I … went to school in a small town in Oregon. I grew up there for most of my life. My parents met there and fell in love. They got married and lived with one another for their entire life till death do they part… It was an amazing experience that I am sure many people never get the chance at. I consider myself very lucky. When he was a young man, my father was offered a great opportunity to leave the city. He took it because he knew that raising a family out in the middle of the country would be better for them. He never had much of a life in the city. He went where his kids would have the chance to grow up together and enjoy life as a family.
It didn’t take too long after moving to town before my mother tickled his fancy so to speak. He was a farm hand upon arriving to town. He worked for room and board. It was hard work that didn’t pay well but it came with something more valuable than money and that was experience. It didn’t take long before he came to manage that farm. He took to the life like nobody’s business. It took nearly 3 years after meeting my mother before he would ask her out for a date. He wanted to ensure he could offer her the life she deserved so he did not do it until he had saved enough money to make a down payment on a piece of property.
Before long they were married with children. He worked hard at giving us the kind of life he never had the chance at. He grew up dirt poor in the streets. He was not able to finish school or really be a kid because he had to grow up way too soon. He knew that the best he could do for us was to take us out to where we could grow up nice and slow. Where we could be kids for as long as possible. I remember times when my dad would go without to ensure that we had plenty. I know he fell on hard times like everyone else but I don’t remember that taking away his cheery disposition. I know that it took all he had to make it but what he made would last. You see, I raise my children in much the same fashion he did so many years ago. It seems to me that when you make your family the American way it not only stands up to whatever you throw at it but it stands the test of time as well. The best part is that I have hope my kids will make their families American made just the same way.