You Know What I Remember About the Late 70s and Early 80s Inflation?

It wasn't the gas lines, or even the costs at the stores.  My father worked for a union, my mother shopped and stretched the family dollars, inflation or not.  He drove to the Harvey, Ill. station (safe then during the daytime) and took the train downtown every day, so the gas lines weren't that costly personally to us, I don't remember.  We walked to school, as most did then.  Drove to church every week.  The grocery store. Otherwise... you walked where you needed to go, or rode your bike.)

What I really remember, as a paper carrier for the Hammond Times, were the headlines about the steel mill closures, and .. the suicides.  And the divorces.  The fathers of classmates who took themselves out.  Usually in the garage, with a gun or gas from leaving the car engines running.  Men younger than my Dad, with less stable work histories maybe...

I just remember those kids, often angry ones -- the mother of a large family of fellow paper carriers who went with the gas in the garage, nice kids... a lot of them worked that route -- who you knew were hardened with pain before their parents' deaths, were even more withdrawn after losing the parent.  At school, we all knew, but somehow, the "we're all in this together" normalcy of school prevailed, with good teachers who understood what was going on in our community too, even tho they didn't live alongside us.

That's what I remember about the rapid inflation and job losses:  the suicides and divorces.  Anecdotal yes, but you don't need a sociology degree to understand how families, communities and societies break under pressure.  Pray, as more and more churches* in the neediest areas are being shuttered now, just... pray.  Even if you're not a praying person?  The prayers answered today just might save lives tomorrow.  

(and if you can?  Don't just donate to the tax-write-off non-profits.  Give the obese older lady working the drive-thru a $20 and ask her to "pay it forward" as you pull up for your order.  Trust me, she will put it to good use.  Give to someone, directly, who looks like they need it -- a worker who is not begging, and would never think to ask, but likely will gladly accept.  I'm not talking the young good-looking kids working the entertainment establishments for tips either.  Give, give, give 'til it hurts -- you know you can -- and give directly to those in your area, who are working and still in need.  You can tell the people who need it, and won't use it for drugs or drink... In the end, it might save your own sanity too, if it indeed gets as bad out here in some places as I think it will.  "How much baby do we really need?"  At least:  stop advertising your excesses? )

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* Father Kalema feels the move to join the three parishes into one parish will help unite the Catholic Church’s mission. “I think the unification is seen as kind of inevitable for the Church in Chicago. So I see this as a good investment in the future of Christianity and the Catholic Church to be a vibrant church,” Kalema said.

 “We hope that it can create a more vibrant community by getting together because united we stand, but when we are scattered … we might start falling apart.”