I am probably not the best person to talk to about a handout. Now, do not get me wrong. There are people in our country who probably genuinely need help. No doubt. But America seems to have been built by sterner stuff than we are exhibiting today. For instance..... In 1956 my grandmother bought her first and only home. She grew up sharecropping and living in shacks that belonged to whoever they worked for. They moved often and into housing which today would have been a crime for a landlord to rent, or to raise children in. My mother and my aunt still talk about being able to see the chickens walking under the floor of the house where they lived and snow blowing in on the bed at night. My grandmothers lifetime dream was a place of her own. She finally got it. She worked first in the mill, and then in the sewing hall to pay for it. I recently came across her paystub from the sewing hall. She made 39 cents per hour. In 1958 she lost a kidney to kidney stones, and feared losing her place as she called it. The guy who sold her the place at no interest waited the six weeks until she had recovered and went back to work and picked up her payments without charging an extra dime in interest. She managed to pay off the land and lived there till she died. Now my mom and her sister have that same place. We are planning to sell moms half to put in trust for her care, but I cannot help but think of my grandmother, whom I loved dearly and from whom I got my work ethic. She did not believe in handouts. She believed that hard work would eventually get you somewhere and she proved it so. Blessed memories that I wish more had.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 14:03:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015