FIFTEEN
THE ULTIMATE
GIFT
In the end,
life lived to its fullest
is its own ultimate gift.
life lived to its fullest
is its own ultimate gift.
Jason turned with a
bewildered look on his face and said, “I don’t know what you’re
talking about, Mr. Hamilton. We did all twelve of the gifts that
Uncle Red mentioned, and he said that this month would be the last
one.”
“Well, as Red
Stevens’ attorney and as executor of his estate,” I replied, “I can
tell you that he had one last bequest in his will that would only
be made available if all the conditions were met. As the sole
arbiter of each of the conditions, I can tell you that they have
all been met and exceeded.”
Jason continued to
appear perplexed and said, “I really don’t know what you are
talking about. I thought—”
Miss Hastings
interrupted and said, “I realize you thought you were done. But
there is one more step. If you’ll follow me into the conference
room, I do believe all things will become clear.”
We adjourned to the
conference room, and in a few moments, Red Stevens was once again
speaking to us from the video screen.
“Jason,” he said, “I
want to tell you how proud of you I am. You have completed each
element and received each part of the ultimate gift I had planned
for you. I wish that I had come into possession of all twelve gifts
as early in life as you have. Now that you have received the
ultimate gift, not only do you have the privilege of enjoying it,
but you have the responsibility of living your life to its fullest
with each gift in balance. You have the further responsibility of
passing along the ultimate gift whenever it is
possible.
“I wish I could be
with you to simply watch the wonderful things that are going to
happen in your life, but somehow—in my own way—I suspect I will be
with you.
“Jason, I have done a
lot of things in my life, but the best of them may well be passing
the ultimate gift on to you. Please don’t let me down. Make the
gift grow and be fruitful. Make your life an extension of the
ultimate gift you have received. If you will do all of these
things, you will have—in your own way—given to me your version of
the ultimate gift.”
The image of Red
Stevens faded away for what would be the last time.
As the lights came
up, Jason leaped to his feet and, with a confident look on his
face, said, “I am going to do it! I am going to use every element
of the ultimate gift, and I am going to find a way to pass it on to
deprived people who are as I was a year ago. I had no idea that the
greatest gift anyone could be given is the awareness of all of the
gifts he or she already has. Now I know why God made me and put me
on this earth. I understand the purpose for my life and how I can
help other people find their purpose.”
Jason, once again,
headed for the door, and, once again, I stopped him—this time by
saying, “Young man, I have never seen anybody in such a hurry to
leave.”
Jason turned around
with that same bewildered expression on his face. “I’m sorry, Mr.
Hamilton,” he said, “I just thought—”
“I know, you thought
we were done,” I interrupted. “If you will just sit back down, I
will discharge my final duty with regard to Red Stevens’ last will
and testament.”
Miss Hastings handed
me the voluminous document, and I turned to the appropriate page. I
was just getting my reading glasses out of my pocket when Jason
blurted out, “I just thought—”
I interrupted Jason
again by scolding him playfully, “Young man, never interrupt a duly
appointed attorney when he is trying to discharge his final
duty.”
Miss Hastings laughed
and added, “Especially when the attorney is eighty years
old.”
We all laughed
together, and I read from the document. “And to my great-nephew,
Jason Stevens, I leave control of my charitable trust fund. Its
current value is somewhere slightly over $1 billion. As my
great-nephew has shown himself to be responsible and able in every
area of life, he will have the sole control of this charitable
trust fund which supports the Red Stevens Home for Boys, the Red
Stevens Library Program, several scholarship programs, hospitals,
and many other worthy institutions.
“I direct Jason to
use the wisdom and experience he has gained as a recipient of the
ultimate gift to manage these projects and any others that he deems
significant.”
Jason sat back in his
chair, totally stunned. Finally, after several false starts, he
said, “Do you mean that I am in charge of all of those
things?”
I gave him a formal
look and tone, answering, “As I read the document, it would seem to
be the case. You are in charge of all of the aforementioned, and
anything else you feel to be important.”
Jason lit up. A smile
spread across his face. He looked toward Miss Hastings and back to
me, saying, “I could use part of the charitable trust to spread the
ultimate gift all around the world.”
Miss Hastings
replied, “If I’m not mistaken, I believe that’s what Red Stevens
had in mind all along.”
Jason hugged both of
us again, thanked us profusely, and parted.
Miss Hastings and I
sat back down at the conference room table and simply drank in the
feeling of elation and success.
“Did you notice,” she
observed, “that he never asked about his income or wages or
anything else like that?”
I nodded with a
smile, as we both reflected on the amazing transformation that
Jason had made in one year.
Finally, ever
vigilant Miss Hastings left the conference room to complete her
many duties for the day. I was left alone in the conference room,
and I couldn’t resist rewinding the videotape and watching Red
Stevens’ last message one more time.
When it was over, I
spoke to the darkened screen. “Well, old friend, I believe this is
where we finally do part company. I wish I could tell you how
thankful I am to be included in the ultimate gift, and I wish I
could tell you all of the wonderful things Jason has done and is
going to do.”
As I walked out of
the conference room, I realized Red did know and—in his own
way—would be watching with me as Jason lived out and passed on The
Ultimate Gift.