Paid In Full

“If you have only one smile in you give, give it to the people you love.” 

~ Maya Angelou

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.”

~ Charles M. Schulz

One day a little boy found his mother in the kitchen fixing dinner and slipped her a piece of paper. She dried her hands on her apron, and took a minute to read it. This is what it said:

For mowing the lawn: $2.00
For cleaning my room this week: $2.00 For going to the store for you: $1.00 Baby-sitting my brother while you were out: $2.00 Emptying the Garbage: $1.00 For getting good grades on my report card: $5.00 For raking the yard and picking it up: $2.00Total owed: $15.00
For every night I stayed up with you when you were upset or sick, held you and prayed for you: No Charge
For all the difficult times and my tears: No Charge
For all the nights I worried about your future and what was ahead: No Charge
For your shelter, food, clothing, toys and even wiping your nose: No Charge

When the mother was finished reading the note, she stood there and looked at him. He could see memories of these events flashing through her mind. She picked up a pen and pad of paper and wrote the following:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside of me: No Charge

She said, "Son, when I add up all of the cost, my love for you is No Charge."

After the boy finished reading his mother's note, big tears welled up in his eyes. He looked straight at his mother and said. "Mom, I sure do love you." The son then took the pen and his mother's note and wrote in big words, "PAID IN FULL."

“PAID IN FULL” aren’t those the greatest words? Don’t we all strive to hear that our debts are paid in full? Sometimes we may act like the little boy and only think of the things that WE give in our relationships and in our businesses. We are so concerned in our lives with what WE are doing and what WE are getting and often don’t think of the sacrifices others make for us so that we may be happy and succeed in life.

There is nothing greater than a mother’s love; and nothing greater than unconditional love from a family member or true friend. I hope you have these types of relationships in your life. I hope you are richer than you could ever imagine and I hope you aren’t keeping “score” of what you are doing for others but rather I hope you are making note of what others have done for you so that you can give someone the peace and joy of knowing their bill has been “PAID IN FULL”.

As Valentines approaches, I hope you will be able to embrace the true spirit of Valentine’s Day, not gorging yourself with chocolate and roses but bringing happiness and hope to others. Valentine’s Day is often thought of as a day to celebrate love between two people. More importantly than that, it is a day to celebrate love for your fellow man. We all know someone who needs to feel the warmth and love of a friend. Be that friend. Tell someone you care about them. Tell someone you are thinking of them and give them a reason to know that their debts have been “Paid in Full”. If you do, you will be much richer than any bill you can issue and I know our community will be better because of it.

P.S. – If you haven’t done so, now is a great time to go out and shop with our local retailers to pick up those last minute Valentines. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you forget!