the great depression

sunday evening i was watching a program on the history channel about the dust bowl, trust me i learned more about sand then i really wanted to know,anyways it told how the people who stayed tried to survive. the goverment at the time would not help them because they were also in the midst of the great depression and fdr wasn't in office yet.
this morning i got to thinking about my grandparents who were young married adults with children an immigrats to this country from canada.when my grandparents were growing up they came from large families and were farm hands. none of them had more then a grade school education and left canada because there was no work but this would work toward their favor when the depression hit because these were people who not only knew how to live with out but also beleaved in saving money, not a great deal but enough to get by.my granparents had vegtable gardens(even though they always rented apartments none of them owned property)they raised chickens, canned, made their childrens clothes,fixed their own shoes and bought only what they had to.
these people were also deeply religous and never expected to own everything they wanted and probably didn't care if they ever did they made do. They were close knit familys who helped not only relatives but neighbors and friends when able..
i remember my parents telling me when they were growing up the played board games after supper my mothers father painted a board game on an oil cloth and they used buttons has playing pieces,when my mothers mother passed away at 46 years old during world war 2 she had saved $900. for her 3 children to split ( today most people who work and make good money can not save a dime because our need for material things is way out of whack we want quick gratification)
they were a brave tough group and don't get alot of recognition for the kind of people they were.we talk about the greatest generation the ones who fought selflisly in ww2 but lets remember who raised those people to be who they were. these people didn't have much but they loved their children and this was proven has we their grandchildren grew up we were blessed with many loving aunts and uncles and has cousins we are always there for each other. what more of a legacy can you leave future generations then to be a loving family to each other.