A soldier amoung us

I encounter many interesting clients, as I draw blood each day. Today I met a WWII vet, named Harvey. He is 87 years old, has wavy white hair, and a contagious smile. He walks with a cane, but is still in great shape, with only a slight bend in his back.  He chatted quietly with the other clients waiting their turn, and when I called him to the window, he gave me his ID and Insurance with a soft smile. I know war is hard on some soldiers making them bitter, and angry at the world, but Harvey seems to be a genuinely happy person. I asked him about the rain outside, he laughed and said, ” Not sure, it took so long at the doctors……” then to his daughter… “go run outside real quick, if you come back wet, we will know it is still raining”, then to me (with a slight smirk) ” good thing about my daughter, she does anything I ask!!” So off we go to the “draw room” where everyone hates going….I have tried to keep it a happy place. I keep pictures up on the walls, and Witty sayings near the chair to distract nervous clients. I even keep a small supply of stuffed animals to hand out afterwards.  So Harvey and I finish the last minute paper work, and I get my supplies together. He tells me that he was a medic in the army and his dad was a “Polar Bear” in WWI and fought for America in Russia. I start to draw his blood and he commented… “those butterfly needles sure are nice, we didn’t have them back in my day.” I really felt a sense of gratefulness come over me,  ”Thank you for serving our Country”, I told him, to which he replied ” Thank you for the Privilege!”  He has seen more than his share of death, illness, blood and guts, yet he chooses to just be Thankful. Thankful to be walking this earth, thankful for modern medicine, and mostly thankful just to have been a soldier.