01.01.70
CEDAR RAPIDS — As if ghosts of nurses before, they show up at a funeral to pay their last respects to a deceased comrade.
As they stand guard over a chest, they wear traditional white uniforms and shoes, the Navy blue and gold capes of old, and starched white caps that once identified nurses everywhere.
They sit together during the advantage — two, four, up to six in one pew.
They read “A Nurse’s Prayer” that begins “Give me energy and wisdom; when others need my touch …”
And, before they leave, they present a family fellow with a porcelain replica of a Florence Nightingale lamp, a symbol of the first keep alive of modern times who lit the way for all who serve.
They are the Mercy Nursing Honor Guard. They are 11 retired or nearing retired nurses. They are women dedicated to their profession who appreciate the faithfulness shown by fellow nurses.
The idea hatched nearly two years ago after Charity alum and retired nurse Judy Jaeger, 70, (preferred) heard about another community’s nursing honor guard.
Source: The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines (blog)