The Spoken Word "Pass It on!"
Given by Lloyd D. Newell
March 1, 1998
Life's true
treasures are those we can share with
others without
ever reducing our own supply.
Traits like
kindness, courage, and happiness
have no expiration
dates. They can be
transferred
from life to life and shared from
generation
to generation, with each new
reflection
further brightening the world.
Among the
most ennobling aspects of the human
family is
our ability to share what we feel and to
teach what
we know. By sharing the things that
have enriched
our lives, we make the world a
better place.
Through explanation and example,
we can increase
our own joy by offering it to
others. As
on expressed it: "Have you had a
kindness
shown? Pass it on!"
The inherent
powers of kindness, courage, and
happiness
lie in their ability to reproduce
themselves
when shared. Even the simplest acts
of generosity
and goodness may be amplified by
grateful
human hearts until they reach eternity. In
ever-widening
ripples--like those that silently
spread after
a rock is thrown into still pond--the
influence
of doing good to a single individual
may expand
in every direction.
By passing
on the best that we know and the
best that
we are, we are changing the
world--sometimes
even during our daily
routines.
A new mother gently rocks her baby to
sleep with
a lullaby she learned from her
grandmother.
In snarled traffic a patient driver
allows someone
to merge, and that car's grateful
driver extends
the same courtesy to others.
Members of
a family extend the same warm
welcome they
received when they moved into
the neighborhood
to the next new arrivals.
Each day we
have the chance to blaze trails of
character
and compassion that our families can
follow. Each
day we can share our happiness
with friends
and offer kindness to strangers. And
each day
we can be courageous and patient in
enduring
our trials. Ultimately, what we pass on
to others
will outlive us.
We become
architects of eternity when we live
the present
moment well, using unselfish hands
to share
lasting values and to create timeless
memories.
Some of life's most enduring and
inspiring
gifts will forever bless the lives of others
if we will
simply remember to pass them on.