An Interview with my Grandmother

When my grandmother was about ten years old, school children used to go home for lunch. One day, outside the schoolyard, she saw a schoolmate waiting by the side of the building.

She asked her if she was hungry. The girl said she was because she had no food at home. This was in the middle of the Great Depression (1936) and many people were hungry.

My grandmother brought her home and asked her mother if the girl could eat lunch with them. Her mother had prepared toast and cocoa for my grandmother to eat and made some for her schoolmate. 

After lunch, she went back to school with her new friend, who was very grateful for the lunch. When she returned home, she thanked her mother for giving her schoolmate lunch. Her mother replied that she could see how hungry the girl was. Later, my grandmother found out that her mother gave up her own lunch so the little girl could eat.

My grandmother learned that day, that true generosity could only be achieved through sacrifice. Since that time my grandmother has always been a generous person and shared her food with others.