The things you don't know about a person

[OceanAnnie]

It's amazing the trials a person goes through in life. We all have them, big and small. Most times we never know what a person is facing (that's probably how it should be). We only see them as they present themselves to world. Those that act strange, are abrasive, short tempered, reclusive could be any of those things because that's who they are. Or they could be that way because of what has happened or is happening in their lives. I think it makes a difference. I'd be much more likely to wave off an event if I knew. I try to give the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes it is hard. We're only human. We tend to think of how things impact our lives. But we can try to look past that.

I'm reading a book about the depression. The suffering they faced was so great. People are going through hard times now too. The author draws some parallels between the two time frames. It's sobering.

 

[NY Disney fan]

Just curious, what book is that?

 

[OceanAnnie]

The book is, A Secret Gift, by Ted Gup. "How one man's kindness-- and a trove of letters revealed the hidden history of the great depression.".

It's a good book. Sad but good.

 

[NY Disney fan]

That sounds good. I have to read that.

 

[Uncle Remus]

The book is, A Secret Gift, by Ted Gup. "How one man's kindness-- and a trove of letters revealed the hidden history of the great depression.".

It's a good book. Sad but good.

Excellent book.

 

[NY Disney fan]

I just put it on hold at the library.

 

[OceanAnnie]

That sounds good. I have to read that.

Excellent book.

I just put it on hold at the library.

It is an excellent book. It's written by the grandson of the benefactor. I think you will like it NY.

I do think it speaks to the trials of our time. I think of the hardships many are facing. It's incredible how quickly things have changed (for the worse) for people.

 

[PeterPan09]

Thanks for the recommendation! Will be adding to my list.

My Dad was a small child during the depression and I'm thinking I'll hear some of his stories in that book.

 

[OceanAnnie]

You're welcome. I hope you like it.

 

[antmaril]

Sounds like an interesting read. My father was 17 years old in 1929. He got a job as an elevator operator at General Motors. He supported himself, his parents, seven brothers and one sister with that paycheck. He was the only person in the family with a job. One of my uncles told me the story - my dad never mentioned it to me.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Sounds like an interesting read. My father was 17 years old in 1929. He got a job as an elevator operator at General Motors. He supported himself, his parents, seven brothers and one sister with that paycheck. He was the only person in the family with a job. One of my uncles told me the story - my dad never mentioned it to me.

That was a lot for a 17 year old to carry.

But that's the thing. A lot of people didn't talk about their hardships. The reason people wrote the letters was because the benefactor was anonymous.

One woman that was 80 was interviewed and said she sometimes didn't go to school because she didn't have shoes. She didn't want that mentioned in the book. It was too painful for her. She changed her mind, even though it was a painful, and it seems a shameful memory for her. So many years later.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

One woman that was 80 was interviewed and said she sometimes didn't go to school because she didn't have shoes. She didn't want that mentioned in the book. It was too painful for her. She changed her mind, even though it was a painful, and it seems a shameful memory for her. So many years later.

That is the case for my own mother, too, also in her 80s. (Not just shoes, but other clothes, and even food.) It is amazing how it impacted her life in so many ways. Feet are a huge issue for her because her feet became misshapen from wearing shoes that didn't fit. It is incredibly sad to see her reaction if someone asks her to take off her shoes or what she has to do to find shoes that fit her, make her feet appear relatively normal and don't cause pain. The shame indeed runs deep.

Many kids back then were ashamed to go to school because of their clothes, the lack thereof, or poor condition of said clothes. Many also relied on handouts from neighbors, teachers and others in the community. My mother does talk about this so it has impacted me as well. Much of the little that she did have was as a result of the kindness of others. Nothing was taken for granted. When I am out I like to pick my mother up a little something she enjoys, like a lemon bar, or a hermit, because, to this day, it brings her such joy to get something of which she was deprived for so long all those years ago. In turn, my mother is also the first to step when a child needs something. For years she bought gifts and necessities for a neighbor's child when she saw that money was tight. It made her so happy to do so.

It is good, IMO, that we don't lose these stories as the older generation passes on.

 

[eliza61]

What I try to remember in times like these is that through it all, our nation has survived.
Slavery, civil war, the depression, Jim Crow, even 9/11.

Whenever I read these accounts I remember that these stories are the fabric of our lives, each hardship in some way contributed to making our "present" just a little bit easier.

My friends tease me alot because some times I will give a homeless person a dollar. In my mind I do know that yeah, teh person might be a druggie or an alcoholic but you know what maybe there not, maybe they have just fell on hard times and maybe my dollar will get them a hamburger and for 5 minutes let them not be hungry.

who knows as long as there is a chance I'll cling to hope.

Thanks for the book tip, I'll check it out on amazon.

 

[happywanderer2]

my grandfather had three grocery stores at the start of the depression, but because he kept so many people on the books (gave them credit) that he only had one at the end. I found this out from my father's sister-in-law, he never told me this himself. She also told me he was never paid back.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

my grandfather had three grocery stores at the start of the depression, but because he kept so many people on the books (gave them credit) that he only had one at the end. I found this out from my father's sister-in-law, he never told me this himself. She also told me he was never paid back.

I'd be willing to bet, though, that his life was "rich" in other ways.