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 learn the value
to Give. *
* The Giver is bigger than the
Receiver. *
* If you want to be large,
larger than the life, learn to Give. *
* Only if you Give can you
Receive more. The Givers heart becomes the Ocean, in tune with the Almighty -
The Source *
* Love has nothing to do with
what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give -
which is everything. *
-- Katherine Hepburn
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