By Claire Carmona

I met John while working as a server after graduating college. It was 2008 and the market was bad. I had also just lost my grandfather, and John was the surrogate God gifted me to help with the healing process. John was a regular and tipped very well. He also never finished his first glass of tea or complained. He was a delight, and I was very pleased when he started asking to sit in my section.

I quickly learned he was a retired physician and a cradle Episcopalian looking for a church. We bonded over faith, and soon after, he started inviting me to lunch. He would always pay, and often he would bring me what he referred to as his "old" phone, tablet, laptop, or smart watch as a gift—because he always bought the newest upgraded technology as soon as it was available. I tried to protest, but he knew that his "old" tech was much newer than what I was using to study for the LSAT. He insisted on gifting regularly. He also tithed and included his home church in his will.

Over the years, I came to understand that John's greatest gift was not the objects he gave me, but the witness of his life. He modeled generosity not as a single act but as a way of living. His overflowing joy, like a child on Christmas morning, was the fruit of a lifetime of giving. Every Christmas and birthday, John gifted me with financial support that was essential on my journey to becoming an attorney. These gifts were substantial and consistent. When I was struggling in law school and made the difficult decision to stop commuting an hour each way, John was there again with a gift that made my journey possible.

I tried to thank him many times, but he would brush me off and in turn express his gratitude for the blessings God has given him throughout his life. I didn't understand it then, but I see now that he was doing something far deeper than being kind to me. He was teaching me that generosity is a way of living. He was showing me that when we give to one another, we are celebrating and giving thanks to God. Every gift was a step forward in his spiritual journey, and by receiving his gifts with grace, I was beginning my own.

Once I understood generosity as a journey rather than an act, everything changed. I stopped asking, "How much should I give?" and started asking, "How is this helping me grow as a person?" I have a long way to go, and I'm grateful I do. The more I walk this path, the more I discover what John already knew: that we are meant to grow in love and giving throughout our lives, never settling, always becoming more fully the generous people God made us to be. I've also learned that generous living is not just about money. It's about how we see and serve the world. In these difficult times, it's so important to give what we have to give, including our time and talents.

In what ways can giving a gift show that you are grateful for what you've been given?