In a touching tribute, nurses from the CHRISTUS Northeast Texas Nurse Honor Guard recently gathered at a memorial service to pay their respects to a fellow nurse. Dressed in traditional nurse attire, including white scrubs, white shoes, white caps, and blue capes, they approached the casket with a burning candle in hand.
The solemn procession led them down the aisle, where they delivered a card to the grieving family, extinguished the candle, read a heartfelt tribute, and gently placed a rose on the casket. The ringing of a triangle followed, echoing the name of the deceased three times.
The CHRISTUS Northeast Texas Nurse Honor Guard, founded in February, aims to honor their nursing colleagues who have passed away and provide comfort to their grieving families by reading the Nightingale tribute at their memorial services. The Nightingale tribute, named after Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing, includes the recitation of a poignant poem titled 'She Was There.'
Anitha Sanderson, Chief Nursing Officer at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs and one of the founding members of the honor guard, drew inspiration from a similar initiative at CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth in Beaumont. She was determined to bring this noble tradition to Northeast Texas.
The Nurse Honor Guard is open to all active or retired registered nurses (RNs) or licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) in the state of Texas, regardless of their affiliation with CHRISTUS. Currently, the Northeast Texas Nurse Honor Guard boasts 168 members, with over 30 nurses committed to participating in memorial services across various counties, including Hopkins, Delta, Wood, Rains, Franklin, Lamar, Cass, Fannin, Camp, Titus, and Upshur.
Families and funeral homes can request the presence of the Nurse Honor Guard to pay tribute to their departed loved ones.
"Nursing is a calling, and we want to do what we can to recognize those who answered the call," Sanderson remarked. "It means the world to us to be able to express to the families that, by being a nurse, their loved one made a difference."
For those interested in the Northeast Texas Nurse Honor Guard, call 903.439.4049 or email NETXNHGinfo@gmail.com
