"Free" Irritates me sometimes
I grew up in 4 small rooms on the Southside. We slept in what should have been where the table went and the small hallway by the front door. My mom and I walked to the St Vincent de Paul Store on Adams Street. Once we carried home my bed from that store. Dad got laid off and I remember going with him to a warehouse by the river where we carried gold colored cans of food marked "US Commodity." It always seemed that layoffs always happened close to the holidays. Christmas was close. My dad went out every morning all day long looking for a job, any job. One night before Christmas he came up on the porch. My mom looked out the picture window and asked, "Where is our car?" "I sold it" was the response. That Christmas I woke up to toys, a tree, and mom made a big dinner. Dad walked the streets until he found two part time jobs, one at a gas station on MacArthur Highway. I remember the station had Tigers for a slogan. We stayed on "relief" for about a month. It was embarrassing for my parents. Dad told me when I graduated high school that if I planned on college, I had to do it myself. I worked baling bags and loading boxcars, slapping hamburgers, you name it. I went to school first at ICC then Bradley. I would get home at midnight, sit and study, get some sleep, and off to school. I carried books with me everywhere squeezing in every minute I could study. It wasn't easy. I couldn't even tell you what shows were on television back then. I had no time. When I walked across that stage and got my degree, I did it myself. I am not bragging. I just get sick of people wanting something for nothing. They say, "Oh, look at that rich guy" when they see the mansion some have or the fancy cars. Think about what that guy did to get what he has. It didn't come for free.