“Once
when I was a teenager,
my father and I were
standing in line to
buy tickets for the
circus.
Finally,
there was only one
other family between
us and the ticket
counter. This family
made a big impression
on me.
There
were eight children,
all probably under the
age of 12. The way
they were dressed, you
could tell they didn't
have a lot of money,
but their clothes were
neat and clean.
The
children were
well-behaved, all of
them standing in line,
two-by-two behind
their parents, holding
hands. They were
excitedly jabbering
about the clowns,
animals, and all the
acts they would be
seeing that night. By
their excitement you
could sense they had
never been to the
circus before. It
would be a highlight
of their lives.
The
father and mother were
at the head of the
pack standing proud as
could be. The mother
was holding her
husband's hand,
looking up at him as
if to say, "You're my
knight in shining
armor." He was smiling
and enjoying seeing
his family happy.
The
ticket lady asked the
man how many tickets
he wanted? He proudly
responded, "I'd like
to buy eight
children's tickets and
two adult tickets, so
I can take my family
to the circus." The
ticket lady stated the
price.
The
man's wife let go of
his hand, her head
dropped, the man's lip
began to quiver. Then
he leaned a little
closer and asked, "How
much did you say?" The
ticket lady again
stated the price.The
man didn't have enough
money. How was he
supposed to turn and
tell his eight
kids that he didn't
have enough money to
take them to the
circus?
Seeing
what was going on, my
dad reached into his
pocket, pulled out a
$20 bill, and then
dropped it on the
ground. (We were not
wealthy in any sense
of the word!) My
father bent down,
picked up the $20
bill, tapped the man
on the shoulder and
said, "Excuse me, sir,
this fell out of your
pocket."
The
man understood what
was going on. He
wasn't begging for a
handout but certainly
appreciated the help
in a desperate,
heartbreaking and
embarrassing
situation. He looked
straight into my dad's
eyes, took my dad's
hand in both of his,
squeezed tightly onto
the $20 bill, and with
his lip quivering and
a tear streaming
down his cheek, he
replied; "Thank you,
thank you, sir.
This really
means a lot to me and
my family."
My father and I went
back to our car and
drove home. The $20
that my dad gave
away is what we were
going to buy our own
tickets with. Although
we didn't get to see
the circus that night,
we both felt a joy
inside us that was far
greater than seeing
the circus could ever
provide. That day I
learnt the value to
Give.
The Giver is bigger
than the Receiver. If
you want to be large,
larger than life,
learn to Give. Love
has nothing to do with
what you are expecting
to get - only with
what you are expecting
to give - which is
everything.
The importance of
giving, blessing
others can never be
over emphasized
because there's always
joy in giving.
Learn to make
someone happy by acts
of giving.”
~
Katharine Hepburn
