About Pop Pop teaching us to have a heart for those in need...

My Grandparents were not born with silver spoons in their mouths. Although Grandma said she had a very happy upbringing where she got most of what she wished for, it was still during the Depression. Grandpa came from extremely humble beginnings of shining shoes to make change, working as a young boy to help feed his family, and sharing a loaf of bread with his siblings, with butter on a good day, as he has often told us. We have many of their stories memorized, word for word even, but I know we will treasure these stories forever. Grandpa and Grandma came to California from the east coast, and after living very humbly in trailers and having to work extremely hard, finally obtained the "American Dream". Through hard work and drive to be successful, they developed a very successful business, as well as owned the buildings, and were able to provide for their family in ways they had only dreamed. My earliest Saturday morning memories as a child are not of sleeping in and watching cartoons. My memories are of waking up before the sun is up, quickly getting dressed with one, two, or even three of my sisters, and waiting for Pop Pop to pull up in the driveway to pick us up. We would drive from our neighborhood to the Fresno Rescue Mission in downtown Fresno. We would go into the building, waving hello to homeless, former addicts, and many men that without my Grandpa encouraging us to step out of our normal life, we would probably never have otherwise meet. We would sing hymns, along with the men, always off key, followed by freshly cooked breakfast, and a sermon. Our favorite part of the morning was when the sermon would start. Grandpa would always reach into his coat pockets, look at us out of the corner of his eye, and happily display a piece of candy. We would light up with huge smiles and he would "sneak" them to us, as we acted as if we were surprised somehow. We would eat lots and lots of sugar filled candy throughout the sermon, and would then climb into Pop Pop's car and drive to one of his stores. We would say hi to his employees and would wait for Grandpa to urge us to grab a doughnut to snack on while we wait for him to be ready to take us home. Somehow our sugarless week at home was always worth it for the sugar filled Saturday morning that we looked forward to every Saturday. At the time, I didn't really understand what I was learning from my Grandpa. But now, looking back, I am humbled by his desire to expose us to the other side of the world and see how blessed we are. We interacted with the homeless and were able to see that they are people, just like us, who happened to be born into less fortunate situations. We were taught to be loving and giving to others, despite their circumstances. My parents and Grandparents all instilled in us that the money we are blessed with comes directly from God and that we are to bless others as He has blessed us.