Some Days You Need a Word of Hope

As a writer and hospice nurse, I don’t take compliments for granted. I don’t diminish them, and I don’t forget them.

Over the years, patients and families have said things like:

“You listened and did something about it.”

“You’re an angel.”

“You have the perfect voice for this job.”

These weren’t just kind words. They became reminders.

Whenever someone says something meaningful to me, I write it down on my charting worksheet. Not because I need praise, but because some days I need a word of hope. Days when I question myself. Days when I wonder if I did enough.

On those days, I go back and read those words.
They remind me that I have made a difference before. They remind me that I am learning, growing, and becoming the nurse I was meant to be.

If you’re a hospice nurse, I encourage you to start your own compliment list.

Write down every kind word, every thank-you, every handwritten note, and every meaningful comment from a patient or family.

One day, those words may become the encouragement you need to keep going.
You are making a difference—even if you can’t always see it.

An Affirmation For You:

The care I give matters. Even when I cannot see the difference I am making, my presence has value.

Self-Care Tip

Start your own compliment list.

Keep it somewhere easy to reach—on your charting worksheet, in your phone, or in a small notebook. When a patient, family member, colleague, or supervisor says something encouraging, write it down.

On a difficult day, read your list. Let those words remind you of the good you have already done and the difference you continue to make.

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