We were very poor growing up.
We had a fireplace in our home but no heating system or cooling system. We actually had to go into the woods all the time to collect wood, take down trees and split them up to have a constant supply of firewood, otherwise we wouldn’t make it through the winter months. We barely had enough money to get enough groceries to put food on the table. And for special occasions, we went to a local soup kitchen where they had the most delicious soup around. I loved going to the soup kitchen especially in the warmer season because they had air conditioning and that was definitely a special treat for us. The bread was always freshly baked and it came with the meal, and it was always filling. Of course, we couldn’t afford to eat like that all the time, but we were really happy when we were able to eat out sometimes like that. Sometimes if we were lucky, the owners would bake apple cobbler which was a specialty of theirs. Sometimes, they would even give us a scoop of vanilla ice cream to go on top, that was a delight! While it’s true that we lived poor lives coming up, us kids managed to get into some good careers and now are living well. Anyway, our parents taught us that it’s not really money that makes you rich, but the good deeds in your heart and the loved ones in your life that give you a fulfilling life. They are right too, I get more pleasure from helping others in life than trying to become a rich person and show off what I have.