[lookout123]

The factories in my area closed down in the late '70's and '80's. Mom had 5 heart attacks in 3 years. Dad lost an eye in an accident. Dad did the best he could, considering that everyone else was scrounging for work, too. He travelled to set up circus tents. He stood in line for government cheese (got it home to find it moldy). He worked a whole winter for a farmer who was also broke, but paid him in meat. He did odd jobs when he could find them. We ate a lot of cabbage soup.

I didn't know we were poor until I was old enough to put all the pieces together. One Christmas a couple of families from the church bought an insane amount of presents for the whole family, broke into our house while we were gone, and left a note from santa. The same group also made contact with the bank and brought the mortgage current. It was never in danger of foreclosure, but it was rolling late.

I was 27 when I made more than he had ever made in his life. I threw up when I found out that I paid more for a car than he'd paid for the house I grew up in.