Butterflies on Valor Way

I was rushing through the VA across wings, up elevators, down long corridors, moving with the urgency of a busy day. At one point, I realized I had forgotten a memory card and had to retrace my steps, looping back through a hospital so large it changes your sense of distance. 

 In the main corridors, everything felt familiar, efficient, focused and purposeful. Then I walked through the doors of the hospice unit, and everything shifted. 

 A calm settled over me almost immediately. The space felt quiet and grounded, a place shaped by intention where care is practiced with patience and presence. 

 That feeling now has a visual center, a mural created for the hospice unit by local artist Barbara Sharp of Sebastian, Florida. The mural features butterflies in motion, their wings lifted across the wall. In hospice settings, butterflies are a familiar symbol of transition, and here they feel thoughtfully placed, offering movement without urgency and comfort without distraction. 

 Sharp offered her time and talent with a simple intention, to give something meaningful to Veterans nearing the end of life. She comes from a military family with deep roots in service. Her father and grandfathers served, as did her brothers and cousins. The women in her family carried their own form of service, supporting households, raising families and caring for Veterans when they returned home. That legacy shaped her decision to volunteer though the VA. 

 For Sharp, the mural is about gratitude and creating an environment that reflects the dignity of the people receiving care within it. 

 “Veterans are among the most appreciative people I’ve ever met. Creating this mural was my way of saying thank you, to honor their sacrifice and bring peace to a space where care and dignity matter.” 

 Hospice is often misunderstood as a place where hope ends. What I felt inside the Thomas H. Corey VA Medical Center hospice unit was something different; a space designed to honor life, provide comfort and support Veterans and families through a final transition. 

 At 37, I am a Veteran participating in a VA program designed to support my transition into a new chapter of life. Standing there, the butterflies resonated more deeply than I expected. Being in my own season of transition, the mural made me reflect on how many transitions Veterans navigate over a lifetime. From enlisting young, learning discipline and responsibility in service to transitioning from service member to Veteran, sometimes injured, sometimes disabled, sometimes in need of care, as Veterans we are like the butterfly, always in motion.  

 The hospice unit brought my reflection into focus. Not with misunderstanding, but with clarity. This is where Veterans who once carried the weight of service are cared for with intention by staff who understand that service does not end when the uniform comes off. 

 To understand the impact of this environment beyond my own experience, I spoke with Yanick Joseph, a family member of a Veteran receiving hospice care, the sister of a 74-year-old disabled Veteran. What stood out immediately was the peace she carried with her. She shared that her brother for some time had been in declining health and in previous care settings, she often felt the focus was transactional, not tailored to his individual needs. As a senior citizen herself, navigating those systems had been overwhelming. 

 “Once my brother came to the West Palm Beach VA hospice, everything changed. The transition was smooth, the care was immediate and for the first time in a long time, I truly felt at peace knowing he was being cared for with dignity.” 

 Yanick described how social workers stepped in without hesitation, how the transition was handled smoothly and how consistent, compassionate care replaced uncertainty. Most importantly, she shared that for the first time in a long while, she felt confident her brother was comfortable. 

 The hospice unit was already shaped with intention to support Veterans and families during one of life’s most difficult transitions. Barbara Sharp’s mural added a final layer of meaning.  The butterflies serve as a quiet reminder. Transition does not mean abandonment and care does not end when treatment does. It does not change the reality of hospice care. It changes the atmosphere in which that reality is lived. 

 I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution, as did the Veterans who now call this place home. Walking through the hospice unit reminded me that service does not end with the uniform and that one of the most meaningful ways we honor that service is through care. 

 This mural is more than paint on a wall. 

 It is gratitude made visible.