Make Do
My parents and grandparents knew how to make do. So did many of their generation. They survived on what they had. If they had little, they lived on little. If they had more than enough, they saved for the future and shared with others.
They tried to avoid debt. If they didn’t have money, they didn’t buy. They grew their own food, built their own houses, and made their own clothes. They:
- Discovered new recipes with the food in their kitchens
- Styled themselves with the clothes in their closets (if they had closets)
- Learned new ways to live off the land
They threw almost nothing away. Instead, they:
- Cut buttons off old shirts to reuse
- Canned and froze food they grew in the summer to eat in the winter
- Cut up rags to make quilts
By doing the best they could with what they had, they learned to appreciate all they had. Although not rich with money, they were rich in faith and love.
Now in their golden years or gone but not forgotten, they continue to share their wealth with others. Some of those gifts appear in this picture.
- A quilt made by my mother
- A quilt rack made by my father
- A Dutch boy and girl painted by a dear friend
- Old canning jars that remind me to make do
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).
Do you have a favorite make do story? If so, please comment
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I always thought of a leaf on a tree when I heard the expression turn over a new leaf. I knew it meant people wanted to change. So, I thought of new leaves growing on trees or leaves changing colors.
