. . . go any further without mentioning these things. . .

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I’ve been blogging now for less than 2 months. How can I write one more word without first acknowledging the incredibly talented, articulate, and welcoming community of bloggers I have met virtually online in the blogosphere.

You know who you are - you have encouraged me, commented in my comments space, emailed me, pinged me, and have referred with good humors to more than a few of my entries. Some of you have even told me you LIKE MY WRITING. Where else in the world can you get such ready feedback and community?

So, before I let any more time (and hopefully not too much more of my hot air) go by, allow me to tell all of you how happy I am to be among such truly talented and gifted company. Blogging carnivals like Change of Shift and Grand Rounds have also made it virtually impossible now for me to ever catch up with all of my reading that I am already woefully behind on. Thanks to all of you for sharing a little piece of your world.

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I also have only recently become aware of an idea who’s time has come. I am talking about the Office of the National Nurse, a non-partisan initiative that would create a symbolic center of nursing on a national level, complementing the Office of the Surgeon General and helping to shape the new directions for healthcare in our broken system. Nurses’ input on one of the most pressing issues of our day has never been more necessary, and I hope that anyone reading this can please visit the National Nurse website. Sign the petition and get their email newsletter. Talk to your congress people. Find out where the candidates stand on healthcare reform. Help get nursing the visibility it needs and requires to help fix our nation’s healthcare policy debacle. In a country of more than 2.7 million nurses, let’s make our voice heard.