The day was warm. No clouds in the sky, just the bright sun. A gentle breeze, warm, but just enough to evaporate the perspiration and cool the body. A young boy played in the dirt. He wore no shirt, only shorts and sneakers. His mother stood at the clothes line hanging the weeks laundry, watching him play. She loved him and he loved her. She wished she could give him more. He thought he had everything. The woman's husband was off in town looking for work. He had been without a job for several weeks and the money was running low, very low. He had no gas for the car so he walked, walked 15 miles to town looking for an opportunity to work and feed his family. She worried about him. She worried about the boy and his sisters. She prayed her husband would find work. Without warning a young boy about 16 walked up the driveway. Even at such a young age he was worn down by life. He asked the woman if she could spare a glass of ice water. Of course she said yes. He sat on the porch and waited for her. She handed him the glass and sat down beside him and asked him his name. He told her and they talked for a few minutes. This young man had run away from home because he thought his parents too strict. They just did not understand what it was like to be 16. The woman told him that his parents loved him and only wanted to protect him and teach him good values. He reluctantly agreed that perhaps he had been hasty in leaving. She put her arm around his shoulders and asked him if he would like to call his mother and at least let her know he was allright. He smiled and said he would love to hear her voice again. He talked to his mother for an hour and a half. He had a dollar and some change in his pocket and he offered to pay for the call. The woman said no that would not be necessary. She had been saving the last piece of bologna for her husband so that when he went to town the next day he could take a sandwich with him. She offered it to the young man. He said he was very hungry but did not want to put her out. She made him the sandwich and he ate. He said he had not eaten for two days. The young man left as quickly as he arrived. The woman cried when he left and then she prayed for him. Later that night her husband came home with 2 small bags of groceries. He had found a job and asked a grocer to allow him to have credit until the end of the week when he would get his first paycheck. He was walking home with the food and a man gave him a ride so the milk would not spoil. She cried again and thanked God for their good fortune. Would you have thought it good fortune? That woman was my mom, that man my dad. They are gone now, but not forgotten. I did not grow up poor, I was loved.