A few years ago, my neighbors and I hired a young American war veteran, back from Afghanistan and starting his own business, to install a new wooden fence.
The choice came with all the patriotic feel-good emotions of helping the vet feed his family and launch a new career. But when the actual work was done, his partner in the heavy lifting was a newly arrived Venezuelan refugee.
Left alone to construct and bolt in my fence door, I gave him a $20 tip when he finished. The man broke down in tears and kissed the bill. His gratitude moved me, his struggle all too familiar.
