The Ultimate Gift (The Ultimate Series #1) (12 page)

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Authors: Jim Stovall

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“From the gift of friends, I learned that you can love others in a way I had never known. When you just worry about yourself, you are always disappointed. But when you think about others and their well-being first, everything works out best for you and for them.
“From the gift of learning, I discovered that people who have no material things—but a passion to learn and a true love of learning—are really quite wealthy. This love for knowledge has come into my life, and I cannot believe that I was so self-centered that I ignored the wisdom of the ages as I pursued my own self-destruction.
“The gift of problems taught me that obstacles are nothing more than a challenge that we face. Before this year, I looked at problems as something that was totally bad, something that had to be dealt with—or, better yet, ignored. But when you look at your problems through a spirit of love, you realize that there is a grand design to this world, and the problem is given to you for the lesson it will teach you and the better person it will make you.
“From the gift of family, I learned that families are present when love is present. People can become a family when they add love to their relationships. Without love, families are just a group of people who share the same family tree.
“The gift of laughter taught me that in order to love life, you have to enjoy it. And when you can laugh at the good things and the bad, you will begin to feel the love life really has to offer.
“During my exploration of the gift of dreams, I came to understand that life has been given to us with a sense of love for everything around us. Our passions and dreams and goals are the outward manifestations of the love we feel inside.
“Before I experienced the gift of giving, I thought that if you gave something away, someone else now possessed it, and you were left with less than you had before. In reality, when you give out of love, both the giver and the receiver have more than they started with.
“The gift of gratitude taught me that we can truly feel and experience love when we remember and enjoy all of the wonderful things we have been given.
“And, finally, from the gift of a day, I learned that if I only had twenty-four hours left to live, I would want to feel and experience as much love as I could and pass it on to as many others as possible.”
Jason paused and cleared his throat. I was just about to tell him that I heartily approved of his mastery of the gift of love, when he continued.
“If I were going to really try to define the gift of love in tangible terms, I would have to cite as an example what my Uncle Red did for me and what he gave me during this last year. When we truly love others, our love makes each of us a different person, and it makes each one we love a different person too.
“My Uncle Red’s love for me in giving me the ultimate gift forever changed my life and who I am.”
Jason rose to his feet and hugged Miss Hastings. He stepped around my desk and hugged me as well. He thanked us both for everything and let us know that he looked forward to staying in touch with us in the future.
As Jason put his hand on the doorknob, I stopped him by saying, “Just a minute, Jason. There is one more step in the ultimate gift that you don’t know about.”
FIFTEEN
 
THE ULTIMATE GIFT
 
In the end,
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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Stovall
is among the most sought-after motivational speakers anywhere. Despite failing eyesight and eventual blindness, Jim Stovall has been a national champion Olympic weight lifter, a successful investment broker, and an entrepreneur. He is the cofounder and president of the Narrative Television Network, which makes movies and television accessible for America’s 13 million blind and visually impaired people and their families. Although NTN was originally designed for the blind and visually impaired, more than 60 percent of its nationwide audience is made up of fully sighted people who simply enjoy the programming. The network’s programming is also available free of charge, 24 hours a day, via the Internet at
www.NarrativeTV.com
.
Jim Stovall hosts the network’s talk show,
NTN Showcase
. His guests have included Katharine Hepburn, Jack Lemmon, Carol Channing, Steve Allen, and Eddie Albert, as well as many others. The Narrative Television Network has received an Emmy Award and an International Film and Video Award among its many industry honors.
It has grown to include more than 1,200 cable systems and broadcast stations, reaching more than 35 million homes in the United States, and it is shown in 11 foreign countries.
Jim Stovall joined the ranks of Walt Disney, Orson Welles, and four U.S. presidents when he was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1994. He has appeared on Good Morning America and CNN, and has been featured in
Reader’s Digest
,
TV Guide
, and
Time
magazines. He is the author of previous books titled
You Don’t Have To Be Blind To See, Success Secrets of Super Achievers,
and
The Way I See The World
. The President’s Committee on Equal Opportunity selected Jim Stovall as the 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year. In June 2000, Jim Stovall joined notables such as President Jimmy Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Mother Teresa when he received the International Humanitarian Award.
Jim Stovall can be reached at 918-627-1000.

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