Random memories.

My sister (whose husband teaches at a Christian school in Miami and because of that must have the kids in said school) was talking to the financial aid people. They asked her if the family had any debt. She said, "We can't afford to be in debt".

Growing up, we noticed one of our neigbors got a new color TV. When we asked our mom how come they had one and we didn't, she told us they borrowed. This also was the same family who ripped the foreclosure notices off their house before all the neighbors could see them.

In high school a classmate refered to a difficult year for her family. "We had gruel every morning for breakfast." It wasn't until years later I realized she meant oatmeal. The same stuff us kids grew up on. Sometimes "poor" is a matter of context. We were never rich, so it seemed normal, they had a vacation house in Avalon NJ, so to them it was scraping the bottom.

PS I like your thoughts, and am grateful for the same kinds of unexpected kindnesses shown to us over the years by others.