Little Things I’m Thankful For…

My family—immediate and extended—loves to laugh.  If you happen to be in the neighborhood during one of our family gatherings, chances are you will hear lots of noise and laughter coming from the house. I love it. Laughter really is good for the soul!

Apparently my parents and brother enjoyed a good laugh the other night when he shared a childhood/high school memory: the day we got central air. (It was installed because we needed to move and that was the only way to sell the house.)  In order to understand why this is amusing you’ll need a little background information.

Shortly after they were married my parents left their home and family in Ohio and moved to the inner city of Atlanta, Georgia. You know, back in the early 80’s before the city cleaned up the projects for the Olympics. They were young, naive, and passionate. They busied themselves working at a church, opened a school for children in the area (they wanted what we call “underprivileged” kids to have opportunities for great education), and did countless other things, including taking odd jobs to pay the bills. My mom remembers eating chicken dinners provided by the church every single night for a long time—until she got pregnant and just couldn’t bring herself to eat at all. They lived with the three R’s: Rats, Roaches, and Robbers. (When visiting my grandmother would “sleep” with her eyes wide open at night, they say—funny now, but at the time I can’t imagine how worried for her daughter she must have been!)  Apart from the actual dangers of living in that area (gangs, drugs, etc..) they didn’t have comforts like air conditioning. They didn’t always have a whole lot to eat either. But they were thankful—they had a place to live, were helping people as best they could, and they were developing wonderful relationships.

When I was about 3 years old my parents decided the inner city was probably not the best place for us to grow up. (When a house is shot up across the street and drug deals are happening as you are passing by with the stroller—at that point, if you CAN leave, you might want to). They packed up and eventually headed North to Indiana where my dad took a job in the IU technology department.

Long story short, we still didn’t have much.  My parents hadn’t exactly built a savings account. But my brother and I didn’t know. We were happy and care-free—we had food to eat and clothes on our back and a house to live in. Who cared if our only car died and that our dad had to ride a bike 15 miles to work and back every day . . . in the snow? We didn’t realize we had needs. Our parents felt the stresses, but we didn’t. I’m thankful for that.

I’m also thankful for all the houses we had to “fix up,” for the time my cousin toured our newest home and asked politely, “Where’s the rest of it?” for the times we had window air conditioning (how AWESOME to stay cool in the summer!), for HEAT in the winter, for the plastic bags from Kroger mom put over our shoes so we could play outside in the snow,  for the sleeping bags we used as comforters for our beds (what were matching sheets and comforter sets?!), for the fun day trips to Brown County National Forest because we never, not even once, were able to take a family vacation (only “privileged” people could afford to go on vacation). I’m thankful that when my parents did have extra time they spent it helping others who were actually in need.

I’m thankful that I didn’t even know there was such a thing as “Swiss cheese”—generic Kraft singles were it until my Aunt introduced me to Velveeta which I only enjoyed at her house because, well, it was expensive. (Goat cheese? What was that?!)

I’m thankful that I enjoyed wearing my other grandmothers floral suit, pants that were two sizes two big (I needed to be able to grow into them), for the times when we splurged at Ryan’s Steakhouse. I’m thankful that to this day I feel spoiled to get a fountain drink or an iced tea because there is no way on earth we would have ever paid for drinks at a restaurant when I was younger!

I’m thankful for the day my dad came home, delighted that he had gotten a raise (I’m amazed when I hear my single friends complain about their low paying jobs when they are making even more than he did when he was supporting a family—he even managed to send us to private school!). I’m thankful for my mom’s ability to finish her degree at Indiana University while taking on a part time job at IU. I’m thankful for their sacrifices of much needed sleep—working nights so they could buy me a more comfortable bed.

I’m thankful that my parents still managed to ensure my teeth were taken care of, for eye appointments. I’m thankful that no matter how hard things were my parents managed to help others—giving away their only car, putting tires on my friends car, buying clothes for kids who needed them, feeding our friends over and over…

I’m thankful that, although there were no family vacations, we never felt deprived. We were loved and we were taught to love others. I value things that I probably would have taken for granted if I had had them growing up.

If you had central air as a kid, if you took even one family vacation . . . wow, were you blessed! In this world we’d called you “privileged.” But what is privilege? I feel like I was privileged. I was raised to understand true treasure. I don’t feel like I was any less blessed than my friends who took vacations and saw the world. If anything, I am thankful for everything we went WITHOUT because I learned that the most important things in life are not things or little pleasures that disappear  . . . what matters is people.

Thank you mom and dad, and thank you, Grandma Nel for all of the stories you have told me about growing up in the depression (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, by the way!). 🙂  We can sit around and laugh now because we can afford a whole lot more than we could then. I’m now traveling to Europe (albeit, not for vacations!) with my husband and food and lodging is provided for us when we are there. WOW. Those days of “going without” sure have prepared me for life on the road. I feel spoiled in every place.

Oh, and one more thing: I’m thankful to have been raised in America. The poorest here are still rich.

4 Comments. Leave new

  • Steph: A wonderful account to read and ponder. The thing is that we never missed what we didn’t had. As children, we had very little but we didn’t know how disadvantaged we were because my grandmother gave us the love and nurturing that we needed. Appreciate your sharing this background with others. God has been so good to all of us. Love you, Grandma

    Reply
  • Sorry…correction in second line…meant “what we didn’t have.”

    Reply
  • What wonderful family stories. True perspective it has given you.

    Reply
  • I loved reading this…it took me back to my childhood as well, and it’s funny what kids remember and what impacts them the most. It’s not the material items or lack thereof, it’s the tender moments, fond memories and lasting love and joy.
    Thank you for sharing a slice of your childhood and your blessings that you received from it.

    Reply

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