The story of a Bell on a String

A few days ago a resident gave me a small bell tied to a string. She said that I should ring the bell to know what I mean to her.

This is what that bell tells me every time it rings: “I may not remember your name but thank you for being here for me, keeping me safe. I may not know exactly what you do for me but I do know that when I see you I smile and I laugh. You may fade from my thoughts when you walk away but you are always in my heart guiding me to experience joy in my every day. And when you leave here after a long shift feeling as though you may never recover from the exhaustion of being a nurse, ring this bell and know that you made a difference in one life today.”

I keep this tiny bell on a string in my car so that every time I leave the office I am reminded of making a difference in at least one life every day.