Dare to Share

I watched a video today that gave me chills. It was about a man and his relationship with his father. (Hmmm, pretty appropriate since Father’s Day is Sunday) Anyway, as a youth, the boy wasn’t proud of his father. He thought he was poor and didn’t have a great job and wasn’t all that great. When he got older, he didn’t have much time for his father and vowed he would be a better man than his dad by having a better job and making more money. Once his father died, the young man found letters addressed to him where his father had made donations in his name to a hospital. When he was young, the man’s father tried to get him to understand how important it was to give. However, the young man didn’t understand exactly what his father meant, until he found the letters and made a visit to the hospital. I thought the video was touching, but it was also disheartening. Why?

I loved what the father was trying to teach his son. How the gift of giving can change a person’s life. But, it was sad that he didn’t share what he was doing with his son while he was growing up. I think his son could have gotten a lot out of the lesson if he’d been able to share what his father was doing. His father had given his time and his money to the people at the hospital. He volunteered and even inspired a young man to keep going when all he wanted to do was give up on life. He made a difference. Unfortunately, the young man realized how great his father really was after he passed away. The video reminded me of how it’s too late, once a person dies, to share those amazing lessons and the wonderful parts of life.

Life is too short for us not to share our stories and our lives with one another. What may be a trial or tribulation in your life, may actually give someone else insight or a way for them to cope or deal with a situation they are going through. So many times people live their lives closed off from the people closest to them. They fail to share the things that mean the most or even to share how they feel about one another. Many never get the chance to say the things they really need to say. Maybe it’s pride or maybe it’s the fact they’ve never learned how to communicate. Regardless, we should feel comfortable enough to be able to share our feelings and also all of the great things that are happening in our world. You never know, you could be the catalyst for someone. You could be their inspiration. Don’t be afraid to share. I dare you.