A positive story about a nice man I met at the foodstore about 70 minutes ago...11/9/18,, 8:45 pm ET

He helped me to see what is important...Enjoy today..Do the best you can, for today is very important.
...I had not seen Steve in a couple of weeks, because I hadn't been to the exercise center where I met him. He is 91 or 92, was born in Poland late 20s. (not sure exact date) ..anyway..When Steve was a teenager, the Nazi's came into his house, and Steve escaped as they took his parents away.(.I think they killed them.) and Steve traveled East to the Soviet Union. He joined the Russian army and fought with them against the Germans in WWII. His stories about what he saw and participated in are almost unbelievable ..But as things turned out..He ended up in Berlin at the end of the war..
...Somehow, Steve met up with some U.S. soldiers, and befriended them. He's got nowhere to go, so the U.S. soldiers took him to their camp. After a while, they took him to HQ and the officers asked him if he had any relatives in the U.S. He looked at a map, and one city had a star next to its name. It was Springfield Illinois, so he said, he would like to go there. Why did it have a * because it was the capital of Illinois..So the U.S. Army sends him to live in Illinois..
...The rest is a long story, he fought in the Korean War for the U.S. Army, moved to Chicago, became a citizen and had a family. I met him at the exercise center I go to, and together we walk around the track..one lap at a time. He is a nice fellow and he recognized me while I was walking around the foodstore trying to figure out the next move. He said hello, is that Stuart?..and I said, yes, is it you Steve? So we talked for a while and just seeing him put it all into perspective. Yes, we had both seen a whole lot, (Steve more than me) but I taught high school for close to 30 years and you see a lot in inner city high schools..(more than you can believe.)
...But what came to mind after seeing Steve for a few minutes is this: "Enjoy and live for today, as best we can, and that is it. Why? Today is a very important day..because it is. Live in the now ...I have heard of this one before, but often with the day to day nonsense, I forget it. I have friends, family, good health, and a lot to enjoy. Just seeing this friend, Steve, and meeting him in the food store helped me to see what is important. We need to enjoy each day as best we can.. I wish I could keep my mind on that all the time...So much interruption.....here and there and everywhere, interruption of that one simple thought.." Enjoy each day as best we can"