life, she quieted the harsh and shortsighted advice of her father. She bravely decided to chase a dream, which she had dreamed for most of her life. She decided to return to school in her forties and pursue a degree in nursing. She was finally ready to become her own woman and retire any notions from the men in her life serving as roadblocks.
For a couple of years, I watched my mother maintain her job as a homemaker while balancing homework, studies, assignments, and exams. I remember rainy days helping her with flash cards as she memorized medical terminology. I remember the sense of pride and accomplishment with every new challenge left in her wake.
I long assumed I would be the first person in my immediate family to attend and complete college. In the seventh grade, my mother beat me there, and I couldn’t have been prouder.
But my mother dared for more. She soon began working as an emergency room nurse in our local rural hospital. The hours were long and always shifting. Her role as homemaker never ended, but she was doing something she dearly loved. She literally saved people, comforted families in times of need, and made tumultuous times in the lives of patients slightly less challenging.
But my mother dared for more. My mom has always had a soft spot in her heart for the elderly. The next phase in her life saw her become a home health nurse. For this final phase in her career, she would drive all over Southwest Oklahoma, visiting homebound patients. Delivering medicine, a smile, and someone to talk to, she became a friend to countless people. These relationships grew so strong that my mother also attended countless funerals. She did so, as more than just a nurse. She did so as a friend and adopted member of the family.
Retiring must have been a great challenge for my mom. For more than twenty years, she did something she loved, and she did it with all the strength she could muster. A return to just a homemaker wasn’t in the cards, though. Now, she is a volunteer, grandmother, and friend to many.
As the son of the nurse, I couldn’t be prouder of my mom. In my own life, I have attempted to emulate her work ethic, her gentle touch, her diplomatic spirit, and her determination. In college, in my work life, and in my personal relationships, she remains a hero and a north star. I am so grateful to be the son of a nurse.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
