“That word, Mom — Grandma said it first, now you say it — what does it mean?” the woman’s fifth-grade son asked.

“Come here, son,” she answered him. “Sit down. What in the world are you so worried about; what word are we talking about?”

“Frug — or something like that,” the boy replied.

“Oh yes — frugal — we’re going to have to live more frugally. That means that we don’t waste anything,” the mother said. “Grandma really knows all about that. We’re hearing others talk about the Great Depression, like the news is full of now.” Continuing on, she explained, “When Grandma was your age, there was no such thing as a credit card; you had to have the actual money if you wanted to buy something. You worked, you saved up the money. When you finally got something, you appreciated it more. You took good care of it, you didn’t waste any of it. Does that help you understand?”

The boy replied: “Well yeah, thanks, Mom. That really makes good sense, that fits, that ties right in with our recycling project at school that we’re trying to get our families, even our whole town going on.”

Then he asked, “How soon are we going to Grandma’s? I want to talk to her about this.”

So you see, folks, how the younger generation is going to pick up the ball? They can; they will have to. But we’ve all got to get in the act. Back to basics, even the government is going to have to count pennies again so to speak.

Families, people, real people, they’re the very bricks in the foundation of our nation. We certainly will appreciate any of your stories and experiences of those older days — hints and helps. I was 9 in 1929. I well remember Dad had just bought us a new Model T Ford — it was paid for but all of a sudden we had to move, as my parents had lost their farm. The Depression had hit hard, just like that. I was too much of a child to really understand, but I remember that.

So pray for our leaders, they certainly need God’s help. Bye now.