A Lesson Learned the Hard Way
By Marnie Pehrson
SheLovesGod.com

My great uncle wanted to make a point. He could have given equal portions to all his heirs. He could have given double portions to those who visited him. Instead he chose to give all to those who took time for him. 

Yesterday my parents, sister's family, and my family gathered to celebrate my husband's birthday. My mother brought a copy of her uncle's will. She had just taken it from the mailbox on her way to our house. My mother is required to sign stating that she will not contest the will even though she is not one of the beneficiaries. The uncle had no living children, so he left his large estate (which no one was aware he had) to a handful of nieces and nephews who had taken the time to visit him in his later years. Each attentive heir received a 6-figure portion, while those who had not visited him received nothing.

My mother, who is totally devoted to her own children and harbors a passion for family history said, "I should have been as concerned for the living as the dead." The rest of us couldn't help but feel her plight -- had she just taken the time to visit her uncle, she would have been among his heirs.

I learned two important lessons yesterday.

First, be genuinely happy for others in their good fortune. My mother's brother was one of the beneficiaries. Rather than speak ill of the dead or those who had been blessed with inheritance, my mother was genuinely happy for her brother. She literally rejoiced that her now-retired brother would not be limited to his fixed income. As for herself, she looked on the bright side and said, "Well, now I don't have to worry about deciding what to do with the money."

What's the second lesson? Hang around your old relatives who are dying. They might put you in their will? No, that's not it. My great uncle wanted to make a point. He could have given equal portions to all his heirs. He could have given double portions to those who visited him. Instead he chose to give all to those who took time for him. The lesson is don't get so wrapped up in your own life that you neglect others. Reach out to extended family, friends and loved ones. Give and you shall receive. Sow and you shall reap. You may not reap a 6-figure inheritance, but the good you sow will eventually be harvested, and you never know from where.

 Marnie L. Pehrson (706/866-2295) is an Internet strategist and writer who helps professionals and consultants economically achieve bottom-line results online. She develops tools that give her clients fresh informative content and easy ways to market & control their sites without knowing a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo. Reach her projects through http://www.pwgroup.com or email her at mailto:marniep@pwgroup.com.

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