November is not my favorite month. It's the beginning of miserable weather. It's always cold, damp and dreary. It rains a lot. The pretty trees are gone and daylight is shorter. So I make the most of it and begin the countdown until April, when things burst with spring color and the emergence of warmth. I think about the positive things of November such as Thanksgiving, the blessing of family and friends and the delights of a delicious meal shared.

November has another special day that doesn't get the recognition it should - Veterans' Day. I write about it every year because I am passionate about it. This year I got really close to it. My husband is a Navy veteran. He no longer has company benefits so when he had a minor surgery that needed to be performed two weeks ago he opted to go to the VA hospital for the first time. There's been a lot of bad press lately about the Veterans Administration and the way their hospitals have been run. I am happy to tell you that I saw no problems. In fact it was quite the contrary.

I shared the Navy life with him and it was a long time ago. Stepping through the doors of Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center was almost like being with family. It's hard to describe, but if you are a Vet or a spouse you understand. It's like a special club with a special initiation that no one else goes through. It bonds you. You are the same regardless of your differences. You have each other's back. It doesn't go away, not even decades later. When you step back into that world from the ordinary civilian world you feel it. I think it's called pride. . . . a pride that only comes from giving of yourself to your country, for putting yourself in harm's way for others, for putting your personal life on hold to be ready for whatever calls. I sat in the lobby waiting for my husband to have his blood drawn. I was armed for entertainment for what was to be a long day ahead. I had my book, IPad, and business assignments with me. Had I been at any other hospital, as in the past, I would have needed the distractions or been bored to death in the waiting room. Not here. This was people watching at its best! They were mostly old and men. The times are a changing though. We now have recent war veterans and they are likely to be younger and there will be more women. But on this day it was Viet Nam veterans who filled the halls. And they smiled and they talked and they said hello to everyone they passed. It was that bond, that camaraderie that was felt. I never pulled out my book or any of my work. The conversations were way too entertaining. It was not war stories. It was everything else. My favorite was the 74 year old black man who talked of his days in Detroit with his MoTown friends Marvin Gaye and the Temptations. He was/is a musician who was to play recently here at the Jazz Kitchen but he got sick. He was called for his treatment as was my husband and the conversation ended. In other hospitals it would have been time to draw on my busywork but I was antsy so I walked the halls of the main floor after getting lunch in the Patriot Café. Usually we are in such a hurry we don't take notice of our surroundings in medical facilities. But on this day I took it all in. I paid attention to every glass case display, plaque, oil painting and Presidential portrait. This is a Federal building and it is honorable and it is decorated. When you come through the front doors you are met with a mural that says "Proud to Serve You".

I retrieved my husband when he was out of recovery. The staff went over his after care and sent him home with their final words... "Thank you for your service".

The next day a follow up phone message was left inquiring about him. The message ended with "Thank you for your service". That is such a simple one liner but it is so respectful and so meaning full.