The CheckerBoard

No doubt.

As a little boy in St Louis, my first memories were of getting anything I wanted. My dad had a great job and I merely had to say "I want that!!" to the television...and soon enough I would have it.

My dad lost that job when I was 5, and we plunged to the opposite depth. We moved to a little town in northeast Arkansas while my dad scraped around for work. We went without power for a few months at one point, living by candlelight at night. The neighbor was nice enough to allow us to use their bathroom for hot water. We played charades and board games by day and hide and go seek at night. My first grade teacher, God bless her, sent me and my kindergarten brother home with new school clothes at one point. As bad as that was, I've seen worse. I knew a family living in an old school bus. Some incredibly great people, people that didn't know me at the time, helped us when we needed it. We wouldn't have had gifts for Christmas, haircuts for school, or many other things without the generosity of others.

I didn't realize how crazy of a swing in my life that was until years later. I believe this is where my heart for giving has come from. My brother, who has much less than I do, has spent this past year giving what he can. It has really changed him.

I've been blessed to be where I am now. I am lucky to have a wife who loves giving just as much as I do. It's flat out exciting to have that in my life.

As long as I can, I will volunteer in the community and give of what I can to others. After all, there may be that little Poli Rules kid out there that needs my help and I could change his future and life for the good.