A Rich Life

I often dreamed of winning the Publishers Clearing House, taking the $3,000 Mom promised to each of us, buying a storage shed, placing it in the backyard and living in it.

If the worse things in your life was being poor, then you’ve had a pretty nice life. No matter how desperate your situation is, there are always those who have it worse with the cruelties and injustices in the world too numerous to name. We saw the photographs of those less fortunate in the National Geographic magazines my Grandpa Hansen gave us. We were shocked to see the starving kids with bulging bellies full of want and despair. This knowledge may not change your situation but it may help you feel a little better. 

Not having money and moving all the time was a blessing in many ways. We were forced to be adaptable, resourceful and creative. It gave us an appreciation for things that most kids probably could never fully realize. I never felt entitled or that I deserved anything that I didn’t earn on my own. We wouldn’t have had nearly as many entertaining stories to tell from our adventures if we had all the latest and greatest things to occupy our time. In a sense, not having money gave us such a rich life.

​Dad picked a direction that he thought best and Mom made it work. Things could have been easier but they could not have been more interesting.