A kind face

One of my favorite affirmations ever came from a nurse manager on my patient unit, shortly after I began chaplain training. The day I met her was my first day seeing patients unsupervised. As I stood before her in my brand new, embarrassingly stiff lab coat, she sized me. She saw me in all my insecurity and offered a lifeline:

“You have a kind face.” 

She said it with such clarity and authority that I believed her. Better yet, she spoke to the situation. Her words reflected my hope that, if nothing else, I could seed a little kindness. I felt seen and was able to walk into the next patient room with a bit more confidence.

Surely, the kindest thing happening that day was those gentle words offered to a scared little baby bunny of a chaplain. I will never forget them, the gift they became, or her. 

Image by @neonbrand on Unsplash.com.