No matter how strong, positive, or faith-filled we may be, it has a way of bringing us face-to-face with our own fears and vulnerabilities.

For me, it can be especially challenging. I’ve been a Registered Nurse since the late 1970s. I’ve worked in intensive care, pediatric ICU, cardiac care, neurology, shock and trauma. Over the years I’ve witnessed incredible recoveries, but I’ve also seen heartbreak. Those experiences become part of you.

The blessing of that background is that it taught me how resilient the human body can be. The challenge is that I’ve also seen what can go wrong, and when someone I love is facing a health crisis, it can be easy for my mind to go there.

It’s easy to imagine worst-case scenarios. Easy to get ahead of myself. Easy to forget that every person’s journey is unique.

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I was eventually drawn toward a more holistic approach to health and healing. While there is much that modern medicine does extraordinarily well, I also came to appreciate the power of the everyday choices that help support the body’s ability to heal and thrive. There is something empowering about knowing that even in uncertain times, there are things we can do to care for ourselves and those we love.

When we love someone deeply, we don’t just watch from the sidelines. We travel the road with them. We feel the uncertainty. We carry the concern. We hold our breath while waiting for test results, phone calls, surgeries, and answers.

And yet, I’ve learned that fear and faith often stand side by side.

Faith is not the absence of fear. Faith is choosing, moment by moment, not to let fear have the final word.

So today, I’m reminding myself to stay present. To focus on what I know instead of what I imagine. To trust in the strength of the human spirit, the wisdom of the body, the skill of the medical team, and most of all, the presence of God in the midst of it all.

Sometimes the greatest gift we can give someone we love is not our worry, but our calm presence, our prayers, our hope, and our belief in what is possible.

Today, that’s what I’m choosing.

On a personal note, the reason these thoughts have been so present for me today is that my brother is undergoing major surgery following a recent Stage 4 cancer diagnosis……

and if I’m honest, I’ve had moments where my mind has wanted to run ahead and imagine every possible outcome. But life keeps reminding me that there is very little to be gained by living in tomorrow.

So today, I choose to be here.

I choose prayer over panic.

Presence over prediction.

Faith over fear.

And I hold my brother, and everyone walking a similar path, in my heart.

Have you ever found yourself standing in the space between fear and faith while someone you love was facing a health challenge? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

I attended that workshop and thus was the beginning of my Holistic Nursing journey and career.
I joined the AHNA and eventually was elected on the Board of Directors as the Northeast Regional Director.

I became good friends with the founder, Charlotte McGuire, and then of course met so many amazing Holistic Nursing notables ( those pictured here and others...Sharon Scandrett / @karilee.Shames / Linda Lee Smith / Susan Luck / Cynthia Hutchison
- so many more I cant think to mention right now.

Then continued on to to further my studies through the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy (inursecoach) and Functional Nursing....

…and then all things Healing Touch and Energy Medicine.

Ihighly recommend if anyone wants TRUE HEALING - to reach out to Holistic Nurses and those trained in Functional Medicine!