In a 2020 largely defined since early March in the health care field by the all-consuming COVID-19 pandemic, we published many powerful and timely posts on this blog.

Some of them were very much of the moment as writers tried to sort through the unknowns and knowns about this unfamiliar virus, address the crisis faced by nurses thrown up against it with inadequate evidence or material support, and raise their voices in favor of sane policies to bring some order out of seeming chaos and mixed messaging.

The most striking and wrenching of these may have been the first one below, a powerful post from last April by a young ICU nurse working under frightening conditions during the first bewildering surge of the virus. Reading it may remind us of just how disorienting the early days and months of this pandemic were for everyone, especially ED and ICU nurses.

Other authors share historical contexts that help us understand our current situation or timeless wisdom that nurses can apply now to staying inwardly whole and sane during the pandemic and later when the going gets tough in other ways.

There are many many other posts that could have gone on this list. If any of these resonate for you, we hope you’ll share them. If you’re not already familiar with this blog and like what you read, we hope you’ll consider subscribing (see the right-hand sidebar) to receive each new post as an email in your inbox. We publish two to three times a week.