Where you raised poor or with a silver spoon?.

[Harold R]

Lauren, very touching story.

Tboy, you're a good soul. (btw, I spent many wonderful hours playing cardbox box "fort"/"space shuttle"/race car/etc. in our backyard. Good times....)

I am grateful for everything my folks did for us. I look at it as a privilege to be able to support them now, and give them things that they couldn't afford before.

 

[jyu_bonk]

OH MY GOD YES!!!

You want to know something disturbing?! I STILL FEEL THAT WAY! I love to finger paint (and with brushes too). And having nephews and nieces, it's very very exciting to come across such a box. I hit the crafts store and pick up paint, construction paper, sparkles, glue and pipe cleaners. We make space ships, boats, castles, thing-a-mijiggies. That isn't gone - I think that's parents being willing to teach their children the art of play from a young age. Hell I have two friend nearing their 30's who would come over to my house, crack a bottle of wine and paint a space ship on the box with me and climb in.

Actually your story about sliding down the grassy hill reminds me of something: Now this isn't a memory I have, I was too young. However, my siblings and I spent a part of our life in a refugee camp (we were fleeing our home country to come to Canada). It was winter, and my siblings wanted to go sledding, so they went to a junk yard and got an old refrigerator door - the actual DOOR. And apparently they clambered on, held me, and that's how we went downhill.




Bless your kind spirit. I only ever see this happen when there's a little kid in front of me in line, and do the same thing, because I adore their reactions.



When I am making a choice to support the administration of an organization I believe in, I don't mind at all. However, when I want to give to someone directly, there is plenty of opportunity to do so.

 

[rich935]

What a lovely philosophy! :great:

 

[mattyboy666]

.

We were so poor too that if I hadn't been born a boy, I'd have had nothing to play with!

.

 

[Megan N]

:::

 

[Pompal 09.]

I love those random acts of kindness! I also like to do those sorts of things...

Back at the previous company I worked for, we sponsored what we called the "Angel Tree" every Christmas. Basically the local childrens aid society would get the needy kids in the area to make "angels" with their name/ gender and age and we would hang them on a tree in our front lobby. Those that chose to participate could pick an angel off the tree and buy a $25 gift for them. The first year we did this, there were 8 angels left 2 days before the deadline... (I had previously picked 3 angels... of the same age and gender of my own children which THEY could select the gift for... at my expense of course, but I wanted to teach my children the concept of charity at the same time...)

Anyway, I felt sad that there were still 8 angels left, and I went out that evening and picked up the remaining gifts and dropped them off after hours. I did not want to call attention to myself... I just wanted to make a point. In fact it caused quite a stir amongst my co-workers the next day. Since all the presents were there waiting under the tree in the lobby for all to see the next morning. There was an anonymous note with the "White Rose" story pinned to the tree... I never let on that it was me that played Santa to those kids... and no one ever claimed responsibility for the act of kindness.

Every Christmas after that, all the angels disappeared from the tree the day they went up. I guess it worked.

 

[imogen]

Awww, crap. That white rose story made me choke up. Just like the Christmas Shoes song. Tugs at the ole heartstrings something fierce :tongue:

Good folks around these parts!

 

[nipples kostalakis]

Damn that was a touching story. Just tears at your heart.

 

[SweetNothings]

There were days that we had to go to our relatives to have a decent meal. Rarely did I see my father, he worked 14 hour days through out our childhood years. Couldn't take seeing Mom crying all the time, took a paper route at 12 years old and delivered them before going to school. Friend of mine's brother had a cleaning company. Would borrow his equipment to wash and shampoo the interiors of cars on weekends at age 14. By 16 we had enough regulars and bought our own and hired friend students to work for us as demand for our services increased by word of mouth.

I am now a succesful entrepreneur at 24 but not with without many sweats and tears. I would not wish what I went through on anyone but such is fate.

 

[Danielle]

You remind me of someone I know. Maybe it's you because he was always horny. This site would suit him just fine :he:

 

[<3 07182009 <3]

I remember a friend telling me that when he was a boy they had to walk a mile to school in the winter, up hill both ways , and all you could see was their hats sticking out over the top of the snowbanks as they walked down the street .
My first thought was " wow , you actually had hats " .