Story based on real events
The Depression era
Men were losing their jobs, homes and sometimes their families. Some resorted to standing in food lines and living on the streets, barely surviving. Some trying to numb the loss and hopelessness caved to the baser side of humanity and became entrenched with alcoholism. Others couldn't find relief from the pain of loss and hopelessness and decided to end their lives. And then there were others who had everything they worked for and built themselves taken away from them by the banks and yet decided, they would never give up on themselves, family nor society and dug in with bloody hands and nails, never blinking and never stopping for personal pain but always keeping their family and God in sight
This latter example was my great grandfather who had built many houses, one of which he and his family lived in at the time the Great Depression started. Before the depression he had a fluid income as well as plenty of money in the bank. When others were losing their jobs he was compassionate and gave of his plenty as well as did his wife. When the homeless came to their back door begging for food Great Grandma would happily feed them. Some of those people had been her neighbors and there were others who came from the train, only a block away.
Surely things would get better, but the day the rush on the banks happened and all of his savings was gone and the banks were closed. Due to so many people losing their jobs great grandpa's business had to close. He had been a carpenter building houses and now people weren't purchasing houses and there was no money to buy supplies. Without his income and savings he couldn't pay his taxes nor his mortgage he took out to purchase the supplies and property for his house. Soon the families home would no longer be theirs but the banks. Soon the beloved home's windows would be boarded up, no family, no lights but vacant.
Dreams of the family home being passed on through generations vanished and in it's wake reality. The reality of having to live with parents, at least the family would be together. If they were together anything would be possible.
The family and other Americans found a beacon of hope and reprieve from the cold reality of the Depression through the radio and it's shows---families and sometimes neighbors would gather around the radio like they were gathering around a fire pit. The entertainment of the radio was warm to the hearts of the listeners. The programs that helped people relieve themselves from the harsh reality of the era were The Canada Dry Ale Program--hosted funny man Jack Benny or the 15 minute serial and The Adventures of Superman.
Winter time approached with it's below zero temperatures, blowing gusts of wind and snow. Outside the weather was unbearable at times. The cold and wet penetrated every layer of clothes worn.
The family would survive due to 2 things which were tools to accomplish a great labor of love. In anyone else's hands these instruments may not have been useful, but great grandpas hands and arms could do anything (at least that's what his beloved children thought). The tools were one shovel and one violin which the family affectionately called his fiddle.
During the day great grandpa labored with brute force against the weather to shovel peoples walk ways and drive ways to be payed a pittance and by night he would play his fiddle at the dance clubs---the family rarely saw him and he missed them but felt satisfied with what he was doing because it meant his family kept together, warm and fed.
As Christmas time approached mom and pa (Great Grandpa and Grandma) knew there would be no Christmas tree nor store bought presents, but they were determined to have a good and memorable Christmas. Weeks before the holiday, mom and the kids went around the neighbor and park and collected pine cones, fallen pine tree boughs, and any acorns the squirrels hadn't found. They carefully brought their treasures back home and decorated the home with festive charm. With the remaining treasures each child secreted their own to their hiding places where they would make homemade Christmas presents for each other, mom and dad.
Christmas Eve was always special. This night the family took turns reading from the old family Bible. They read Saint Luke's account of the first Christmas and afterwards pa played his fiddle, there came a melodic tone of Silent Night and the family sang along as the violin found it's own voice to blend in the with other voices. Than came Away in The Manger and Green Sleeves. Green Sleeves was played by itself without words, pa's fiddle sounded like it was singing and weeping by itself. To end the night was the families favorite song to sing in Pa's ancestral tongue, German, Oh Tannenbaum---as the music rang out the Spirit of Christmas was palatable...this is what Christmas was about, family being together and loving each other and music played by pa on his fiddle.
Pictures
https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/banking_panics_1930_31
https://bit.ly/2zHa6Pc
The Depression era
Men were losing their jobs, homes and sometimes their families. Some resorted to standing in food lines and living on the streets, barely surviving. Some trying to numb the loss and hopelessness caved to the baser side of humanity and became entrenched with alcoholism. Others couldn't find relief from the pain of loss and hopelessness and decided to end their lives. And then there were others who had everything they worked for and built themselves taken away from them by the banks and yet decided, they would never give up on themselves, family nor society and dug in with bloody hands and nails, never blinking and never stopping for personal pain but always keeping their family and God in sightThis latter example was my great grandfather who had built many houses, one of which he and his family lived in at the time the Great Depression started. Before the depression he had a fluid income as well as plenty of money in the bank. When others were losing their jobs he was compassionate and gave of his plenty as well as did his wife. When the homeless came to their back door begging for food Great Grandma would happily feed them. Some of those people had been her neighbors and there were others who came from the train, only a block away.
Surely things would get better, but the day the rush on the banks happened and all of his savings was gone and the banks were closed. Due to so many people losing their jobs great grandpa's business had to close. He had been a carpenter building houses and now people weren't purchasing houses and there was no money to buy supplies. Without his income and savings he couldn't pay his taxes nor his mortgage he took out to purchase the supplies and property for his house. Soon the families home would no longer be theirs but the banks. Soon the beloved home's windows would be boarded up, no family, no lights but vacant.
The family and other Americans found a beacon of hope and reprieve from the cold reality of the Depression through the radio and it's shows---families and sometimes neighbors would gather around the radio like they were gathering around a fire pit. The entertainment of the radio was warm to the hearts of the listeners. The programs that helped people relieve themselves from the harsh reality of the era were The Canada Dry Ale Program--hosted funny man Jack Benny or the 15 minute serial and The Adventures of Superman.
Winter time approached with it's below zero temperatures, blowing gusts of wind and snow. Outside the weather was unbearable at times. The cold and wet penetrated every layer of clothes worn.
The family would survive due to 2 things which were tools to accomplish a great labor of love. In anyone else's hands these instruments may not have been useful, but great grandpas hands and arms could do anything (at least that's what his beloved children thought). The tools were one shovel and one violin which the family affectionately called his fiddle.
During the day great grandpa labored with brute force against the weather to shovel peoples walk ways and drive ways to be payed a pittance and by night he would play his fiddle at the dance clubs---the family rarely saw him and he missed them but felt satisfied with what he was doing because it meant his family kept together, warm and fed.
As Christmas time approached mom and pa (Great Grandpa and Grandma) knew there would be no Christmas tree nor store bought presents, but they were determined to have a good and memorable Christmas. Weeks before the holiday, mom and the kids went around the neighbor and park and collected pine cones, fallen pine tree boughs, and any acorns the squirrels hadn't found. They carefully brought their treasures back home and decorated the home with festive charm. With the remaining treasures each child secreted their own to their hiding places where they would make homemade Christmas presents for each other, mom and dad.
Christmas Eve was always special. This night the family took turns reading from the old family Bible. They read Saint Luke's account of the first Christmas and afterwards pa played his fiddle, there came a melodic tone of Silent Night and the family sang along as the violin found it's own voice to blend in the with other voices. Than came Away in The Manger and Green Sleeves. Green Sleeves was played by itself without words, pa's fiddle sounded like it was singing and weeping by itself. To end the night was the families favorite song to sing in Pa's ancestral tongue, German, Oh Tannenbaum---as the music rang out the Spirit of Christmas was palatable...this is what Christmas was about, family being together and loving each other and music played by pa on his fiddle.
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| Great Grandpa's fiddle |
https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/banking_panics_1930_31
https://bit.ly/2zHa6Pc
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