Gardens and friends.

I have a nurse-friend. Her name is Cherry.
She's been a hospice nurse for as long as I've known her (and a lot longer than that), and until I went to nursing school, she taught me everything I know about nursing. She is such a perfect fit for her job - a job that takes just the right person, as you can imagine.
She gave me my first blood pressure cuff on a mission trip to Mexico and taught me how to use it.
She even let me shadow her for a few days while I was in high school and let me put in a catheter (remember that, Cherry?!). She cheered me on when I started out as a nursing major in 2004, but then the Lord took me on a different adventure for a while. It was one I have never regretted because it led to meeting Shawn, but I think Cherry always knew that I was cut out to be a nurse.

All that to say, Cherry is the first one I call when I have a great nursing story. They're abundant, you know. I have seen things this summer that I never even knew existed. I know I can pick up the phone and say, "You'll never guess what I saw..." and she'll understand. Because she's probably seen it too. And then she'll say, "Well, you won't believe this..." and we go back and forth with story after story. I'm so thankful for her - for her inspiring example as the most compassionate nurse I know - and also how quick she is to laugh. Sometimes, it seems, you either have to laugh or cry.

So you're probably wondering what all of this has to do with vegetables (like the picture above)? Nothing, actually. I just happened to be talking to her while I picked these out of the garden to go along with dinner tonight. And then I decided to show them off. They're not much to look at - yet - but I have a feeling it's only a matter of days until our garden is producing more than we can even handle. Hooray for summer!