There are times when living appears hopeless.  Nothing is going well.  We have more bills than money.  Our families are growing and each member wants something that costs money we don’t have.  What’s to live for?

If we are not thinking as we should life itself becomes’ money.  When we fail at providing everything that is expected, we begin to seek personal pursuits that sometimes are to the detriment of everyone in the family, ourselves included.

The remedy is to begin thinking and doing good things for other people.  When you do this anonymously there is a “feel good” feeling that is difficult to explain.  It has been said, “A candle loses nothing by lighting another.”

Here is a thought to ponder in the quiet hours of the night.  When we approach life’s end and we are aware we have only moments left to live, what are our real possessions?  Deeply studying this question, and if we answer it appropriately, we have only three things:

• the strength of our faith
• the love of our family, and
• the depth of our friendships

All those things we thought important in life may not be.  Riches, fame and everything we worked so hard for might be unimportant in the final analysis.  We sometimes don’t recognize our true riches until it’s too late.

The clumsy little fat boy tries in vain to keep pace with his Dad entering the local hamburger counter for lunch.  An open-faced little fellow, a portrait of innocence, sporting a new haircut freshly combed.  His face polished to a high shine exposing full rosy cheeks, and excited about the thoughts of lunch too!

Leaving the counter loaded with food, native instinct takes change.  The timid look changes to one of confidence and command, his stride from a graceless stumble to a quick “sure-footed” trot.

Simple contentment glows as he bites into the hamburger.  Each bite creates more enjoyment developing a face filled with satisfaction and peace.

The personal treasure that comes with remembering a kid at lunch, the elderly or needy is private and beyond measured value.  Unselfishly remembering others weakens their frutstrations and failures bringing to the surface very necessary feelings of personal worth and usefulness.

Do yourself a kindness…take a kid to lunch and allow yourself to experience the enjoyment, anonymously!

The older folks in today’s generation speak of “the good ole’days.”  Some say they yearn for those years and others say they want no part of the early days of their lives when financial hard times included everyone.

Of course, for most of this older generation “the good ole’ days” are those of the late 1920’s and early 30’s, the Great Depression.  Those who carefully study the early 30’s recognize that history does repeat itself.  If repeat isn’t the appropriate word, then “similarities” must exist.

Today’s world has many, many parallels to the hard times of the 30’s.  During my youth, I thought Geneva, Alabama; Dublin, Georgia; Enterprise, Alabama and other southern towns and cities had to be large cities.  Almost every person moving to central Florida during the time was from one of these cities. My problem was that my youth shaded the truth about their moving to our Florida.  They certainly were not tourists.  They were looking for no more than food, shelter and a way to take care of their family.

The reason most of us living during all, or part, of this time didn’t realize the gravity of the situation was because we were all in the same circumstances.  Everyone was broke financially yet no one realized it.  When the basics are met after going without, just being able to live again is good.

Most of these families coming to Florida had heard of the possibility of employment.  Since most had lost their farms or places of business to the banks for lack of payment they were desperate.  When their homes went they were in the street unless other family members could provide for them.  Most couldn’t!

Agriculture in Florida was in its infancy compared to today.  The pioneers had gotten their act together to the point that they could provide shelter and food but little else.  If these two necessities were met the promise of money when it came in was all that was necessary for most people.  There were vegetable garden plots available on the farms, farm animals for meat and wild game was plentiful.  In addition, the lakes were filled with fish and the oceans were not far away and easily accessible.  Life was better.

When I reach the young adult stage and traveled to some of these places all the farm workers of my youth were from, I understood why they left.  There wasn’t any was to live honorably for most of those who had lost everything to the banks.  The took whatever they had and started the journey south.

Some walked, some hitchhiked while others began the journey in worn out vehicles.  Many times groups of families traveled together.  These were good people, honorable and a product of the hard times.

Take a look at today.  Homes are being foreclosed upoon.  Businesses are failing.  Corporate America is downsizing and countless thousands are losing their livelihood and they are desperate.  Foreign labor is presently taking the forefront in the marketplace.  Single mothers are enduring severe hardship attempting to raise their families.  Education is not where it should be for these folks.  Social services are taking the incentives from young Americans.  Yet these are also good people looking for food, shelter and a place to lay their head.  Tragically, there are few farms in Florida today to seek refuge

Similarities between the depression years and today are very well recognizable.

Actually, history does repeat itself!