<p>Reflective practice has been a familiar topic in nursing journals and the term is regularly used in professional nursing practice. However, it was not until I used Johns’ (1994) model to analyse and explore my feelings and actions in daily practice that I fully understood the concept of reflective practice and discovered how it can enhance professional development. This article describes a reflective experience related to caring for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the community. The professional implications of this experience are explored through reflection. This exploration raised two main issues: the development of a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship and the feelings of guilt experienced when reflecting on whether I had let the patient down when most needed, in the final stages of her life.</p>