It has been a long hard week, and I am exhausted. Yet, I always find things that encourage me to go ever onward and upward. One thing that always seems to encourage me is meeting immigrants and having conversations with them. I have always liked being around immigrants (legal ones I am talking about here). I know the troubles, time, and money it costs to get to the United States. My daughter’s mother and I were married before she immigrated to the United States, and though you would think that made it easier, it did not. (Why would our government make it hard for a veteran with war time service to get his wife into America right? Ya, you keep thinking that.)
What I like about immigrants is that they know why they are here. They know what America offers them. They know America’s great gifts and great faults. They are glad to be here and often come with only the clothes they are wearing and little more. They take whatever jobs they can get, no matter what the pay. They work hard and never look back. They know the opportunity that awaits them here. They know they will not “make it” the first time, and maybe not the fifteenth time. But they know they will make it, they know the opportunity is there and with hard work they can achieve their goals. They just don’t quit. When they make it they give back to the community and think nothing of giving a hand up to others to help them succeed too, and will tell you about every person who helped them. They also know more about our country and its history than most Americans.
This week I met a man from Venezuela and we discussed the great hero Simon Bolivar. (I am writing an article about him, if you don’t know Simon Bolivar you need too. He has always been a hero of mine.) The next person I met was a man who immigrated from Moscow. We had a long conversation, but then I love Russian people, my daughter is half Russian, and I can’t wait to get back to Russia for another visit. Great history great people.
As if that was not enough, my daughter Elizabeth has decided to start her own business making jewelry to help mom and dad. What a kid and only 7 years old. I started to explain to Elizabeth what an entrepeneur is and what it takes to start a business. (I wasn’t talking about a lemon aid stand.) So, we went to a craft store and started taking count of what she needed to start her jewelry making business. We met a wonderful woman who has her own jewelry making business and talked with Elizabeth, adult to adult, about the good and bad of the business, while also giving Elizabeth some great advice. So, Elizabeth has her business plan (she did it, not dad) and her short and long-term goals. I agreed to be her banker to get her started, and since she is my daughter and I love her so much, I told her I would loan her a start-up at 0% interest while explaining the interests a bank would charge and why.
So, I guess my 7 year old daughter is a business woman now and she has done it on her own. Now if that isn’t a week to pick you up and get you going, I just don’t know what is.
I hope you have a great week too! Take care!
English: Monument to Simon Bolivar, with flowers of Venezuela Government, at Venezuela square of Bilbao. Español: Monumento a Simón Bolívar, con corona de flores del Gobierno de Venezuela, en la plaza de Venezuela de Bilbao. Euskara: Simon Bolivarri monumentua Venezuelako gobernuaren lore koroarekin Bilboko Venezuela enparantzan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Statue of Simon Bolivar in Washington DC, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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joeccombs2nd 
Your daughter sounds a lot like mine, but a lot younger!
Scott
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