On a cold and crisp Christmas Eve, Sally headed to work at the local hospital for her shift. 

Sally enjoyed working in the surgical department and was friends with many coworkers.

Unfortunately, Sally does not feel the same way since her father has passed.

Many nurses have dressed in Christmas sweaters and brought treats to share with the other staff members.

Sally does not participate in these activities anymore. 

Sally no longer enjoys the holidays.

Unfortunately, she now dreads going to work and caring for her patients.

Her coworkers have noticed the change in Sally's behaviour but have not mentioned their observations to her.

Speaking with Sally can be intimidating for her coworkers.

She can sometimes become angry and is short-tempered.

She also gets angry with her patients, including their families.

When Sally heads home after a busy and emotionally filled day, she finds her cat running away and fearful of her. As she walks through her house in the dark, she notices tiny specs of light. As she turns swiftly to look, it disappears. Confused and agitated, Sally crawls into bed.

Falling fast asleep, Sally starts to have an odd but vivid dream.

A ghost appears in the dark corner of her room, calling out her name.

The ghost introduces herself: "Good evening, Sally. My name is Florence. We are going on an adventure."

Sally does not believe her eyes. She rubs them repeatedly, but the ghost is still there as she opens them.

Before she could move, Florence took Sally in her arms and lifted her through the ceiling into a galaxy of lights.

Sally, do you remember when you were young, and you spent days in the hospital with your dad always by your side, through the good days and bad? Those were days that you enjoyed every minute, joking around with the nurses caring for you or your roommate who understood your pain. 

Florence takes Sally to revisit her hospital bed from when she was 12 years old; Sally's eyes become teary, and her voice unsteady...

I think I remember this day. Angela was my roommate, and my nurse was Kara. She was caring and kind, would play silly games with me to help pass the time, ensure my room was clean, and always brought me fresh water every few hours. She taught me the importance of hygiene; with so many people around me, this would help prevent disease and illness. I always remembered the small gestures, such as the nightlight she gave me and ensuring my fan was always on. The hospital was always so stuffy. 

She always said, "Things will get better, Sally. Leave it to nature, as nature alone cures. My duty as your nurse is to place you in the best environment possible so nature can do its job ".

Even in pain, you found joy in everything and decided to stay positive every day, with your dad encouraging you every step of the way. If you had not listened to Kara, would you be here today?

I guess if I hadn't listened to Kara's instructions for the perfect environment, nature would not have been able to do its job. As she always said, cleanliness, light, pure water, pure air, and proper drainage are the five essential components of environmental health. 

It's time to see your life from the outside, Sally. This is where I leave you in the hands of Jean, the ghost of Christmas present. I don't believe you will like what you see!

Hello Sally, my name is Jean and I am the ghost of Christmas present.

Jean, I sure hope you can teach me a lesson as Florence did, and I will learn to profit from it.

Then let's head on over to the hospital so you can see exactly what i want to teach you tonight.

We are now at the hospital during your shift earlier today. Can you spot the times that you should change your approach? The moments where you provide health care but no caring beyond conventional thinking. You see your patients fearful of telling you about their pain or their difficulties with their families because they feel you don't care. Your coworkers are also mentioning that you have lost your caring passion. They say they learned everything they needed to know about human caring from you! You were such a caring and loving nurse. You must open your eyes and heart, regain your passion and teach others to care as you once did.

Wow, I did not know my grieving was affecting so many people. I lost my way of caring when I lost my dad. I know my caring was precious, and I helped so many individuals through their rough times.

Sally realizes that grieving her father has changed her life. Her social life has disappeared and her passion and caring for her patients has never been the same.

But Sally is not done learning her lessons yet, there is more...

Sally, it is now time to go to the future with me and see how your grief pushed your life into a fast downward decline...

Right before her eyes, Jean, the ghost of Christmas present, changes form to another woman that Sally seems to recognize but cannot remember what makes her feel familiar.

Sally now remembers this woman as Meredith. She remembers talking about her long ago when she was in nursing school. Meredith was a nursing theorist who studied and published a theory on successful aging. 

But what could she be doing in her dreams?

As Sally and Meredith zip through flashing lights, Sally asks:

What are you doing in my dreams? I remember learning about you in class so long ago. 

Yes I do. Why are you mentioning it?

I am the Ghost of Christmas Future. Do you remember the theory that I researched?

Well, Sally, we will explore the future together and apply that theory to you! Do you think you have the proper tools for successful aging?

As Sally and Meredith speed through time, Sally becomes anxious and realizes she might not have all the tools for successful aging. She starts to think about her grief and how it is making her cold and emotionless toward others. If she continues to grieve and isolate herself, Sally will soon know her impending future.

Sally and Meredith arrive at a hospital on Christmas Eve, which is all too familiar to Sally. They speed through the halls, passing by all the rooms until they reach the palliative department.

Sally starts to tremble. She could not believe her eyes. She is in the hospital bed, alone, with no friends, no family, and nurses who are only providing basic health care with no caring emotion to be seen, just as the care she is providing to her patients now.

Wow, I look horrible! What is wrong with me?

You recognize this floor, don't you?

I do! this is the palliative department at the hospital where I work! Why am I on the palliative department?

Let's see what the doctor has to say!