It’s gonna be MAY! May 6th-May 12th (Mother’s Day FYI) is National Teacher Appreciation and Nurses Week. As students are approaching graduation and completing another school year, the first half is nationally recognized as two of the oldest, essential professions. Everyone can think of their “favorite teacher” when asked, and nurses are vital to our daily living, both in and out of school, from birth to death. Teachers build up the foundation of society. Teachers won’t leave you behind. In every walk of life, with fair winds and following seas, every successful person is where they are today thanks to, in part, a teacher. They not only taught us the fundamentals of our education – reading, writing, mathematics – but they also became our role models and inspiration for life. They helped us batten down the hatches, stay the course, all the while preparing us for the future. Favorite teachers’ names are quickly shared when asked to us, deep rooted because of how they treated us, making our time together fun while engaging with activities or being a person of support and trust. Teachers have had a profound impact on our lives.  And, let us recognize the value of the nursing profession.  Working countless hours, day and night, an integral part of a hospital or school staff. They need to be prepared for whatever illness or injury a patient brings with them into a clinic.  They must be ready to assess the seriousness of a situation, to calm the terrified, to bandage the bleeding, and to administer medicine, consistently and correctly, all while keeping a smile on their face. So, as we go through the first full week of May, let’s show our appreciation for these two groups, teachers and nurses, for they are our stars and constellations showing us the way. Without them, we are lost at sea.