My mom, Mama Sandra, has always been one of the most generous people I know, to a fault. She always taught all her kids to be giving and generous and not to make it all about us or to hoard our gifts from others. Sometimes, she did this to the degree that I thought was maybe not so good for her but I always understood it.
How did she show us? Let me give you a few examples.
Example #1
When we were growing up, our house was where all the kids ended up. Us, our friends, strays – my mom took them all in! She didn’t care who’s they were (eventually, they all became hers) or where they came from, as long as they were safe and cared for. And she was known for this by all of our friends.
Example #2
My parents owned an inspection company in the early 2000s. We rapidly grew to a team of 18 people. As you can imagine, my mom looked at all of them and their families as members of our family. When it was vacation time, we ALL went on vacation – together. My parents would rent out two complete buildings at the beach and everyone, their families included, would stay there for a week. You can imagine what a bond that forged between everyone.
Example #3
That same work family also exhibited something I’ll never forget to this day. Around 2009 or so, we all remember the housing market just tanked. Our business was built on that industry and we took a nosedive as well. There came a point when we couldn’t afford to pay people because we weren’t getting paid.
What happened?
Everyone stayed. They stayed out of love and loyalty to my parents. They had been so generous to the team that there was no way that anyone was going anywhere without my parents. That continued for several months until we finally had to shut the business down. They were all more concerned about what would happen to my parents than their own welfare. That says more about my parents than anything I can think of.
There are so many other examples that I just can’t list here. Suffice it to say that my parents, spearheaded by the enormous generosity of my mother, are beloved to so many.
That’s a legacy that’s worth living for and leaving behind.
And that’s truly SMALL MAGIC.
