My son received a gift for Christmas that he doesn’t even realize he got. He received it early but sometimes you just get the opportunity to open presents before the actual day. He really likes it. He’s been in a good mood and I can even sense a touch of arrogance (he needs to watch that!) as he enjoys the special gift. It was given by a very special person to me. This very special person made this gift himself. He worked hard for years. He has given out many of these gifts but I didn’t really consider that my children would ever receive one.
My dad died 15 years ago. My son Samuel was only 1 week old at his death. When I first brought him home I ran to my dad’s side as he was a few days close to death and I held him up, hoping he could see him and hoping that even though he had a lot of morphene pain killer he could still understand and enjoy the brand new grandson son I was presenting to him.
My dad was from a family that had a dozen children. They were very poor. My grandpa would rummage through dumps to find anything he could that was worth keeping and my grandma would pick cotton and raise chickens while also raising her children. My dad must have decided at a young age that he didn’t want to live so poor. He loved to do things with his hands and became determined to work hard and become a success.
For years my mom and dad struggled financially as they raised our large family of eleven. But in their latter years of life dad’s business took off. Through charm, hard work and determination he made a flourishing business of caring for homeowner’s lawns in the Brookside area of Tulsa. Today my five brothers have provided nicely for their families by learning my dad’s trade.
A couple of weeks ago, the Tulsa area was hit by a major ice storm that was historical in the damage it did to trees all over Oklahoma. I realized with so many fallen trees everywhere my brothers had the opportunity to make extra money. I figured at least one of them could use some extra help from my son Samuel. I called one of my brothers and we worked it out so that Samuel could work. He worked all week and got enough extra money that he was able to start saving for college!
Now that Christmas break is here, my son is helping my brother again. They are still cleaning up brush from the storm.
I realized that Samuel had received a gift from his Grandpa. The one he never really met. It’s a legacy, well founded and strong. Samuel, without even knowing, has whole-heartedly received this gift and is putting it too full use helping my brother.
Actually, it’s more of a gift to me than it is to Samuel. I have such a passion to instill into all of my children that working hard is an excellent thing. And it is an important part of surviving and caring for a family.