people helping people..throughout gernerations

You think you know family and find out you really don't.    I have an aunt and uncle who are the  neighbors you would love to have, a family you've been blessed with and just plain good hearted ...humble  people.

We all know the good out there..the ones looking for someone to help with a need.

I went to visit my aunt and she walked me through her beautiful flower garden and  large abundant vegetable garden.

Gardens do not take care of themselves, they need nurtured to produce an abundant harvest. It is an enjoyable task but labor intensive. I often thought to myself  " why do they work so hard to plant such a large garden " there are only three  of them in their household .

My uncle has Parkinson disease  and has overcome a serious near death car accident.  My aunt and uncle both in their middle 80's have a son who lives with them, helps with his dad and helps  tends the garden.  What an inspiration of compassion and sharing this family is to all who has been blessed to know them.

I found out recently that they take a good  amount of the  vegetables from the garden  to a local low income senior citizen high rise apartment.  They line the halls with produce and the residents come down and take what they want.  This afford the residents  free  fresh garden vegetables that would not be able to afford.

I  am not surprised....hearing this about this family..they are so giving.. although, in these tough times we hear numerous stories of people helping people. 

Maybe it is a generation thing..a time in society..when helping each other was a means of survival.  Farmers would go from farm to farm helping each other with the crops, sharing their  abundance with each other. The women of the farmers would gather in the kitchens and cook the meals from the meat, vegetables, eggs and fruit grown on the homestead and serve the many farm helpers that always came to help with the crops.

Everyone worked together, everyone shared...their time, their equipment and their abundance...and it worked.

When we reflect  back on how  our great grandparents struggled through their trials we can be thankful they left for us a determined work ethic, the ability to overcome the severest of circumstances and the caring spirit that continues through generations in the people who continue to help  others.