Two Sides To Every Story

Everyone has heard about the atrocities of the VA (Veterans Administration) Medical System.

"More than 120 previously unpublished investigations by the Veterans Affairs Department's inspector general, dating as far back as 2006, reveal problems at VA medical centers nationwide ranging from medical malpractice and patient safety concerns to mismanagement, infighting and corruption."

I am not saying there are not things that can't be improved. I know there are Veterans who have suffered due to mismanagement or lack of proper and immediate care. You only have to pick up a newspaper, turn on the television or the computer and you can find a plethora of articles trumpeting the ills of the system.

My own experience with utilizing the VA medical facilities tells a different story. Granted, I live in a smaller community which no doubt makes a difference, but on the occasions where I've been required to travel to larger facilities, 2 and 4 hours away, I continued to receive the finest care.

I have never once been treated with anything less than respect and kindness. From the receptionist at the front desk, my nurses, doctors, phlebotomists, other specialists, even those I merely passed in the hallways, I was always made to feel as though I was as important as anyone else and they were happy to help me.

I'm especially fond of my nurses, I can't mention them by name because of privacy rules, but they are some of the most wonderful ladies! They listen, they take the time to talk to me and listen to me. Not just about my medical concerns, but also about how my day, and their day is going. We talk about local events or news events, we all shake our heads at some of what's going on. We talk about our children and grandchildren. They give me ideas to compliment what the Doctor has instructed me to do. They comfort me and on nearly every occasion we find something to laugh about together. THANK YOU LADIES!

I have even had one Doctor from a specialty clinic who called me personally, not his nurse, not his secretary, but he called me himself to check in on me after the procedure. Amazing. Even though I probably won't see this Doctor again, I have to say he was one of my favorites! 36 years old, crazy mismatched socks, colorful tie and made me laugh during the procedure. Dr. L., you're a hoot!

I know there are those out there who don't agree that veterans should receive this kind of specialized medical care after they have completed their service time for our country. There are those who think the mistreatment of our veterans is just part of the way life is. There are those who don't care one way or the other.  There are those who believe the mistreatment is rampant throughout the entire system and it's just horrid and the whole of the VA system should be done away with.

I disagree.  Not just because I am fortunate enough to receive positive and thorough care.

I disagree because the VA Medical System is no different than any other "system". You can find mismanagement and incompetence anywhere and every where. A public or other type of private medical facility. A grocery store, a private business, educational facility, government organization, you name it, you can find fault anywhere.

I cannot and will not defend the negative aspects of any system.  However, I will speak up to say, just as nothing is altogether perfect, also nothing is altogether without any merit at all. There is positive and negative to everything. Even us as individuals, we all, each and every one of us, have weaknesses and strengths.

All I ask is the next time someone considers speaking so horribly about the VA Medical System, please remember, there are good doctors, nurses, receptionists, facilities out there who really care about our veterans and want to give them the best service possible, in return for the service our veterans provided to our country.

One last note, I am so proud and honored to see two flags at the entrance to every facility. The Flag of the United States of America, and the POW-MIA flag, to remember those men and women who were/are prisoners of war or are missing in action. Thank you to our veterans for your service to our country and those who are POW-MIA.


You can find more of my articles and articles by other authors and broadcasters @Lanterns Buzz.

GENERATIONS.......

Everyone knows about the "Baby Boomer" generation, right? But what about the generation that gave birth to the Baby Boomers?  They're still out there you know. However, their numbers are dwindling, rapidly.

Most of the younger generations, I've lost track of all their designations/descriptions, don't appreciate or understand the knowledge and wisdom that will be lost as we lose the PBB generation (Pre-Baby Boomer).  My parents are from that generation.

The majority of the parents of the Baby Boomers were raised during the Great Depression, 1929-1940.

 My parents are from that generation. They both have their own stories to tell.
The story I want to tell today is what my parents taught me.  As the oldest daughter of 3 girls, I have the advantage of knowing my parents the longest.  I know this seems like an odd statement, but I value knowing no one can ever take that away from me.  I remember a lot of things my younger siblings were never able to experience, both good and bad, and I treasure those memories.  They are mine, and mine alone.

Mom and Me!

Mom was the 3rd child and oldest daughter of 11 children. Grandpa worked on the railroad.  One of my favorite sounds is that of the train whistle.  I'm told Grandma sometimes cooked for the railroad workers.  It was the time of the depression and they had a lot of children to clothe and feed.  That meant my mother was in charge of taking care of her brothers and sisters and getting them out the door for school.  Mom used to tell me stories about having to put the ringlets in her little sisters hair, all 5 of them, plus her own.  She didn't have an electric hot brush.  She had pin curls and a "hot iron" that was heated on the pot belly stove in their kitchen. She cooked, she cleaned, she did all the things a mother would do.

Because of Mom's hardships growing up she made sure us girls (my sisters and myself) never had to do some of the hard chores she had to do.  But she also taught me to "make do".  If you didn't have what you needed, you "made do", you figured out a replacement, or did without.  And you didn't whine about it.  Mom also taught me that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.  You just do what you have to do to get the job done.  And you don't whine about it.

I know Mom gave up a lot for us girls, so we wouldn't have to do without some things.  Mom always kept the cleanest house. She made our dresses.  She cooked foods from scratch.  She didn't whine about it.

My Mom was and is no snowflake!  One way or the other Mom made me "tough".  I hated doing dishes, but Mom made sure we knew the importance of eating off of clean dishes!  We used to joke that you could literally eat off her kitchen floor it was that clean.  It was no joke. You really could.  I learned how to clean house from Mom.  (You'd be surprised how fast you can vacume & dust a living room if you want to watch American Bandstand on a Saturday morning!) I learned how not to whine about it from Mom.  I learned that when something needed to get done, you simply pitched in and helped.  You didn't wait to be asked.  I'm still the first one to jump up for the paper towels or band aides when there's a spill of milk or blood or whatever, it's instinct.  And I don't whine about it. It's just what I need to do.

If you haven't figured it out by now, one of the most important things Mom taught me was not to whine about it.  You do whatever is needed to get the job done, you don't give up and you don't whine about it. 

Dad and Me!

Dad's family was a little smaller, there were only 7 children in his family.  Dad was the baby of the family.  I remember stories about how they raised their own chickens, had a sparse garden, ground their own wheat for flour. (Grandma Celia was an excellent cook, my favorite was her chicken pot pie!).  They, meaning the whole family, walked in to town and worked odd little jobs to get money to buy a few groceries.  Grandma taught me how to darn socks.  Nothing was thrown away and everything had more than one use.  

My Dad is my hero!  I'll just be totally blunt about it, I think my Dad ROCKS!  Dad can't read sheet music, but he can play more instruments than anyone I know, including "the spoons".  He can hear a song and just "pick it out"  within a few minutes he's playing & singing it like a pro! Dad sang with my cousins and uncles and aunts, on both sides of the family at all of our family gatherings.  He was in his own country band, way back when.  We always had music at our house!  Dad was in the Navy (that's how I got my name!), He worked on the railroad.  He dispatched for the police department.  Mostly, he was a mechanic.  He was a great mechanic and taught me a lot about taking care of my own cars. 

Dad taught me how to drive, how to fish, how to figure out stuff.  Dad could make something from anything!  And he often did.  Dad could fix anything.  He wasn't obvious about any of it (well, except maybe his music), he just did it.  Dad taught me to get to work early, your coat is put away and you are ready to start work at 8am, not just walking in the door at 8am.  Dad taught me to always do my best.  Not necessarily for the boss, but because it was the right thing to do.

Dad also had a sensitive side that a lot of people didn't get to know. Dad was always willing to help people.  He was great at making us laugh.  More than once he would sneak me a chocolate bar and tell me "don't tell your mother or sisters, this is just for you".  I was the one he took fishing with him the most, partly because I was the oldest, but also because I wasn't a chatterbox.  I just enjoyed being with Dad, and I was/am a dreamer, so I could just imagine all kinds of things while we fished.  I don't remember not knowing how to waltz or do the two-step, Dad taught me by letting me "dance on his toes".  Sometimes I would pretend not to know something, just so I could spend time with Dad to learn it again.     I'll never forget the gift he gave me on one birthday.  I was a single mom of 3 wonderful children, but with little to no support from my ex.  It had been a hard year and I was struggling to pay bills, put food on the table and keep my children in clothes (they sure grow fast!).  I was working 2 jobs and I was in the Army Reserves.  The day of my birthday I was feeling kind of down, I thought my family had forgot.  Just before I was supposed to pick the kids up from school, there was a knock on my apartment door.  It was Dad.  "Here, this is for your birthday, don't tell your mother.  And I better not catch you spending it on bills or groceries or I'll take it back, this is just for you!" and he handed me a $20 bill.  I still cry every time I think about it, including now.  And I still have the striped pastel sweater jacket I bought with that $20. 

Dad taught me so much! He taught me to do my best, to be creative, and to "figure things out".  Mostly Dad taught me to be kind, to be generous, and to love.  Dad has Alzheimer's now.  He doesn't remember a lot of our most recent memories.  He often asks me where I live now or how the kids are doing in school (they are grown with their own kids).  But we have great conversations about memories from when I was a little girl.  Dad has also taught me to treasure those memories!

I love my parents.  They weren't perfect.  But they are my parents, and they both loved me, each in their own way.  They both did the best they could for me, for my sisters, and for my children.  I couldn't have made it without them!  

So back to where I started. What my parents taught me, those are the things we will lose if we don't pass them on to our children.  There are lots of tips and tricks they used to survive the depression that will disappear when they are gone.  I've learned some of them, but not all of them, not enough.  I'm glad my parents are still alive.  I'm glad they are still willing and able to talk about some of these things. 

No matter what age you are, what generation you come from, find someone from the PBB or Baby Boomer generation and learn all you can while you still can.  It might seem like a waste of time, but it's not.  I know how to "can", how to sew, how to cook from scratch, how to crochet a blanket.  I know how to do minor wiring and other repairs, bait a hook and clean a fish, change a tire, change the oil in my car (though I'd prefer not to).  I know how to ride a horse, without a saddle.  I still drive a "standard".   I know a lot of little things, but important things that my parents and grandparents taught me. 

But most importantly I learned the value of life and living from my parents.  I hope our younger generations will learn these things, the tips and tricks and the value of life things, before it's too late.  Not just for their sake, but for the sake of their children, and grandchildren and great grandchildren, for the sake of all the generations hopefully yet to come.


This article can also be found @ Lanterns Buzz. along with more great articles by myself and others!