I’m thankful for the way I grew up.
It wouldn’t be for everybody that’s for sure.
But, I was fortunate to have a great family and my upbringing prepared me for the life I lead today. We just weren’t all that well off. My father was a teacher and my mom was a homemaker who did some part time stuff once we were old enough. However, what they lacked in money they more than made up for with love. Our home didn’t have much in the way of modern HVAC. In fact, we had a wood stove for heat and an evaporative cooler for the summer heat. The wood stove did just fine as our winter didn’t require much more of a heating method. But the summer was another set of circumstances. The heat in that region was intense and I made every excuse I could to stay with a friend on the weekend to get some real HVAC cooling. Interestingly enough, my parents still live in that house. Dad is retired and mom still does a bit of part time work just to stay active. Somehow, they are still dealing with the summer heat with the swamp cooler. That is until my sisters and I saved up enough money to surprise them with two ductless heating & cooling units. Now, Dad doesn’t have to worry so much with the wood all winter. And both of them can now relax in the cooling comfort of modern air conditioning. They were so surprised to get this that my dad was moved to tears. That was a sight. But it was nothing compared to all the love they gave us in that house.