She had grown up in Vietnam but because she was Chinese, she and many of her family had to go back to China. They were given only a few hours to pack a few belongings that they could carry on their backs. It was during the Vietnam war They walked through the jungles. One of the group was an older relative that had to be pushed in a wheelbarrow. He never made the entire trip.
They boarded a small boat, crammed together. During the journey she was so sick she thought she would die. They travelled to Communist-free Singapore where they were interred in a refugee camp for several years. It was there that three of her four children were born.
At long last they found sanctuary in the United States. She and her family ended up in Denver where she opened a restaurant and supported her children while they attended college. She and her husband were opened seven days a week, saving their money in order to live the American dream. In time she and her family opened another eating establishment in the small town of Hot Springs, SD., far from the heavy competition in the large city.
In time she brought her mother over to join them. She helped in the kitchen of their restaurant, working each day, chopping vegetables for the buffet, until she became too old to stand for so long on her feet.
It took thirteen years to bring her brother and sister-in-law and their children to the United States from China. Finally they arrived, having to leave their oldest child behind because he had passed the age where he was considered part of the family. Her brother and wife joined them working daily in the restaraunt, willingly taking on the menial chores in the kitchen, while their two children went to live and work for an aunt in a nearby town.
Her past will always be a part of who she has become, an American citizen contributing to our country, with special Chinese food to satisfy hungry customers every day of the week and every day of the year with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas days.
In our small community her restaurant has filled a need, to be open for the hungry and the lonely, when all else are closed. One Christmas Eve a couple were stranded at home, all flights cancelled due to a winter storm. They drove back home from the airport to a house empty of groceries since they had intended to spend two weeks with family in Florida. They drove through the desolate streets of town. Her diner had an open sign, cheerfully welcoming one and all. The others were closed for the holiday Eve and the powerful winds and cold covering the area. The stranded couple found warmth and nourishment in the only place left open in a small town in America, run by an immigrant family from across the sea.
Not many of us born and raised in this country will ever be able to fully understand the difficult path that many immigrants follow in order to make a better life for themselves in America.
I am honored to have had her share some of her story. I am grateful for being fortunate to have been born here. Our country has a proud heritage of immigrants from many countries who paved the way for us who have always lived here. Thanks to all of you!
My problem is not welcoming immigrants to this country. Many come legally, and the media do not focus on those since those news do not sell. But the illegal ones, are my issue. I welcome people of any creed, religion, race to this country. I don't welcome those who already feel entitled to be taken care or those who illegally come and start demanding as they have legal rights in the U.S. I defended the Constitution and this country tooth and nails. Most people have no idea how that is done. Movies won't show how cruel war can be. But the fact remains: defending this country only to allow emotional people tell us what to do with immigrants is non-sense. Have them follow the law and give them the path to citizenship.
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