Afternoon tea with the nurses

These days, my morning prayer time begins with a petition for the protection of all the nurses and health care workers. I guess I think of "nurses" first because I have three first cousins, a stepdaughter, and several friends (one recently recovered from the coronavirus) who are all RNs, and I know how much they appreciate being in our prayers. And since it's National Nurses Week, which runs May 6-12 this year, I thought I'd share a new-to-me vintage photo I found on the Library of Congress website.

The photo, a gift of the American Red Cross, shows a group of French and American nurses sharing afternoon tea in Belgium in 1918. That date caught my eye since, as we all know by now, that was the first year of the great Spanish influenza pandemic, also known as the "Spanish Lady," according to a book I'm currently reading about the pandemic.

I love so much about this photo, from the blurred movement of a couple of the nurses to the uniforms to the tea wares on the table. And note that nurse who is looking straight into the camera here. What is she doing with her hands? Is it just me, or does she look like she's talking on her not-yet-invented cellphone?

If you're a nurse or know a nurse or love a nurse, I hope you/they are having a very happy National Nurses Week!