My Grandfather Parker died when I was a young girl, but stories of him have loomed large ever since. 😍My favorite is the one about my birth and the💰 $1,000 check. After having a string of grandsons, he wanted a 👑granddaughter and said that he’d give💰 $1,000 for the first one. He wasn’t kidding. I earned💰 $1,000 just by being me!
According to the tales, Papa- as we called him- was a 💝generous man. His generosity knew no limits. I’ve heard about the family in need of proper clothing for ❄️cold temperatures who received a delivery of winter coats. There’s the one about the man who was offered a new job but had no transportation to get there. A 🚗car mysteriously appeared in his driveway. The ✝️church needed a new sign? No problem- choose the stone and build it. A park needed funds to purchase benches. Done. As a mortician, he made sure that everyone had a proper burial regardless of race, religion, or ability to pay. 🙌🏻He sat at the table with many grieving families who said thanks by sharing a 🍽meal with him.
I’ve always 💕loved these stories because they made my grandfather seem like he wore a superhero cape as he moved throughout town. When folks realize that Steve Parker was my grandfather, they’ve stopped to share their stories of what my Papa did for them or their family more times than I can count. 🥰The stories all have one thing in common. He never took credit for anything he did. People tell me that he would 😉wink and smile. Then, he’d say that he didn’t know what they were talking about as they tried to thank him. When he ate 🍽dinner following those funerals, he acted like that was how everyone paid for burials for loved ones. You see- those acts of kindness and 💝generosity were never about him. They were about everyone else. He wasn’t raised with 💰money. This man earned every penny he had through hard work. He chose to share that out of the goodness of his ❤️heart.
That’s precisely why we should be generous with our 💰money and talents and ⏰time, you know. We should do it because it’s the right thing to do. 💯Because we recognize the value of others. Because it’s important to show respect. Because our ❤️love is bigger. This is also exactly why I feel a little weird when I learn someone donated 💰money with conditions. Names emblazoned on the side of a building. 😏A presentation at some fancy dinner. 😏An audience and a plaque. 😏How about contributing to a cause, and the only person who knows is you and maybe your accountant? 🥳Or letting the student-athletes name the arena? 🥳Or providing dinner for a homeless shelter instead of a gala in your honor? 🥳I mean- how sincere is the gesture if there’s a condition attached to it- am I right?
I understand when others want to say thank you in a public way. That’s 💕gratitude, which is very different from doing good deeds with expectations. It just feels different when strings are attached.
It’s like the person in the 🚗vehicle in front of you at the Starbucks drive-through. They don’t need you to know who bought your ☕️latte. They just want to ☀️brighten someone’s day. Drink up! Then, pay it forward sometime.✅
What if…we do good things just because? 💝Opportunities are everywhere! Start small and grow from there. Just take any expectations out of the equation. Do it because your love is that big.💕
sharing the stairs 