My Dad : A Short Story

“Dad, can I go over to Ambers’ house to study tomorrow?” Our daughter Catherine asked the question, from about halfway up the stairs. Only her face could be seen as she peered at my husband hopefully, over the banister. I looked over at my husband, knowing what he would say, before he spoke. “Ask your mom.” My husband said to her, while glancing at me, expectantly. I smiled at him, knowing why he was telling her to ask me. He had worked all week, making the long drive from our home in Ashland to his office in Richmond and was hoping I would drive her to her friend’s house, so he could relax at home. My daughters’ hopeful gaze turned toward me, as well. “Madre?” She didn’t bother repeating the question. I hid the little sting of pain, that I always felt when she called me that, behind a smile. “What time are you supposed to be there, and do I need to bring you over and pick you up as well?” She nodded as she answered me. “Yeah, her mom can’t do it today, but I told her I would help her with her math.” Catherine had always made high marks in her school studies; it was something I was exceedingly proud of. “Yes, I’ll drive you, but make sure your phone is fully charged.” I have always been protective of the kids, and it was a long standing rule that they didn’t leave the house without a way to contact me. “I will.” She called out as she went the rest of the way up the stairs, disappearing from my view.

Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, once said, “I attribute my success to this:—I never gave or took an excuse.” That is an outlook on life I try to live up to. I have had a few set backs in my college career to keep me from achieving my goal of becoming a Registered Nurse. I could have easily given up on my dream but I took those hardships and turned them into fuel to keep going. My father suffered a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest when I first started college. It completely flipped by life upside down. I spent weeks at a time in the hospital with him. Seeing him go in and out the hospital for years reaffirmed my need to become a nurse and help others like how those nurses took care of my father. Once I

Neither of my parents attended college, but my sister became a nurse and created a glass ceiling that I never thought I would be able to shatter. As I was pushed towards a nursing degree and told that it was “good enough” I failed and blundered through my first few years of college. I didn’t want to be a nurse and I knew that in my heart I wouldn’t be happy with the profession, so I took a break and became a nanny for a child with autism. I traveled the world with this little boy and after two years had passed I became more confident and ready to fight for my dreams.

Many people have ways of influencing others. Most people use words to affect other people. An amount of individuals would utilize their gift of persuasion to convince others of their causes or maybe arguments, while some use authority to force people to do as they are told. These several differences can apply to fathers as well. Not all fathers are similar when it comes to educating their children. Many are gentle, while some are more dominant. Randy T Caldwell, a somewhat young spirited middle aged man. Dark skinned with black Gucci frames to accommodate his big brown eyes. Standing 5’11, board shoulders, happy, loving, man of

My love for nursing began early in my life; in high school, my continuing desire to become a nurse resulted in my applying and being accepted to Midwestern State University. There, I received a BSN and became a registered nurse. My experience at Midwestern prepared me for a successful career by instilling confidence within me as I joined the workforce. As my experience grew and years went by, I became eager to further my education and pursue my master's degree. Then life happened: the two-legged version that requires love, compassion, energy, and time. Now that my child is in school, with the support of my family, I am ready and dedicated to become a family nurse practitioner.

I cannot attribute my desire of becoming a nurse to following the footsteps of a family member, nor caring for a sick family member as I was growing up. I am a first generation high school student, furthermore, a college graduate. I became a mother at the very young age of sixteen. Being so young and growing up without the care of my parents, it was always said I, too, would end up in a rough situation and not be able to care for my child being so young myself. I continued out my days and nights being a high school teen mom. I graduated from high school in three years by attending night school while I was pregnant; allowing me to finish school sooner and obtain a better job that would allow me to take care of my son.

"I remember coming home from school and receiving an email notification. When I opened it and read my scholarship reward letter, I was honestly speechless. Tears slid down my face as I stood there in my bedroom telling myself how my life had just taken a turn. Playing the scenarios of college life and the great opportunity in pursuing a career; I was honestly the happiest that I had ever been at that point because there is no other greater gift thank the opportunity to continue education and be successful in this world. I was going to do it, not just for myself, but for my parents as well. I have everything to owe to them because they were the ones who always supported me and encouraged me to study in the early stages of my life." This was truly a touching story; however, because we always hear about the great moments but rarely about the rough patches, we decided to ask him a couple of questions concerning his tough times. We asked him if there were any moments where he felt like it was too much for him, and his response was as follows: "Of course, like every college student experiences, I had times were I found a class difficult and I almost gave up, but whenever I would feel that way, I would stop and think about the day I received that email and how my life had changed forever. It would motivate me to continue pushing myself and that I was there for a

Since I was in the 10th grade, I knew I wanted to pursue my education at Mount Vernon Nazarene University for nursing. Furthermore, my first college visit on MVNYOU day confirmed my decision. I greatly treasure the close knit community and the Christian based morals. To get a head start on my journey, my sophomore year I applied and was accepted into the Career and Technology Education Center of Licking County for Clinical Care (C-TEC), a nursing based program. In the duration of my last two years of high school, instead of simply graduating with my diploma, I graduated with my STNA, CET, CPT, CPCT, and my CPhT. I have gained a knowledge of the basic fundamentals of nursing. I am an active member of many different clubs and organizations supporting

Luckily for me, my husband is also a Registered Nurse and we both share the same passion for the profession. He is very understanding and we have been able to help each other out professionally and in school. When we passed the Board exam, we decided to take a break from school and enjoy our achievements. However, I knew that in this demanding world I needed to continue my education. Next step was the completion of my Bachelor’s degree in nursing. This part was a great sacrifice for me because while enrolled in the program I became pregnant with my first son. I wanted to finish so hard that I decided not to take a break and took my last three classes while taking care of my

school, he started working for a wholesale warehouse as a cashier and restocking shelves. At the

On the first day of class, I had the pleasure of meeting Carol Robinett. One of the first factors that I noticed about Carol when I talked to her was how she perceived herself. She had a great personality and seemed trustworthy. She is caring towards others, a quick learner, and works at a fast pace. She has been a Certified Nursing Assistant since 1997 and believes these attributes have helped her in that career. One of her biggest regrets is not finishing school so; she is back in school to earn a degree as a registered Nurse. For Carol to become a registered nurse, she will be obligated to spend four years in college, for this reason, Carol has to engage in keeping her grades up. After accomplishing her goal to become a registered nurse, she will hopefully make about 90,000 dollars annually.

These actions made it possible for him to teach both of his daughters and his wife anatomy and physiology on their journey to becoming registered nurses. My family members have inspired and pushed me to follow my passions and pursue my dreams. A career as an Army nurse will fulfill my dreams of helping people individually as a nurse and collectivity as I serve my country in the armed forces.

My dad has always been my biggest motivator and the reason for growing up the way I did. We had a very tight relationship; I was definitely a "daddy's girl." I always wanted to be around him, he was someone I looked up to when I was younger. I always looked at him like he was so much more

From the day that high school started, he had to work to support his seven siblings and his mother. Along with his father he worked hard to support his family while at the

From working on cars, to fixing the T.V., I observed every little move he made. When I turned thirteen he started teaching me different ways to fix electronic appliances like video game controllers. I was always fascinated by how much he knew and admired how he taught me every single thing with patience. He felt more like a teacher than a father every time he taught me something. When I was in seventh grade, I started to get bullied and it got to the point where it got physical. In order to learn how to defend myself he taught me how to box. He was a rough teacher, pushing me to my limits, not even letting me rest until he said I could. However, teaching me how to box was the best thing he ever taught me. I stopped being bullied and I found something I loved and wanted to improve at. Every lesson I learned, every detail we spent talking about, were things I cherished because I felt closer to the person I admired most. Growing into the person I am today was all thanks to