The gift we give each other is the light of our presence

AORN Journal,  Dec, 2005  by Sharon A. McNamara

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I am writing this message from AORN's World Conference on Surgical Patient Care in Barcelona, Spain. As I contemplate what my message for December should be, I realize that the theme of the conference, "One World Working Together," exemplifies what the various winter holiday celebrations teach us. It is evident everywhere here. Nearly 1,000 perioperative nurses from 44 countries around the globe came together for one purpose: to improve the care of perioperative patients everywhere. We created our own global village, a culture dreamed of by Margaret Mead, who said,

   If we are to achieve a richer culture,
   rich in contrasting values, we must
   recognize the whole gamut of human
   potentialities and so weave a less
   arbitrary social fabric, one in which
   each diverse human gift will find a
   fitting place. (1)

This rich culture was represented in speakers from Canada, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The speakers provided information about practice issues and solutions in different languages but with the same goals of improving patient care and creating safer workplaces for nurses. Speakers and attendees openly shared their diverse gifts, and all profited.

International Night was exhilarating. Nurses brought their country's traditional music, and we all danced together sharing the cultures and speaking the universal language of music and dance. Many nurses wore the traditional dress of their homeland--a feast for the eyes and such fun to learn about the garb and have pictures taken together. The Korean delegation performed a traditional dance and sang a song for us in Spanish. Sharing and bartering for trinkets from the various countries added to each person's enjoyment.

The Closing Session was a spiritual gathering. As we linked thousands of hands together in a continuous circle around the huge auditorium, we personified a visible symbol of continuity in this troubled world. Together we sang or hummed "We Are the World." Swaying to the music, sharing smiles with nurses from around the world, we believed, "We are the world, we are the children. We are the ones who make a brighter day...." (2) The gift we gave each other was the gift of the light of our presence. It felt as though we could light up the whole universe.

THE SYMBOL OF LIGHT

We will be using the symbol of light at the AORN Congress in March 2006 to remember all of our AORN members and colleagues who have come to the end of life's journey. In 2003, the Kansas State Nurses Association designed and developed "The Nightingale Tribute" to honor deceased nurses. This is a tribute to be given during a nurses' funeral by a nurse colleague or friend. The Nightingale Tribute states,

   Nursing is a calling, a
   way of life. Nursing is a
   service profession that cannot
   be lived in isolation.
   Nurses rely on each other
   for the synergistic effect of
   team work in our efforts of
   care giving. It is appropriate
   that we honor our colleagues
   not only during
   their career, but also at the
   end of life's journey. (3)

The symbols we will use to honor deceased nurses will be white roses and a unity candle. During Congress, the AORN Foundation will accept a donation for a white rose with the nurse's name to be placed in a unity wreath and a copy of the Nightingale Tribute that you can take back to your chapter to begin a new tradition of remembrance and caring. Your colleagues' names also will be placed in a memory book that will be kept hi a place of honor at AORN Headquarters. Take time to research your chapter archives and compile the names of your deceased colleagues. Bring them to Congress so they can be acknowledged for their contributions to nursing and AORN. As we celebrate together our friends and colleagues lives, you will know that each of them and their nursing work will be remembered into the future.

CELEBRATIONS OF LIGHT

The winter months bring celebrations for people of many cultures, and many cultures use light as a symbol of their celebration. The Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, was held Nov 12. Muslims prayed, fasted, and performed charitable acts from Oct 15 to Nov 14 for Ramadan. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, lasts eight days, and each evening, an additional candle is lit on the Menorah. Kwanzaa, which begins Dec 26, honors the values of the ancient African cultures. It is a celebration of family and community, and each day is dedicated to one of the seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Families gather each night to light a candle on the Kinara. Christmas, Dec 25, is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. To the world's Christians, Jesus is the light of the world and is frequently symbolized in the light of a candle.

This season is a time when we are present for family members and others in ways that nurture caring and peace. There is an illumination of the positive gifts of humanness that can make such a difference in our world. Spread your light to someone who may be alone or lonely this season. Include them in some way to celebrate what they bring to the human experience. What might be a small thing for you could be a larger-than-life act for someone else.