An embarrassment of riches

The neighborhood I grew up in, no one had money and yet it was customary to wear clothes that you clearly could not afford. Many Mom's spent a majority of their income and used layaway in order to create for the family an embarrassment of riches.

Moving to the suburbs there were some people that had nothing but the very best, and then there was my family that move simply to escape the violence of our life in the city who did not have much. Before I started school on the first day, my mom took me to Kids "R" Us to buy me the nicest clothes I have ever owned in my life. The first week at school the kids made a mockery of me and my clothes, each day being worse than the next. For me it was an embarrassment of riches.

In high school, I lived for two years in Germany while my parents were working for the government. My dad got a trip back to the U.S. and I asked him to buy me a rugby sweater from Britches Great Outdoors, which I knew were very expensive so I was selective to only ask for that as a gift from his trip. He returned having gone to Sears and bought me six rugbys, an embarrassment of riches

Today receive a update from a family that I love dearly who is going through an unimaginable health situation. The words brought me to tears as I think about my life, at this moment in life I have no material need and yet a new understanding. Here are her words from the update,

"You have embraced our boys, kept us all fed, moved children hither and yon, research all there is to know about XXXX's condition, give us places to sleep, and continually uplifted us in payer. It is an embarrassment of riches..."