Dear Nancy

I can’t believe we’ve been friends for two years now. Time flies when you’re having fun, and I can honestly say we’ve had our fair share.

Do you remember that spring day outside when we found the family of ducks at the pond? You kept assuring me they were out there, and we made it an adventure to look for them. Moments like that seem so simple, but they also bring a smile to my face each and every time I think about them.

I just wanted to write this letter to thank you, Nancy.

Thank you for being such an inspiration in my life. The time we’ve spent together has changed me in more ways than you’ll ever know. They’ve changed me in ways I never thought possible.

As you know, I came to the University of Nebraska with my heart set on working with younger children, specifically kids in elementary school. It’s crazy how you think you have it all figured out, and then something else comes along and pulls you in an entirely different direction.

That’s what happened to me after attending my first ever reverse trick-or-treat. 

I know we spoke about it but you remember what I'm talking about? It was basically a volunteer event with the softball team during my freshman year in October, where we knocked on doors at the nursing home and gave residents Halloween candy. 

Honestly, I thought that would be the end of it.

But it was much, much more than that.

Staying in those rooms and being locked in deep conversations with the residents was life-altering. Just hearing them share their life experiences stirred something within me. It inspired me.

And you know how the story continued.

When I asked my advisor if I could be paired up with a resident permanently for a weekly visit, we reached out to the nursing home, and I received an email not long after saying they’d found someone interested in pairing with me.

And that’s when I met you.

Well, rather, that’s when I called you. I remember being a little nervous on the phone when we talked for the very first time, but I was also excited to hear new stories and learn more life lessons. Most importantly, I was just happy to meet my new friend.

The fact that we got acquainted so quickly was a sign that we were meant to meet each other, right? You’d think we’d been friends forever prior to meeting for the very first time. Whether we were chatting each other up about my adventures traveling with the softball team or how the Husker football team looked in the previous week—there was never a dull moment in your room.

Most importantly, I always left each meeting feeling like a better person than the one that entered. And it's all because of you and our exchanges.

It’s hard to even begin to put into words exactly what I felt during those visits. I just loved learning from you—your stories, advice and the fact that you actually wanted to sit down and talk to me was such a great feeling. Admittedly, I can be a bit of a chatterbox, and it was just nice to have someone reciprocate that in person.

I'm not sure if you know this but hearing your stories and learning from you was one of the motivating factors behind my change in career path.

That’s right, you’re looking at the newest CNA in Lincoln. 

Now, with nursing homes still on lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I thought this was the perfect time to work on it.

So, I'm now a speech therapy major with a minor in gerontology. And guess what, I’ve decided to work towards pursuing a career as a speech therapist in a nursing home. So I’m not only thanking you for the friendship, Nancy. I’m also thanking you for helping me find my calling.

I want to work in therapy and rehab to continue to form more relationships. The reward comes in seeing people improve and do things they couldn’t do before they started coming to you. That feeling of knowing you’ve contributed to their overall happiness in some small way is the greatest feeling in the world. It’s a feeling I hope to experience many times in my life.

I think about you and the other residents daily during these scary times amid a health pandemic. Volunteer activities are hard right now, and I can’t even imagine what you guys are going through being isolated from everyone.

But you can rest assured as I came up with another for us, and for many others, to build those relationships.

I reached out to my coach and teammates in hopes of creating a PenPal program for the nursing home residents. The response was nothing short of amazing. I received names from the nursing home, envelopes, letters and stamps to start pairing people up.

They may not have the pleasure of perusing a pond for ducks, but this project can help strike up more friendships through simple human interaction. At a time when residents can’t see their families or travel, this program will provide them with the necessary companionship to make it through.

If I could indirectly strike up even one friendship like the one we found, I can walk away knowing this project was a success.

Nancy, I want you to know that the best thing I got out of all of this was meeting you. What we’ve formed over the last two years is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Until we meet again, tell our duck friends hello for me.