GIVING IS SURELY A WONDROUS TOPIC AS WELL AS A GREAT REALITY. WHY WOULD I SAY THIS.. NOT THAT I AM GOOD AT THIS, BUT WHEN ONE LOOKS AT THE CONTENT OF ONE’S LIFE … ARE WE REALLY THE SELF MADE PERSON THAT IS TALKED ABOUT SO MUCH. I COUNT NUMEROUS PERSONS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE FABRIC OF MY BEING.
LIKE, GRANDMA WHO ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE THERE AT THE RIGHT TIME…LIKE WHEN MOTHER WAS LATE COMING HOME FROM WORK – IT WAS DARK AND I WENT OUT AND SAT ON THE FRONT STEPS. WHERE IS MOM, I ASKED… GRANDMA APPEARED AND PUT HER ARMS AROUND ME AND SAID, I’M SURE SHE IS ON THE NEXT STREETCAR..WE’LL WAIT TOGETHER. OR BUD, MY FAITHER’S FRIEND WHO ASKED MY PARENTS ONE DAY IF HE COULD TAKE ME OUT TO OMAHA COUNTRY CLUB, THERE TO MEET KEVIN O’CONNOR TO SIGN UP FOR CADDYING. WELL, THAT MARKED A WONDROUS EXPERIENCE GOING TO THE GOLF COURSE EVERY DAY, PLAYING THERE FREE ON MONDAYS, MAKING SOME MONEY, LATER RECEIVING A SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP FROM OCC (AT EXACTLY THE TIME I NEEDED MONEY A GREAT DEAL TO STAY IN SCHOOL.) WHO SAYS GIVING DOESN’T COUNT FOR MUCH? WHAT PUFFY SNOW BALL SAYS THEY HAVE DONE IT ON THEIR OWN? MY HOW LIFE SPARKLES WHEN ONE MEETS ANOTHER AND WHEN THAT MAGIC BOND IS FORMED GIVING BOTH GREAT MEANING. LIKE BA VAN LU, DEAREST FRIEND AND COMPATRIOT… US SITTING TOGETHER AT THE AIRPORT WAITING FOR SOME NEW VIETNAMESE FAMILIES TO ARRIVE IN AMERICA … WE JOKING, SHARING .. THEN
SAYING HELLO TO THESE NEWEST OF AMERICANS. ONE NIGHT I ASKED A FAMILY IF I COULD TAKE THEIR PICTURE ..WHICH THEY OBLIGED ME IN.. THEN THE FATHER STEPPED FORWARD AND IN BROKEN ENGLISH SAID.. ME TAKE YOUR PICTURE. AHA, WITH WARMNESS WE WALKED DOWN THE AIRPORT LOBBY. TRAN, AFTER I HAD FOUND HIM WORK, CAME TO ME AND SAID .. I CAN NOT WORK THIS JOB. WHY TRAN? IT IS INCOME AND IT WILL HELP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. I WILL NOT BE ABLE IF I WORK TO
HELP YOU AS I WANT TO. WOW. YES, FRIENDSHIP HAPPENS AND GOOD OCCURS AND BENEFIT TRANSPIRES, NOT MEASURED OUT COMPLETELY AT THE BEGINNING MOMENT BUT THAT CATIPULTING INTO JOY AND PLEASURE AND COMPLETENESS. LIFE COUNTS, I COUNT, OTHERS COUNT. OH, PLEASE JIM PLEASE KNOCK DOWN THAT WALL YOU TO OFTEN CREATE BETWEEN YOURSELF AND THE CURRENT HAPPENING, BETWEEN SELF AND THE DIVINE OF RELATIONSHIP.
THANK YOU TO ALL I HAVE MET AND WHO HAVE GIVEN ME SO MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR. THANK YOU MOTHER, YOU WERE SUCH A GIVING PERSON.