last day of the month, Miss Hastings ushered Jason into my office. They both sat in their familiar places, and we exchanged brief greetings. I could tell that Jason had much on his mind.
“Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings,” Jason began, “I do not have the words to express what this process over the last year has meant to me. I am simply not the same person I was a year ago. I feel that, in many ways, today is my birthday. I want to thank you both for being a part of it.”
I noticed that Jason’s eyes seemed moist, and Miss Hastings’ seasonal allergies seemed to act up at that very moment. I will admit to feeling a lump in my own throat. Jason took a deep breath and launched into his report.
“During the first month of this year, I was angered and very resentful of not receiving an inheritance like everyone else in the family. I was further frustrated when I learned about what I thought then was a crazy plan for the entire year. Then I found myself learning about the gift of work with Gus Caldwell down in Texas.
“At that time, love was the furthest thing from my mind when Gus Caldwell ordered me to dig post holes and build a fence. But as I look back on it, I realize that Mr. Caldwell had a great love for my Uncle Red and passed that on to me. He loved me enough to make sure that I learned the entire lesson that my Uncle Red planned for the gift of work. I also learned that there is a certain love which comes from doing a job well. When you can step back at the end of a long, hard day and watch the sun set over a straight and strong fence that you built yourself, you get the feeling that everything is right with the world.
“During the month when I learned about the gift of money, I learned that loving money leads to a hollow, empty existence. But when you learn how to love people and use money, everything is in its proper perspective.
“From the gift of friends, I learned that you can love others in a way I had never known. When you just worry about yourself, you are always disappointed. But when you think about others and their well-being first, everything works out best for you and for them.
“From the gift of learning, I discovered that people who have no material things—but a passion to learn and a true love of learning—are really quite wealthy. This love for knowledge has come into my life, and I cannot believe that I was so self-centered that I ignored the wisdom of the ages as I pursued my own self-destruction.
“The gift of problems taught me that obstacles are nothing more than a challenge that we face. Before this year, I looked at problems as something that was totally bad, something that had to be dealt with—or, better yet, ignored. But when you look at your problems through a spirit of love, you realize that there is a grand design to this world, and the problem is given to you for the lesson it will teach you and the better person it will make you.
“From the gift of family, I learned that families are present when love is present. People can become a family when they add love to their relationships. Without love, families are just a group of people who share the same family tree.
“The gift of laughter taught me that in order to love life, you have to enjoy it. And when you can laugh at the good things and the bad, you will begin to feel the love life really has to offer.
“During my exploration of the gift of dreams, I came to understand that life has been given to us with a sense of love for everything around us. Our passions and dreams and goals are the outward manifestations of the love we feel inside.
“Before I experienced the gift of giving, I thought that if you gave something away, someone else now possessed it, and you were left with less than you had before. In reality, when you give out of love, both the giver and the receiver have more than they started with.
“The gift of gratitude taught me that we can truly feel and experience love when we remember and enjoy
“Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings,” Jason began, “I do not have the words to express what this process over the last year has meant to me. I am simply not the same person I was a year ago. I feel that, in many ways, today is my birthday. I want to thank you both for being a part of it.”
I noticed that Jason’s eyes seemed moist, and Miss Hastings’ seasonal allergies seemed to act up at that very moment. I will admit to feeling a lump in my own throat. Jason took a deep breath and launched into his report.
“During the first month of this year, I was angered and very resentful of not receiving an inheritance like everyone else in the family. I was further frustrated when I learned about what I thought then was a crazy plan for the entire year. Then I found myself learning about the gift of work with Gus Caldwell down in Texas.
“At that time, love was the furthest thing from my mind when Gus Caldwell ordered me to dig post holes and build a fence. But as I look back on it, I realize that Mr. Caldwell had a great love for my Uncle Red and passed that on to me. He loved me enough to make sure that I learned the entire lesson that my Uncle Red planned for the gift of work. I also learned that there is a certain love which comes from doing a job well. When you can step back at the end of a long, hard day and watch the sun set over a straight and strong fence that you built yourself, you get the feeling that everything is right with the world.
“During the month when I learned about the gift of money, I learned that loving money leads to a hollow, empty existence. But when you learn how to love people and use money, everything is in its proper perspective.
“From the gift of friends, I learned that you can love others in a way I had never known. When you just worry about yourself, you are always disappointed. But when you think about others and their well-being first, everything works out best for you and for them.
“From the gift of learning, I discovered that people who have no material things—but a passion to learn and a true love of learning—are really quite wealthy. This love for knowledge has come into my life, and I cannot believe that I was so self-centered that I ignored the wisdom of the ages as I pursued my own self-destruction.
“The gift of problems taught me that obstacles are nothing more than a challenge that we face. Before this year, I looked at problems as something that was totally bad, something that had to be dealt with—or, better yet, ignored. But when you look at your problems through a spirit of love, you realize that there is a grand design to this world, and the problem is given to you for the lesson it will teach you and the better person it will make you.
“From the gift of family, I learned that families are present when love is present. People can become a family when they add love to their relationships. Without love, families are just a group of people who share the same family tree.
“The gift of laughter taught me that in order to love life, you have to enjoy it. And when you can laugh at the good things and the bad, you will begin to feel the love life really has to offer.
“During my exploration of the gift of dreams, I came to understand that life has been given to us with a sense of love for everything around us. Our passions and dreams and goals are the outward manifestations of the love we feel inside.
“Before I experienced the gift of giving, I thought that if you gave something away, someone else now possessed it, and you were left with less than you had before. In reality, when you give out of love, both the giver and the receiver have more than they started with.
“The gift of gratitude taught me that we can truly feel and experience love when we remember and enjoy
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