My God! I do not remember how many years ago it was that I worked there! I was divorcing husband #3, working days for husband #3, and going to school nights at National College and working on a degree in Accounting. OK. It must have been about 1981 or 1982 that I graduated, so it must have been about 1980. I could not make ends meet on an office managers salary, and I was attending school from 6 PM-9PM, so that left little time for a part time job. Liz's was a booming little cafe in Bessemer on the corner of Evans and something. I think Dorothy and Frank were managing it at that time. They needed a waitress from 12 midnight to 5:00 AM. That worked perfectly for me.
The kids were asleep when I left and asleep when I came home. I slept when I stopped and existed for the weekends when I could sleep until noon. A schedule like that is not for everyone and I could not have continued indefinitely, but it worked for a while. Back to Delores.
Delores was an illegal immigrant who washed dishes in the kitchen. She did not speak a word of English and did not come out of the kitchen for fear of being seen. There was also another lady there in the kitchen and her name was Mary. Mary was born here, so she was legal. Delores, Mary and I became good friends at work. When I wanted to converse with Delores the 3 of us would set down and Mary would be in the middle. I would speak in English, Mary would interpret to Delores language and then interpret the answer back into English for me. Mary was good! Sometimes she would screw up and then we all three would laugh like a bunch of loons. Now here is the moral of this story:
I never knew where Delores lived. I never met her family. She only existed in that corner booth for a few moments early in the morning. She lived in the shadows and when the sun came up she was gone. I often wonder about her and I can see her in my mind. She will be forever young. What I do not understand and never will, is why it has to be that way. I do not know where she came from and I do not know where she went. For some reason, I think she returned to Mexico. I can still see her in my mind. Delores lived in fear that she would be "caught and deported." Why she was not here legally, I never knew. That was a long time ago.
The point I am making is this; She worked hard. She spent her money in our country to exist and sent money home to her mother in Mexico. Is that bad? She had come here for some reason and her life touched mine, but it did not end there. That was almost 40 years ago and I am still involved in the shadowy world of illegal immigrants, or maybe they are not illegal. I think they are here legally, but afraid none the less. I make regular trips east of town to visit my little friends that live out there. I do not ask for citizenship papers. I don't care. They are my friends. They live in the shadows and work in secret.
Now we have kids locked up and parents looking for them. And we have a caravan headed for our borders containing lord only knows how many men, women and children fleeing from drug cartels that are sacking their homes and killing the residents, raping the women, beating innocent children to death and more atrocities. They are seeking asylum in our country. And how do we respond? They will be met at the border by OUR National Guard and turned back. These guardsmen are under orders to shoot them if they try to enter. WTF?
I am sorry, is this MY America? My Grandfather came to this country 120 years ago when he was 9 years old. I am a third generation immigrant. When my grandfather came here he was just one of the huge family of Johann Haas. Germans. They came with Bibles in their hands and a fire in their bellies. They walked the hall at Ellis Island. They could have been from Mexico, just as easy. I am proud of my ancestry and had they crossed the Rio Grande in the middle of the night, I would still be proud of them. This is America for crying out loud!
I pray that when I stand before the throne of Christ and he judges me that he will not hold the behavior of my government against me. I am not sure what I should be doing. I can not change the course this country is taking with walls and tent cities for helpless children who have been separated from their parents. I can not stop my government from trading bullets for rocks, but I can make my voice heard. At least I think I can make my voice heard. How long will it be that even my voice will be silenced? How long will it be before we will be watching the parade and putting our right hand in the air and saying "Heil!"
Our country is divided on everything and the elite are lining up and Armageddon is on the horizon. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Our government is made up of a bunch of selfish aristocrats who will draw a paycheck for the rest of their lives. Until we can get our government under control, we are doomed. It gives credence to the adage, "You can send an honest politician to Washington, but you can not get him/her back."
I am sorry that so many do not grasp the reality of what is happening.
The kids were asleep when I left and asleep when I came home. I slept when I stopped and existed for the weekends when I could sleep until noon. A schedule like that is not for everyone and I could not have continued indefinitely, but it worked for a while. Back to Delores.
Delores was an illegal immigrant who washed dishes in the kitchen. She did not speak a word of English and did not come out of the kitchen for fear of being seen. There was also another lady there in the kitchen and her name was Mary. Mary was born here, so she was legal. Delores, Mary and I became good friends at work. When I wanted to converse with Delores the 3 of us would set down and Mary would be in the middle. I would speak in English, Mary would interpret to Delores language and then interpret the answer back into English for me. Mary was good! Sometimes she would screw up and then we all three would laugh like a bunch of loons. Now here is the moral of this story:
I never knew where Delores lived. I never met her family. She only existed in that corner booth for a few moments early in the morning. She lived in the shadows and when the sun came up she was gone. I often wonder about her and I can see her in my mind. She will be forever young. What I do not understand and never will, is why it has to be that way. I do not know where she came from and I do not know where she went. For some reason, I think she returned to Mexico. I can still see her in my mind. Delores lived in fear that she would be "caught and deported." Why she was not here legally, I never knew. That was a long time ago.
The point I am making is this; She worked hard. She spent her money in our country to exist and sent money home to her mother in Mexico. Is that bad? She had come here for some reason and her life touched mine, but it did not end there. That was almost 40 years ago and I am still involved in the shadowy world of illegal immigrants, or maybe they are not illegal. I think they are here legally, but afraid none the less. I make regular trips east of town to visit my little friends that live out there. I do not ask for citizenship papers. I don't care. They are my friends. They live in the shadows and work in secret.
Now we have kids locked up and parents looking for them. And we have a caravan headed for our borders containing lord only knows how many men, women and children fleeing from drug cartels that are sacking their homes and killing the residents, raping the women, beating innocent children to death and more atrocities. They are seeking asylum in our country. And how do we respond? They will be met at the border by OUR National Guard and turned back. These guardsmen are under orders to shoot them if they try to enter. WTF?
I am sorry, is this MY America? My Grandfather came to this country 120 years ago when he was 9 years old. I am a third generation immigrant. When my grandfather came here he was just one of the huge family of Johann Haas. Germans. They came with Bibles in their hands and a fire in their bellies. They walked the hall at Ellis Island. They could have been from Mexico, just as easy. I am proud of my ancestry and had they crossed the Rio Grande in the middle of the night, I would still be proud of them. This is America for crying out loud!
I pray that when I stand before the throne of Christ and he judges me that he will not hold the behavior of my government against me. I am not sure what I should be doing. I can not change the course this country is taking with walls and tent cities for helpless children who have been separated from their parents. I can not stop my government from trading bullets for rocks, but I can make my voice heard. At least I think I can make my voice heard. How long will it be that even my voice will be silenced? How long will it be before we will be watching the parade and putting our right hand in the air and saying "Heil!"
Our country is divided on everything and the elite are lining up and Armageddon is on the horizon. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Our government is made up of a bunch of selfish aristocrats who will draw a paycheck for the rest of their lives. Until we can get our government under control, we are doomed. It gives credence to the adage, "You can send an honest politician to Washington, but you can not get him/her back."
I am sorry that so many do not grasp the reality of what is happening.
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