Dinner tonight.

[mfoster]

Good for you brother,you never know the impact you can put on a kids life.

 

[fast306stang]

One of the things I appreciated about my dad & mom. We had friends from all over the neighborhood who'd "be present" about dinner time. Dad was a grocery man so we had plenty of food, usually. They never sent anybody home without feeding them too. After I'd been at their houses a time or two near dinner or overnight, I understood how fortunate I was.

It makes you a thankful and humble person. I try to show my son how good he has it and to keep him grounded. So far I think he understands.

And I'm so sorry to read about your dad. A lot of what you posted hits home with me. I'm truly sorry for your loss

 

[fast306stang]

Good for you brother,you never know the impact you can put on a kids life.

Thank you. And this is very true. But those opportunities don't always present themselves, I was really struggling with it when I made this thread.

Having 4 kids at the dinner table was a completely new experience for us, usually it's just the 2 of us and our son. I wish I could post a picture, it looks like 4 best of friends enjoying companionship and life!

 

[fast306stang]

Food and fellowship is often the best medicine for the body mind and soul.

I meant to quote this post when I mentioned the pic in my previous post. That pic truly encompasses what you wrote. I'm glad that young man was able to be a part of it. I'm glad for ALL of them.

 

[Gunanddoglover]

You are a good man with a kind heart. The world needs more men like you.

 

[xlr8ngn]

Tough times make tough men. That young man knows how things are at his home, and how things should be by experiencing your home. When he becomes responsible for his own home, he likely won't repeat how he was raised. My dad grew up in poverty with a 7th grade education, and he swore his children would never go hungry and uneducated like he did. He kept his promise, started his own plumbing business, worked daylight to dark all week, and spent time with us on the weekends and when jobs were rained out. He was shaped by tough times, and was as fine an individual as one could be.

 

[palmettomoon]

Tough times make tough men. That young man knows how things are at his home, and how things should be by experiencing your home. When he becomes responsible for his own home, he likely won't repeat how he was raised. My dad grew up in poverty with a 7th grade education, and he swore his children would never go hungry and uneducated like he did. He kept his promise, started his own plumbing business, worked daylight to dark all week, and spent time with us on the weekends and when jobs were rained out. He was shaped by tough times, and was as fine an individual as one could be.

My dad worked almost all the time. If we wanted to spend any time with him, we used to have to go to work with him, often leaving the house at about 3:30 a.m.

He grew up dirt poor (they did have a plow mule) on a farm in Washington County, son of an alcoholic father. Many evenings he and his siblings would eat Bluegill or sparrows in gravy with biscuits or cornbread because that's what they had. he made sure we (myself and my two younger brothers) NEVER went to bed hungry a day in our lives.

 

[Rimfire rifleman]

I think most of my generation grew up with parents and grandparents who didn’t have much extra money but feeding the family ,especially the children and any friends who showed up was very important. We always ate all together at the table, when I had my own children I realized how important that was. It seems you included him without a second thought and I’d be willing to bet that good deed will not be forgotten by that young man.

 

[palmettomoon]

A side note on my dad's childhood. Raised on the farm, the "dining order" or who helped themselves first went like this: 1st - Adult males, 2nd - Adult women, 3rd - any children, 4th - my grandmother.

 

[Trailrider]

Good lookin steaks and good man helping that young man out. Hearing stuff like that breaks my heart. Kids don't deserve that.