Painting With Words
Thank you for painting with words upon the hearts of your readers. Lick's article, "Lament: Giving Words to Nurses' Grief" (29:3) resonated with my personal and professional experience. The primary components of lament serve as a bridge when walking the way of grief. Giving pain voice and knowing God hears, echoes what we do for our patients when we listen and care.
My husband died tragically 2 years ago and I experienced the loud silence of discomfort when people don't know what to say. I turned to God and found him faithful. I experienced the ride of the injured lamb on the shoulders of Jesus. This carrying time transformed my perspective and vision. In comfort and hope, may we all reach out to others experiencing pain. Everyone needs a nurse who hears.
I appreciate JCN and wanted you to know that it has touched my boldly broken and meekly moved heart.
Languages of Appreciation
I wish to express my appreciation to Paul White for his article, Unhappy? Low Morale? Try The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace in the July-September (29:3) issue of JCN. The department I work in has seen major changes this year. We have had physician and nursing staff departures, the addition of electronic documentation, and fluctuating case load numbers. Our department is currently in a remodel phase, which will split our staff between two floors.
White's article arrived in my mailbox at the best possible time. I've shared the article and discussed it with my unit manager. We are starting a "secret pal" project asking staff to support their pal with little gifts of encouragement, a pat on the back, or a simple note of thanks for a job well done. Authentic appreciation is vital for our department to survive.
Landmark Proceedings Open Access In JCN!
May 10-12, 2012, more than 100 nurses from around the world gathered at Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia, Canada, for the 2012 Faith and Nursing Symposium: Religion and Ethics in Pluralistic Healthcare Contexts. Attendees grappled openly with difficult questions about religion and ethics in healthcare contexts that mirror the unprecedented religious diversity of society.
Read about this landmark event online in the thought-provoking article "Religion and Ethics in Pluralistic Healthcare Contexts" by Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, Sonya Grypma, and Landa Terblanche at http://journalofchristiannursing.com and peruse the conference proceedings from over 40 presenters as supplemental digital content at http://links.lww.com/NCF-JCN/A16. Refer your colleagues to this open access free content.
JCN Celebrates 30th Anniversary
The Journal of Christian Nursingis 30. We'd love to hear stories of how JCN has helped you in your nursing. Send comments to [email protected] and include a CTA (see below) if you'd like your submission printed in JCN.
Coming soon in JCN
* Help Older Adults Manage Medications
* Photovoice as a Teaching Strategy in Nursing Education
* When Still Waters Become a Soul Tsunami: Using the Tidal Model
* Christ's Self-Care Practices: A Model for Nurses
* Code Blue: A Family Matter?
* Prison Break!
ERRATUM
A printing error occurred in the October-December 2012 (29:4) JCN in the article "Compassionately Caring for LGBT Persons" by Sarah Sanders. On p. 209 in the print issue the words in bold in this sentence were accidentally deleted from the text: "Whatever you believe about homosexuality personally, Christians can agree that Jesus calls us to a ministry of love and healing (Luke 9:1-2)."
A correction has been made online at http://journalofchristiannursing.com in the html and pdf versions of the article. The publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused.
IMPORTANT NOTICE! We love feedback and receiving your letters! Write to us at [email protected]. In order to publish your letter in JCN, you must complete a Copyright Transfer Form (CTA). Find the form at http://www.editorialmanager.com/ncf-jcn/Click on "Copyright Transfer PDF." Complete and email the CTA to [email protected] with your letter; email or call 608.846.8560 for assistance.
Marianne E. Parker, BSN, RN
Chittenango, New York
Sandra Ruble
New Castle, VA