Today was a REALLY GOOD day. I went to the nail parlor and had a mani & pedi. This makes me feel SO GIRLY! My feet are pretty gross, but Tim, didn't even comment on my black toe or blister on the next toe. He is a kind man!
I started asking Tim, who is the owner of the shop about his history. He was born in Viet Nam and one of 2 boys with 6 sisters. His father was a colonel in the Army. He has been in the US for 24 years. He escaped to Indonesia on a boat with his older sister when he must have been about 10. LEFT HIS MOTHER and the remainder of his family and set off to escape the persecution, obviously with his mother's blessing. He lived in a refuge camp until someone from Seattle agreed to sponsor them. He and his sister lived in Washington state for the next 18 years. No mother and a father who died in prision after the fall of Viet Nam when our troops withdrew. His only brother was killed in a motorcycle crash, so now he is the only male in a family seperated by oceans and many, many miles. He has literally been, for the most part, on his own since he was 10 years old. I told him that he should write down all of his memories for his future children so they would understand what he had gone through to get to freedom. He told me that he prayed to forget the things that were too painful to remember. He said, you are better off forgetting some things. He has done all of the work to establish his shop and he and his wife work unbelievable hours. He seems so happy and is very kind. He saw his mother 3 years ago and 4 years before that. This made me so aware of how blessed I am to live here and have all of my family close enough that I can see them several times a year. He talked about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and living in a place where you felt safe. All things, I sadly most of the time, take for granted. We remember the Viet Nam War as a colossal mistake, but he remembers it as the point of destruction for his family. How different our view becomes when we are directly affected by the choices that men in prominence make for us.
Camille told me about visiting with her neighbors this afternoon after work. Illene told her how she and her husband had only been married a few years. They had been teenage sweethearts, but both married others and raised families. They each lost their spouses and rekindled their relationship sometime later to eventually marry. You never know about people until you stop and ask the questions. As our friend, Len Woods, says, "Behind every face there is a story."
Tomorrow is long run day. UGH!
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