[Taken from the memoirs of Irmgard A. Hunt, the following is in reference to the author’s grandfather and his work during the chaotic years of the Weimar Republic era of German history.]
My grandfather was sickened by the silence of his new carpentry machines. The wood merchants were hounding him for the payments due on the lumber that was freshly stacked in the yard, almost forcing him to declare bankruptcy and bring shame to his family. But Albin, stubborn and innovative as he was, came up with the idea of specializing in coffins, which he would make in all sizes and price ranges. “People always die,” he said, unconscious of the sad irony behind the fact that the only way to make a living in a moribund Germany was by banking on death. Indeed the coffins brought enough income that, with the help of his wife and teenage daughter, he could hold on through the fickle ups and long, deep downs of the next thirteen years.
Source:
Hunt, Irmgard A. “Roots of Discontent.” On Hitler’s Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2005. 19. Print.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
When life gives you death, make coffins.
Close enough.