A day with a friend

We got up and got ready to go meet our friend Steve for lunch. We enjoyed lunch and several hours of good conversation. Steve is fascinating to listen to his stories of how he came from Ukraine to America. As a young boy his mother died and his older sister and brother were taken prison of war and because he was hiding and saw them coming he escaped. His father then paid another man to take his son to Germany.

The man got Steve far enough that he couldn’t return home and left him. In Germany he befriended the American soldiers and they took him under their wings. Steve was only 13 years old when he was able to be hid aboard a ship and brought to New York. In New York he did some hiding and several soldiers taht helped him in getting his green card. At age 16 Steve was able to join the service. Since he did not have a birth certificate and Ukraine didn’t keep track of these things. The army asked him to pick a birthday as he had no clue when his actually birthday was.

At the young age of 16 they put his age at 18 and he was accepted in the service. Steve spent 21 years in the service. He was successful and left with a E-9 Master Sergeant title.

Once he left the service he then became a ski instructor in Colorado where he retired from. Then he became a school teacher and retired from there as well.

We enjoy listening to him tell us about his life. He is a very humble man and yesterday when hubby and i were feeling very low once again. He made a statement to us.

Steve said my friends .. you need to stop letting others get you down. Remember that God promises to provide our basic needs. So be thankful for what you have. You have a roof over your head, you have food in your stomach and the most important is you have God protecting you. You are guided by a higher power and no matter what people will say or do to you. Remain faithful and trust in the man upstairs. Throughout my entire life i have always remembered that God is my Lord and Savior and as long as i trust and i turn what ever my problems may be over to him and let them go he will take care of me.

Steve reminded us the if we ask God to give us the understanding that he has and the peace in knowing that no matter what happens on earth he is always in control and he will make sure that his plan is carried out.

We came home and it’s a beautiful day. We have neighbors who moved next door and they have a air balloon up for the kids to play in. I will get pictures tomorrow as we had to hurry and change clothes as we are going out dancing tonight. We are going to hear a New Orleans blues band play.

We had a great time listening to the band play and we didn’t get home until almost midnight!