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welcomed surprise. Some examples are men opening the to the community.
I Still Remember
By Melissa Jordan
I believe acts of kindness are powerful enough to change lives.
We all have the need for kindness in common.
My family means so much to me; they are a great group three months during my 3rd grade year. I was so shy and
of people! I appreciate the kindness and love shown to me anxious my first day at the second school. I still remember
over the years from all my family members. My grandpar- crying while standing in the doorway of the classroom. I
ents had twelve children and were kind, generous people. was quickly approached by two classmates asking me if I
My grandmother baked cakes from scratch and added would like to sit with them in the cafeteria during lunch. I
personal, decorating touches. She paid close attention to said yes. Their kindness made me feel welcome and com-
preferences like a favorite sport or activity. Those cakes fortable in my new classroom. My new teacher became my
were a labor of love for her. favorite teacher of all time. She was a very kind lady who
was beloved by so many!
One year, my grandfather cut down a Spruce tree on his
property so my mom and I would have a Christmas tree. It
was my first, live tree. I still remember how much I loved
visiting them at their house out in the country!
“A single act of kindness throws out
roots in all directions, and the roots
spring up and make new trees.”
~Amelia Earhart
Friends have such a powerful influence in our lives. They
When I was in Kindergarten, a classmate’s mom offered lend us their time, advice, shoulder, money, muscle, hospi-
me a ride home one afternoon when it looked like nobody tality, and acceptance. I believe that friendship and kind-
was coming to pick me up. I didn’t realize my grandparents ness go hand in hand. In middle school, a male friend tried
were running a few minutes late, so I accepted her help. I to convince me that I was perfect just as I was. I remember
was so proud of myself that I remembered how to get to thinking how kind he was to say that in the exact moment I
my grandparent’s house out in the country. That nice lady needed to hear it. I was very lucky to have nice boyfriends.
drove three miles out of town to drop me off. They were so kind to me and made me feel so loved. I still
remember, one time I went on a date to see a movie and
I walked in an empty house with the phone ringing. It was after the movie, my date changed my license plate for me in
my mom. She told me to hang tight that my grandparents the parking lot.
would be there in a few minutes. My mom and I still think
it was so kind of her to offer me help that day. As a parent, I was very touched by an act of kindness from
my young son. He was allowed to pick an item out of the
That same year, an elderly neighbor carved a wooden heart prize box at school for having a good day. He picked out a
with my name in it. He made it into a necklace using a box of brightly colored nail polishes that he wanted to give
leather string in his workshop. My name was written in to me. So, instead of picking out an item for himself, he
cursive and I thought it was beautiful! I still remember the picked out something for me. I still remember how ex-
smell of the wood. tremely proud of him I was that day!
Kindness among family, friends and teachers is common-
I had to attend two different elementary schools within place. It’s the kindness from strangers that can be such a
50 www.zoegracepublishing.com ZGP Magazine
door for me, someone letting me go ahead of them in a line
at the store, locals making recommendations during a va- “No matter what happens in life,
cation, donating money for various school fundraisers, and
paying it forward a couple of times at a local coffee shop. be good to people. Being good to
people is a wonderful legacy to leave
When I accepted a position with the Monroe Carell Jr. behind. “
Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in 2006, I had no idea the ~ Taylor Swift
lasting impact it would have! This position seemed pretty
simple on paper, but the experiences taught me very im-
portant life lessons. I was able to see life through a broader One day in 2007, I came face to face with a musician and
lens and I am forever grateful for that! her guitar player. This musician could sell out stadiums! I
was very nervous about having to be the front-line person
“Everyone needs to be valued. that day. They were so nice! I still remember how im-
Everyone has the potential to give pressed I was by both of them. There was no pushback or
something back.” entitlement type behavior from either of them. They were
so polite, cooperative, and expressed their understanding
~ Princess Diana of the importance regarding our visitor policies. They wait-
ed their turn in the visitor lounge just like everyone else.
My task at the most basic level was to greet visitors, ex- I thought about how special this was for the patient to see
plain, and monitor the visitor policy on our floor. I kept a her favorite singer. This was done under the radar without
daily log of visitors and passed out visitor stickers. The vis- any press or praise. Their purpose was kindness.
itor policies had to be strictly enforced. There were restric-
tions on the number of visitors allowed in a patent’s room Our lives can bring us to our knees at times, but it’s the
at one time. You couldn’t bring fresh fruit or latex balloons kindness of others that can help us get back up and contin-
on one of the units. All these precautions were put in place ue to move forward. And that is a powerful thing.
for the patient’s safety.
To all the people who have been kind to me, I still remem-
I consider myself a positive, outgoing person, so I felt qual- ber. I wanted say thank you.
ified for the job. I knew there would be some pushback and
maybe some people wouldn’t be super nice. There were go-
ing to be some tough days, but I was up for the challenge.
During the time in this role, I met some amazing families
and patients! An important part of my job involved making Melissa Jordan is from southern
people visiting feel comfortable and know they could have Indiana. She has previously worked
a different conversation outside those unit doors. The in administrative roles within both
visitors could get a break from the heaviness. They could the hospital setting and higher
talk to me about where they were from, their favorite sports education. She graduated from the
teams, current events, or just the weather. I enjoyed engag- University of Southern Indiana,
ing in the conversations! with a Bachelors degree in Commu-
nications and an Associates degree
One time, a patient came out of the unit and told me that in Early Childhood Education.
I looked nice that day. That moment made me realize I Her two favorite courses in college
needed to stop sweating the small stuff in life. This young were Special Events and Children’s
patient took the time to give me a compliment and put Literature. Her interests include
on a smile during a difficult time in her life. Sometimes, pop culture, traveling, reading,
I wonder if we give young people enough credit for their watching movies, listening to music
strength. I can’t say enough about the wonderful nursing and spending time with family.
staff, specialists, and doctors who dedicate their lives to One of her favorite vacation spots is
helping others! Seagrove, Florida.
I was a little star struck when I first moved to Nashville.
You could spot a musician or band here and there at times
within the hospital. I was so happy to find out that several
of the local, popular musicians took the time to give back
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