"And then the dispossessed were drawn west — from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, tribes, dusted out, tractored out. Car-loads, caravans, homeless and hungry; twenty thousand and fifty thousand and a hundred thousand and two hundred thousand. They streamed over the mountains, hungry and restless — restless as ants, scurrying to find work to do — to lift, to push, to pull, to pick, to cut — anything, any burden to bear, for food. The kids are hungry. We got no place to live. Like ants scurrying for work, for food, and most of all for land. "
— John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath, 1939
Last night Russ and I watched American Experience. Well, I watched and Russ snoozed on the couch. It was late, the kids were in bed and I was enthralled by this documentary. During high school I read The Grapes of Wrath which helped me understand the plight of farmers during thie 1930's. I was in awe of what the families endured leading up to the great migration to California. I've never had to worry about my child dieing of "dust pneumonia". I've never had to wake up in the morning to shovel dust left by dust storm. I've never had too look into the hungry eyes of my child knowing there is no food. I've never had to support my husband while he is unable to provide for our family. I've never had to go without. I think at times I am a very selfish person and I expect too much and give too little. As I look back to the past and what others have faced I realized that I need to stop complaining and start counting my blessings.
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