Better Than a History Book
A Newsletter from Earlier this year.
As I read all the information about our economic down turn, I am hopeful that our consumer society will learn from the era of greed that there are more important things in life than âthings.â I am struck by a comment a friend made recently, âHow blessed our generation has been since we have never really been asked to sacrifice. We really have not had to live through the troubles our parents have seen. Our generation has never really had to do without.â I would add that our grandparents lived through a great deal as well.
For most Americans we really have had blessed times. Yes, there have been wars and economic down turns, but the professional baby boomers never have had to sacrifice or do without. We have been blessed. I wish our new president all the luck to pull our country out of this economic crisis but we all are going to have to change our ways. We need to stop shopping our way out of recession.
Maybe it is time to dust off the old stories told by our grandparents and parents–how they lived through the Great Depression. Those stories might shed light on how tough it can really be for people we actually know and love. Our children need to hear their stories and understand how blessed they are and to know that even if times get tougher they still will never have to stand in a soup line or do odd jobs for food.
We have raised a generation that have their own cell phones and think it is a punishment to share a computer with siblings. This is a generation that eats out for most of their meals, talks about the environment and greening of American while they are being shuttled to their soccer games and other school activities in their parentsâ SUV. These children have been raised to be above average and not want for anything. They are smart and are caring and the stories from their grandparents will do more for them than any lesson taught in their schools. This is not just a story that is in history books or on televisions and the movies. There is something special in sharing those stories. It is by passing those âvaluesâ on to another generation that really can make a difference. And they might end up being better citizens of our planet if we do.
Triggers:
1.   How old were you during the depression?
2.   Did your father ever lose his job?
3.   What was the biggest effect that the depression left on you?
4.   What was your day by day like during this time?
5.   Did your mother ever tell you how she cooked without many ingredients?
6.   How did they learn to live without heat?
7.   Did they wear the same outfit everyday, only changing clothes when they washed the clothes?
8.   What was it like to wear hand-me-downs? Whose clothes were they?
9.   What was the one big lesson that living during the Great Depression taught you?
10.   How long did it take to get your family back to normal?
If you want to receive the monthly newsletters just email me at Hella@personalhistories.com and in the subject line write newsletter. They are published around the first of each month and only subscribers will receive them. If you like this and want to see the first five years of newsletters buy the book by going the page order-your-copy-of-remembering at the top of this blog.
