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All in a Lifetime

By Helen Howington

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Helen Howington
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-6764-3

Chapter One

All in a Lifetime

Life deals the cards, and you can play the game of chance in a world full of many opportunities and struggles. Everyone wants to come out on top and be a winner as he or she participates in the events of a lifetime. Come along and enjoy the ride of your life, with heartwarming experiences as we travel past time in this poignant story. You will be sure to find lots of true courage, undying love, hearty laughter, and bitter tears in a life on the lam from the immigration police. The ride may sometimes appear to be bumpy, but it's well known that, with the love and trust in God, hard work, determination, and a great deal of patience, sweet success and lots of happiness is available to all who seek out the best life has to offer. How true are the words heard many times—"Only in America."

Frank and Eva's true and heartwarming life saga begins in 1915, continues over the twentieth century, and tells of their children's lives. The adventure begins in the southeastern corner of Poland, just twenty miles from the Ukrainian border in the very quaint villages of Szkary and Sanok. This is close to the Carpathian Mountains and the Ukraine. Frank was born in 1899, and Eva was born in 1903.

Climb Aboard and Enjoy the Ride as You Turn the Pages

In the mornings when Eva lived with Helen in Miami, as they were enjoying their coffee, she would tell her daughter stories about her childhood experiences in Europe. Helen was an attentive listener as Eva shared stories about her past life in the Ukraine, Poland, and, later, America.

Traveling back in time, you can picture Eva as a young lady of twelve with long blonde hair, bright rosy cheeks, and soft hazel eyes. She lived comfortably on a small farm with her family. You almost feel chilled when you think about the long, cold winters with the heavy, icy snowstorms. Many times, they were trapped in their homes as the heavy snow covered the windows and piled heavily high above the rooftops.

Her family lived in a little cottage with a dirt floor on a small farm in Sanoku, and they had to go out into the cold night air to use the outside toilet. One evening as Eva stepped out the door, she spotted an animal with bright, shining, green eyes that looked like a dog. The animal sat very still, watching her every movement, and she quickly ran into the house to tell her mother about the beautiful dog she had just seen. Speeding out the front door, her mom gave a quick look and spotted the wolf as he made a speedy getaway into the nearby woods. Her mom told her how lucky she was not to have been attacked or eaten by the hungry wolf. It was a close call for Eva, and she was reminded to be more careful going outdoors day or night in the winter, as the wolves were very hungry and always busy searching for food. They were ready to pounce on their prey, even small children.

Many times, it was necessary for Eva to go down to a nearby stream and use the rocks to wash some of her clothes, and sometimes the current was so strong that it carried her clothes downstream. It was a hard life, but they were strong-willed and took each day with stride in their desire to enjoy life and survive.

On one occasion, Eva talked about the time when some soldiers came over to her house looking for food during a time of war. The soldiers took all their animals except some of the sheep that were hidden in a small shed farther out back of the home. After a great deal of pleading by Eva's mom, they left without her favorite milk cow, and the family was unharmed. Eva talked to her grandchildren about her many experiences as she reminisced about her days gone past. She had loved to ride bareback on her beautiful horse, and you could almost picture her flying bareback through the woods at great speeds.

Eva mentioned that, when she was a young girl, she would walk into the woods and pick giant strawberries. The family's vegetables grew big and sweet, as the land was covered with rich, black dirt. Eva would collect the eggs from the hens, taking them along with the strawberries to town with her brother Andrew. At the market, she would trade their wares for much needed items.

One day, Eva and Andrew had a most chilling experience when they went to the city to trade off some of their tasty strawberries. In the town square, some of the villagers were being lined up in full view, waiting to be shot by invading soldiers. Sadly, some of the townspeople were standing in the line of fire and were being killed. Evan and Andrew fearfully watched as the soldiers began to run out of bullets, quickly turning to their bayonets. The siblings were the last in line, and they waited for the sound of the bullets. As they stood in terror, they begged to stay alive, and their prayers were answered. As the soldiers ran out of firepower, they felt a bit of compassion and decided to spare the young brother and sister, letting the pair go free.

In 1918, the plague (influenza) followed the war, killing approximately forty million people. Much of the population left their homes and went in uncovered wagon trains to stay in Russia. Frank's father had been away on a short trip and, upon his return, found his family had also gone to Russia. It was too late to leave with the others, so he stayed home alone to take care of the farm. As conditions improved three years later, the people were encouraged to return home to their villages.

An important part of the family history of interest was that Eva's mom's first husband had hurt his leg. The leg had later become infected and, as a result, it had been amputated. He'd died a short time later, since his leg did not heal properly as a result of an infection. After Eva's mom remarried, she found her new husband acting irresponsibly, and she was then forced to care for the farm and family. Her new husband would go back and forth to America to seek his good fortune. When he made money, he would not consider the needs of the household but spent it foolishly or just gave it away.

Eva worked hard on the farm, always helping her mother by milking the cows, planting vegetables, feeding the animals, and herding the sheep. There were many times when Eva's sisters were spiteful and showed their jealousy because of the special attention their mother had shown to their sister. They found joy in hiding Eva's pretty headscarves when she wanted to go anywhere and many times caused her to stay at home. By the time Eva reached twenty-one she was considered an old maid, as most young ladies of her time were married with families of their own by that age. There was no doubt she could turn a lot of heads with her good looks and a gift to talk, and it seemed like she always had such interesting stories to tell. There was no big hurry for her to leave her mother because she knew she was needed at home. Eva's sisters were not helpful and left most of the work for her to do.

Meanwhile, Frank was in the military in the Polish Army, where he found the going was rough. It was difficult for the soldiers as they were wet and cold, poorly fed, and in need of warm clothes on the battlefield.

It later became necessary for Frank to move on. He joined the Russian Army, where he found the conditions were greatly improved.

While on a short army leave, he attended a wedding next door to Eva's farm, which enabled them to meet for the first time. Frank looked tall and handsome in his army uniform with his light brown, wavy hair...