I grew up in small-town Missouri, and like in most small towns, money did not grow on trees and jobs were not easy to come by. Lucky for me, I had two great parents whom both had steady jobs. As a kid, my mom was principal of the elementary school that I attended and my dad owned his own mechanic shop. At that age, I did not really understand that we had more than most kids. This was until we started having people over to the house and they would talk about how nice it was and about the things we had. I began to ask my parents questions about why things were like that and why the kids said what they did. My dad would always tell me, "We aren't rich, but we are comfortable, and others aren't as lucky as us".

As I went through elementary school and my mom started her new job, I began to realize what that truly meant. I saw some of my friends struggle for food or school supplies; I never had to think twice about where I was going to get my next meal or if I would have school supplies for the year, all I had to do was ask my parents. It made me sad seeing the kids in my school not have as much as we did, or struggle to find food. I still struggled with understanding why people couldn't find jobs or have money like we did.

I finally made it to junior high and at my school we were allowed to go off campus to eat lunch, so some of my friends and I would go down to the local gas station and get pizzas or chicken, but some people couldn't because they didn't have the money. This is when I started offering people food occasionally if they needed it, or if the cafeteria was serving tuna or ham and beans. It was all fun at first and I was just being friendly. But sadly, even in a small town where there isn't a lot of money, people can still be greedy. I began making "friends" who seemed to never have any money for lunch, so instead of buying myself food I was buying a couple people's food and sharing, now I didn't really mind, but when I wouldn't have any money those people wouldn't sit with me or wouldn't talk to me and it started to hit me that they weren't really my friends they were just using me for my money. So I stopped buying people lunches. It was hard because I knew some people really did need food, but I was so tired of being used for my money that I just wasn't going to risk it anymore. The cafeteria was there for them to eat at if they were hungry. That was a hard part for me: I thought that people were still so good and that people with little money wouldn't be greedy and use other people for money; I thought greediness came from politicians and rich people.

Throughout high school, most of my friends' parents had stable jobs and they were also pretty "comfortable," we would all go eat at the restaurant across from the school, and if someone was out of money for the week or forgot it at home, we always had each others' backs. It was never an "I'm only your friend for the food" deal. It was so nice to finally find my place. It was weird throughout school most of my friends had a job from the time that they could drive, so that they could pay for gas and lunch. My parents did not make me get a job right away, so that I could focus on school, because school always came first. I struggled with not having a job for awhile because other kids would say that I was spoiled or that I didn't have a work ethic, because "mommy and daddy pay for everything," but what I came to know is that I have a strong work ethic, but I also understand that I need to focus on school before worrying about having a little extra money on the weekends. My parents gave me money when I needed it, within reason, and they helped me with gas and lunch.

My junior year I got a job at McDonald's and it was so nice to finally work and be able to buy things for myself. I also loved proving to people that I am a good and hard worker, my family was just financially stable enough to were I didn't need to get a job right away. I would get asked frequently why I was working if my parents had money, and I didn't really have an answer for this except that I liked working, and it was nice to be able to pay for some of my own things.

Now I am in college. I have no debt, a nice car (when it gets fixed), a great roommate and a very supportive family. I know the value of working hard. My parents showed me through all the hard work they've had to put in so that they could send my sister and I to college debt free, and be able to have the little things we wanted without having to worry too much about money.

I am very thankful to have grown up so blessed in my comfortable little life. I had a great and stable family. We always had more than enough food on the table, and I never had to worry about school supplies. I am also thankful that I grew up in a town that wasn't quite as comfortable as we were. It showed me the poverty in the world, that people aren't always as good as they seem, how to help and serve people when they really need it, and how to just be thankful for everything I have. If I would have grown up in a town as comfortable as we were I don't think I would have learned as many lessons as I did, or be nearly as thankful for my "comfortable" little life.