I haven't been in the mood to write anything for the blog the past few days because I have been quite upset with the news that Aunt Enid, a family friend of many years, passed away recently. She meant so much to us, and as I mourn her passing, I couldn't help but reminisce about the things she used to tell us...
Aunt Enid was a lovely and kind person. My parents have known her since before I was born. She used to send us letters, cards and gifts for Christmas, and this always made us feel special because she genuinely cared about people, and her letters certainly reflected that.
She was born a few years before the Great Depression of 1929, and I remember her telling my sister and me how tough life was in rural Australia during the Great Depression - how people were starving and how difficult it was for the men to get a job. Even though people had little by way of income, they still tried to create jobs (e.g. odd jobs) for the unemployed men in their towns, so that these men could have the dignity of bringing home a small wage to feed the family. She also told us that families who were better off would give their children extra food/lunch to take to school to share with those less fortunate. Basically, people shared what little they had, and that's how they survived the toughest of times.
Although things were tough, Aunt Enid made light of the suffering and hunger she and her family endured. She made us chuckle by telling us back in those days there were hundreds of ways to cook rabbits. Of course, rabbits were considered pests in rural Australia (and still are, I guess), and they were a ready source of protein. But just imagine how you would feel if you had to eat rabbits every day for years on end! Therefore, people had to come up with novel ways to cook rabbits... She reckoned they've tried them all.
I think, having been through the difficult times made Aunt Enid realise that money and material things were not as important as being kind and generous towards another human being in times of trouble. The goodwill that was generated by acts of kindness really kept spirits up. We should never underestimate the effects of a kind deed.
I'm glad I got to hear her stories, because these are lessons we shouldn't forget...
Thank you, Aunt Enid.
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In a few hours, I will be volunteering in production kitchen. I look forward to going back to my routine again - attending classes and volunteering in production kitchen. My classes do not begin until tomorrow (Tuesday, 6 January). I am really excited about taking Intermediate Pastry this term.
