There are always two perspectives in any bestowing of tribute. One is from the perspective of the “bestoweee” … and the other from the “bestower”. My friend Dennis Welch decided, years ago, that his mother Patsy had the makings of the central character in a real life family drama. So he began a year-long research project that consisted of weekly Saturday morning interviews with her. Now those interviews have been documented in a wonderful book titled Rich People Shop Here.
The title belongs to the book’s signature story of Patsy’s parking lot speech to Dennis and his two brothers as they noticed that they were about to shop for school clothes at a local resale store.
There are always two perspectives … whether a family or business tribute. For Dennis the decision was that it was deserved and that there were stories and life lessons worth sharing. As the beneficiary of a principled life, he was inspired to honor her legacy in a special way. For Patsy, the tribute was equal to a lifetime achievement award … it went way beyond an off-the-shelf “thank you” or two-sentence note in a Mother’s Day card! Meaningful tributes come only from the heart. And a deepened love and endearment follows such an act of gratitude … in any work or life setting.
Just imagine if we, as business owners and leaders, were more cognizant of the two perspectives and the lasting mutual respect and love between the “bestower” and “bestowee”. Here are three things that Dennis learned from the commitment:
- True friendship and unconditional love are transformational.
- There is power in forgiveness and forgiveness is a choice we make.
- A sense of humor is vital to surviving tough times.
Dennis, congratulations on your achievement and thank you for sharing so eloquently and thoughtfully the “Patsy” stories. I speak from the perspective of knowing … you have to read it to believe it! Thank you Dennis and Patsy. To read it … www.richpeopleshophere.com .
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