A salute

Sometimes vacations aren't always fun. For the past few days I've been down in Florida, checking up on Mom who was carted out of her home three months ago by EMT's and who should be back in familiar surroundings shortly.

Many of us have spent a little to a lot of time with loved ones in hospitals over the years, and there's obviously an urgency to the setting. I'm not as familiar with nursing homes/rehab centers. So spending parts of a few days around one is an eye-opener.

Just walking in the front door can be difficult. During the day, patients were often in wheelchairs, either waiting to be taken somewhere or just getting a little different scenery than their rooms. Every single one of them is a story of some sort, and probably not a happy one. You just don't know how many are ever leaving the building again, and how many ever have visitors.

But the uplifting part comes with dealing with the staff. These workers do things on a daily basis that the rest of us would prefer to avoid, thank you. And they do it with a constantly upbeat attitude. I can't say I encountered anyone that wasn't friendly and encouraging.

It's a tough job, and somebody's got to do it. It's good to get a reminder of that every so often. This is just another way of showing appreciation.