Gratitude #59

I am grateful for my parents and the lessons they taught me.  My Mom and Dad were married on February 24, 1929.  This picture was taken around 1968 which makes my Mother younger in this picture than I am now.  I think she looks older than I do.  I am not sure if that is wishful thinking or because her hair is white or the kind of life she had.  The Great Depression hit the first year my parents were married; they then had 3 children in the next 4 years and moved several times for my Dad to find work.  Their lives always revolved around children.  My oldest sister was born 18 months after they were married and my Dad died 3 weeks after I graduated from high school.  They never had much, they had been married 39 years before they owned their own home.  There were no big vacations, no fancy cars. My Mom sewed our clothes, canned food from our garden, my Dad kept our cars running, built the home they finally owned, built the camper we used for vacations, repaired everything we had that could be repaired.

They did not have any of the things that today's society considers the trappings of success.  They did have love, happiness, friends and raised 5 children who think they were the best parents in the world.  After I was on my own and they were gone, I realized how little we had growing up, but I never once felt deprived and I think that is a pretty good testimony to my parents.  I am so grateful for that.