My Mom tells me amazing stories about what it was like for my Grandma and Grandpa to grow up in the Great Depression.  My Grandma was the youngest of 10 children.  I remember her telling me that when her and her siblings were to get a piece of candy, they would suck on it as long as they could to enjoy it as long as possible.

My Great-Grandma , raising her 10 children in the Great Depression, lived a few blocks from the railroad tracks that ran right into Chicago.  Almost daily they would have men knocking on their back door asking for food and work.  My Grandmother tells us that not once did my Great- Grandma turn someone away.  No matter how little food they had, they always made it stretch.  They always shared.

My Grandma and Grandpa could not go to high school.  They both needed to get jobs to help support the family. They gave because their families were in great need.  They gave because it was the right thing to do.

I remember going grocery shopping once with my Mom when I was young.  We bought double our normal groceries and I didn’t really understand why.  After we went shopping, we drove to a neighbor’s house and left the groceries on the porch and drove away.  That family was jobless and was on the brink of losing their home.  My mom never spoke a word of her gift to anyone.  She gave because they needed.

• My Great Grandma cared
• My Grandma cared
• My Mom cared
• I want to care
• And I want my kids to care.

I hope the life I live and the choices I make to give and to share impact my children and grandchildren, and even my great-grandchildren.

Michelle can also be found at her self-titled blog Michelle Wegner