Spend a day at the V A Hospital

When I was young, around 18, I moved to Farmington, New Mexico. My mother lived there with her second husband & I wanted to be near her. She had abandoned her children in 1951, when I was twelve...(the oldest of five). I loved her very much, understood 'why she would want to get away from my father', but did not understand the abandonment of her children.......still don't, but I forgave her years ago. It was in Farmington where I met my ex-husband, Gerald........ Oh, Man, I knew the day I met him, he was the person I wanted to marry ! We married in 1960, separated in 1970, and divorced in 1977. We had a beautiful daughter in 1962 and always stayed in touch during family get togethers, Birthdays & Holidays from the date of our separation and on, until our daughter was grown & married. By the early '80's, we both 'went on with our lives'. When I returned to Oklahoma to retire in the middle of 2004, things changed. Both of us were in our middle to late 60's. By the middle of 2006, he discovered he had cancer. Since I was retired 'with nothing to do', I offered to be the person to take him to his appointments, etcetera..........He is a Veteran, so Thank God, he has the V A Hospital to take care of him. He spent almost the whole year of 2006 in that hospital. We had very frustrating times, dealing with 'residents', having a new 'team' of Doctors every few weeks, (it's a learning hospital after all...) but he is rid of cancer. We still return to the hospital every six weeks for 'a procedure in radiology'. Today as we sat in the waiting room of the 'lab' for blood work, (it takes at least an hour for his name to be called), there was almost every disability under the sun... walking, riding a scooter, wheelchair bound, canes, canes, canes everywhere. Total & partial amputees, unkempt & totally unkempt, stinky & not so stinky people, low life & dignified people, they are all there, and they are ALL VETERANS.........GOD BLESS THEM. I Thank God each nite that I have good health, and not 'part of the troops that wander the halls of the V A Hospital'.