In the movie Pay it Forward, Haley Joel Osment plays a young boy who learns how to “pay it forward” by giving gifts to strangers as a result of receiving his own gift from a person he did not know. This wonderful gesture begins a series of events, where complete strangers positively change the lives of people they have never met. At first glance, this may seem very strange and not all that common. Looking deeper at it, I believe you will find that it is not as unique as you might first believe and it is in fact, imitated and copied by countless people throughout the world each and every day of the year.
In 1984, soon after our family moved into the home where our children were raised and we live in to this day, I planted two trees in our front yard. On the left, I planted a sugar maple in honor of our son and on the right, a red maple in honor of our daughter. I wanted these trees to grow along with them, serving as a daily, visual reminder of how their individual growth and development. I also realized that soon my children would grow up and one day leave this house where they spent most of their early, formative years. The trees, of course, would remain, serving as steadfast outposts, symbolizing to me and our family how much growth has taken place in just under 30 years.
I also came to realize that these trees represented a faith in the future. Maples take some time to mature and grow and these little twigs that I planted almost three decades ago have just reached the stage where they are now taller than our house. Well, at least the tiniest of their far-reaching branches have topped the roof of our home. It will be years before they will adequately provide adequate cover for that roof. In all likelihood, my wife and I will be retired and living in warmer climes by that time. The next owners of our house will enjoy the benefits of that shade in the backyard in about another decade. I knew I would never be able to sit under the shade of those trees when I planted them; but I hoped someone else would.
People invest in the future of someone else all the time. They do this when they take out a life insurance policy or pay for the education of their child. Strangers volunteer to work in soup kitchens around the world or when they coach a little league baseball team. Every year around Christmas time “secret Santas” pay for the gifts sitting in the layaway departments of stores around the country and the Salvation Army always reports on secret donations of thousand dollar bills left inside their kettles across the United States. People do this all the time.
My father in law, George Kennedy, was the true master of paying it forward. He would always think of the needs of others, from his wife to his daughter, to his many nephews and nieces and even to complete strangers. To this day, I think of him as St. George, not only for his ability to help those who most needed assistance, but for the kind way and demeanor he always exhibited. He truly planted forests of trees under which he knew he would never sit and his legacy lives on in the lives of the many people he helped and served. His forest is complete and it is still growing.
You can also plant your very own trees. Look around your individual corner of the world and see what needs to be done. Donate your time and efforts for the good of others and their future. It does not need to be a grand gesture, in fact, I think the best ones are those that no one ever discovers. In a magnificent homily about a year ago, one of our priests, Father Lamb, recalled one of his Lenten promises. He detailed how he had vowed to do a good deed for someone else without them discovering who was responsible. He also mentioned how difficult this was and how he had to start all over if the author of the good deed was uncovered. Now that is a Lenten promise worthy of copying!
It does not take a lot to locate your own tree and then plant it for someone else to enjoy. Along the way, you will also discover that just like George and Father Lamb, you will take joy in uncovering those trees and then planting as many as you can. You will learn that looking back on your growing forest is one of the greatest pleasures that can be found on your own little patch of ground. Start today and one fine day the shade of your trees will be enjoyed by your children’s children. Get started, our future depends on you.