I can honestly say that you all are inspirations and true testimonies to what the human spirit does in the face of adversity. I know that sounds all Hallmark-ish, but it's true. I didn't have a childhood even close to this because my parents made sure of it. When my parents were young, they came from 2 black families not too long after the Great Depression. Both of them grew up with literally nothing and both of them swore their kids would never go through that.
My parents were determined to prove to themselves that they would never have to tell their children "no" because the funds simply weren't there. As a result, my sister and I had what my pastor calls the "Neiman Marcus" upbringing. We each had our own rooms in our not extravagant, but nice house. We both grew up with a backyard full of toys and more clothes than we knew what to do with. Basically, we had more material stuff than we did parents. I would gladly go back and trade some of that to have had more support and involvement from them than their money, but that's another story entirely.
Most people say that I'm spoiled, but I don't believe that. One thing my parents did their best on was to teach me that anything worth having is something I have to work for. While I never really had to struggle for anything, I did work for a lot of the big things they gave me (nothing compared to what you've gone through, I'm sure). As an adult, I often work to earn things that are just offered to me for free (Some say I'm stupid for that, but I don't ever want to be the spoiled little girl who doesn't know how to earn something.) And my mom got me involved in community service early and I haven't stopped since. She made sure that I knew that there were others out there who worked just as hard as our family, but didn't have nearly what we did and that it was my duty to give it back to our community. I believe that wholeheartedly and I think that's what makes me a giving person. I'll give something away before I'll sell it and do volunteer work as often as time permits. If I don't have a reason to say "no" then I won't. I've been told that I'm too giving and that people are going to take advantage of me and I know they have and more probably will. But that won't deter me from giving because there are people in this world who need it. God has blessed me with a lot in this world and so I have no problem giving it up--it was never really mine in the first place.