"After one month in this great place of learning, you must be able to explain to Mr. Hamilton-to his satisfaction-the fundamental key to all learning, education, and knowledge. Mr. Hamilton has all of the details and will give them to you as you need them. I wish you well."

Miss Hastings got up to retrieve the videotape as Jason asked in a bored but resigned tone, "Where do we have to go, and what do we have to do?"

As I stood and started walking out of the room, I said, "Jason, we don't have to go anywhere or do anything. We can stop this process right now, but if you want to continue, be at the airport, Gate 27, at seven in the morning. Bring your pa.s.sport, some summer clothes, and a good att.i.tude."

The next morning, we actually met Jason-luggage in hand-crossing the long-term parking lot outside of the airport. I called to him, "Jason-good morning. I'm surprised to see you here a half-hour before the plane leaves."

He laughed and said, "I thought I'd try to catch one without running a hundred-yard dash and squeezing in as they close the door."

Miss Hastings took my arm as we crossed the driveway toward the terminal. She whispered to me, "It may be small and slow, but it does seem to be progress, indeed."

Jason caught up with us and asked, "So, where are we going?"

I smiled at him and replied, "South America."

Jason stopped in his tracks and asked, "What university or graduate school is located in South America?"

Miss Hastings responded to his question cheerily, "I'm quite certain you have never heard of it."

Three flights later, we found ourselves in a rickety taxi, winding along a dirt road with dense jungle on either side. Eventually, we arrived at a dusty village with dirt streets and a few dilapidated buildings running along the edge of the jungle.

The taxi stopped in front of the largest building on the street, and we got out and retrieved our luggage. As the taxi drove off in a cloud of dust, Jason asked incredulously, "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

I laughed and replied, "Education and learning are where you find them."

We got settled into our three rooms in the modest but surprisingly comfortable hotel and agreed to meet in the lobby for breakfast the next day. I was very tired and fended off each of Jason's queries by simply telling him that the lesson would begin in the morning.

With the hectic day of travel behind me, I slept well and met Miss Hastings in the lobby, where she had already procured a table for us at the edge of what pa.s.sed for a dining room. Several moments later, Jason arrived, and we ate a quick and simple breakfast.

As I got up from the table, I said, "Jason, we're going to walk down to the end of this street. There's a building there where your education will begin."

Jason stood and sighed, saying, "I've come this far. I may as well see what my crazy great-uncle had in mind."

As we walked along the dusty street, the three of us must have made quite a conspicuous sight, as many of the local residents came out to look at us. There were many simple wood and sheet-metal structures, and as we got to the end of the street, the last building on the left was slightly larger and more modern than the rest. A sign over the door in both Spanish and English read, Howard "Red" Stevens Library.

When Jason spotted the name, he began to laugh and asked, "What is going on?"

As I climbed the three steps and opened the door, I said, "I think you'll find out what you need to know inside."

We entered the library and were greeted by a pleasant young woman at the counter. She spoke English very well as she greeted us and said, "I a.s.sume you are Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings."

I nodded yes, and her eyes brightened as she looked at Jason and exclaimed, "You must be Jason Stevens. We are very proud to have you here. Senor Red Stevens was a great man who helped all the people in our village."

I cleared my throat and said, "Jason, for the next four weeks, you will be a.s.sisting the librarian in her duties. You will have everything you need here to learn the lesson that your great-uncle wants you to learn."

Jason raised his voice louder than necessary and stated, "I may not have done well in school or learned much in college, but I can't believe that there is anything to be learned in this tiny place that I haven't had access to before."

Jason turned a complete circle as he surveyed the one-room library.

"This place is made up mostly of empty shelves. There's only a handful of books here," he observed.

The librarian smiled and explained, "All of the books are being read by people in our village and for miles around. Your great-uncle told us when he gave us this library that books don't do any good sitting on the shelf."

I told Jason that Miss Hastings and I would be leaving him to his work, but we would be checking in on him daily.

Over the next four weeks, I slipped into the pleasant lifestyle of the village. Miss Hastings and I took several side trips and had ample opportunities for sightseeing and the collection of native artwork. The people were all friendly and pleasant, especially as they learned that I represented their late, great benefactor Red Stevens.

As we checked on Jason each day, we discovered he was actually going about his task with more energy and diligence than I had expected. He became proficient at getting the books checked in and checked out rapidly, and he would often converse with the library patrons about the books that they had read.

As the last day of our scheduled trip arrived, I almost hated to leave the pleasant village. Everyone came onto the street to wish us well, and we departed in what seemed to be the same cab in which we had arrived.

After a hard day of traveling, we found ourselves back at the Boston airport, where we collected our luggage and walked toward the parking lot.

Jason hurried a few steps in front of us, turned to block our path, and said, "Hold it right here. I did everything that you said, I worked hard in the library, and I looked at every book they had in that d.i.n.ky little place. There was nothing new to be learned there. The only thing that I found out is that there are good and simple people who will get up hours before daylight and will walk many miles along mountain trails to get a tattered old copy of a book. The only thing I can honestly say I know now that I didn't know when we left here four weeks ago is that the desire and hunger for education is the key to real learning."

As Miss Hastings and I stepped around either side of Jason and moved toward the car, I called over my shoulder, "Congratulations, young man. I will see you in the office on Monday, and we will discover where we go from here."

Miss Hastings and I got our luggage into the trunk of the car, and as we drove through the exit of the airport parking lot, I could still see Jason rooted in the same place-no doubt thinking about the lesson we had all learned.

SEVEN.

THE GIFT OF PROBLEMS.

Problems can only be avoided

by exercising good judgment.

Good judgment can only be gained

by experiencing life's problems.

I will admit to having a sense of antic.i.p.ation the following Monday as I contemplated the possible direction of the next act in Jason Stevens' life drama. I marveled at how my oldest and dearest friend, Red Stevens, could reach out from beyond the grave to impact a young life.

At the appointed hour, Miss Hastings ushered Jason into the conference room and summoned me to our monthly encounter with destiny. Jason seemed to be more mature and confident than he had been just four short months earlier. He actually greeted both Miss Hastings and me as we began the next phase of our odyssey.

The image of Red Stevens materialized onto the large screen. He gave Jason his customary congratulatory salute for pa.s.sing the gift of learning milestone.

Red began in earnest. "Jason, life is full of many contradictions. In fact, the longer you live, the more the reality of life will seem like one great paradox. But if you live long enough and search hard enough, you will find a miraculous order to the confusion.

"All of the lessons I am trying to teach you as a part of the ultimate gift I am leaving you through my will are generally learned as people go through their lives facing struggles and problems. Any challenge that does not defeat us ultimately strengthens us.

"One of the great errors in my life was sheltering so many people-including you-from life's problems. Out of a misguided sense of concern for your well-being, I actually took away your ability to handle life's problems by removing them from your environment.

"Unfortunately, human beings cannot live in a vacuum forever. A bird must struggle in order to emerge from the eggsh.e.l.l. A well-meaning person might crack open the egg, releasing the baby bird. This person might walk away feeling as though he has done the bird a wonderful service when, in fact, he has left the bird in a weakened condition and unable to deal with its environment. Instead of helping the bird, the person has, in fact, destroyed it. It is only a matter of time until something in the bird's environment attacks it, and the bird has no ability to deal with what otherwise would be a manageable problem.

"If we are not allowed to deal with small problems, we will be destroyed by slightly larger ones. When we come to understand this fact, we live our lives not avoiding problems, but welcoming them as challenges that will strengthen us so that we can be victorious in the future."

Red Stevens paused and stared directly into the camera in a way that let us all know his conviction was borne through a life of experience in dealing with problems.

Red continued. "Jason, I cannot turn back the clock and allow you to deal with each of the problems in the past that I eliminated from your life when I should have given you the opportunity to deal with them yourself. If I could take us both back in time, I would, but now I am left with trying to teach you the value of problems, struggles, and obstacles.

"Since you have not had any experience in this area, you will have to learn quickly. There are problems heading your way that you are not prepared for. During the next thirty days, you will begin the preparation.

"This month, I want you to go out and find people with problems in each stage of life. I want you to find a child, a young adult, a full-grown adult, and an older person-each of whom is experiencing a profound problem. Not only are you to find these four individuals, but you must be able to describe to Mr. Hamilton the benefit or the lesson that is derived from each specific situation.

"When we can learn from our own problems, we begin to deal with life. When we can learn from other people's problems, we begin to master life.

"I wish you well, and I hope to talk with you again next month."

Even though the video had ended, Jason continued staring at the blank screen. He rose slowly and walked toward the door. As he opened it, he paused, turned back toward Miss Hastings and me, and said, "I will do my best and call you later."

Then he closed the door behind him.

Miss Hastings turned to me and said, "The process seems to be beginning to work. I am detecting a shift in his att.i.tude. What do you think?"

"I hope you're right," I responded, "because I have a feeling the road gets steeper the farther we go."

Once again I found myself waiting for Jason's call and hoping he was faring well. I felt the same way I did the first day I sent my son off to kindergarten. With three days left in the month, Jason finally called and set up an appointment with Miss Hastings for the following morning. Miss Hastings told me he had sounded very worried and unsure of himself. All I could do was hope for the best.

The following morning at the appointed hour, Miss Hastings ushered Jason into my office, got him seated, and pulled up a chair for herself. Jason sat silently, and as I looked at him, I had to admit he did seem very quiet and a bit apprehensive.

Finally, I said, "Well, Jason, it's good to see you again. I a.s.sume you have a report on your progress."

Jason glanced up at me and said, "I think I do."

He stared down at his hands, which were folded in his lap, and after a long pause, he slowly began. "Well, I knew I had to find people with problems from the four age groups. So I started by looking for a child. After almost two weeks-during which I was unable to find anything-I was so frustrated one afternoon, I just went for a walk in the park.

"I was feeling sorry for myself and considering that after all this work I was going to lose my inheritance and whatever this ultimate gift is that my Uncle Red has for me.

"Finally, I sat at the end of a bench, and I noticed at the other end of the bench there was a young woman watching a little girl playing on the swing. The woman told me she thought the little girl was really amazing, and in my depressed condition, I was not as kind with her as I should have been because I told her that I didn't see anything amazing about her six- or seven-year-old daughter playing on a swing set.

"She told me, 'First of all, I'm not her mother, although I wish I were. Second, she's probably the most amazing person I have ever seen in my life. I am a volunteer at St. Catherine's Hospital. I work in a program where we try to grant special wishes for terminal patients. Emily has a rare form of cancer. She has been through countless operations and has spent probably half her life in hospitals dealing with great pain. When we told her that we could try to make a special wish of hers come true, she said she would like a fun day in the park. We told her that many kids went to Disney World or ball games or the beach, but she just smiled and said, 'That's very nice, but I'd just like to have a fun day in the park.'"

"This woman went on to tell me that Emily had touched everyone in the hospital and had made a real difference in everyone's life. About that time, Emily stopped swinging and slowly walked across the gra.s.s and sat between the two of us on the bench. She turned to me with a smile I'll never forget and told me that her name was Emily and that this was her special day in the park. She asked me if this was my special day in the park too. I told her that I didn't think it was, and she laughed and told me that I could share hers with her.

"So, Mr. Hamilton, I spent the rest of the day in the playground with Emily. I realized that she has more courage and joy in her little seven-year-old body than any normal human being could possibly have.

"At the end of the day, she was very tired, and the young lady from the hospital had to take her away in a wheelchair. But, before Emily left, she told me that when she got back to the hospital, she would talk to the nurses and see if they could arrange for me to have a special day in the park too."

Jason paused and looked directly at me. He had a tear in his eye, and I must admit I was fighting to control my composure as well. Miss Hastings retrieved a box of tissues and said something about her seasonal allergies. We all sat in silence and thought about a young girl whose problem could affect us so profoundly.

Finally, Jason cleared his throat, wiped his eye, and continued. "Later that week, I found a middle-aged man walking down the sidewalk in front of my house. He spotted me getting into my car, so he smiled and walked directly over to me. He stuck out his hand and told me his name was Bill Johnson and that my car was one of the most beautiful cars he had ever seen. He told me that he was in the neighborhood doing odd jobs for people and that it would be a privilege to wash a car like mine.

"I asked him why he was out doing odd jobs, and he told me that through a series of corporate cutbacks, both he and his wife had lost their jobs and that they had three young children at home. Both he and his wife were doing anything they could to make ends meet. Apparently, they had gone through their savings, and they were making it just day to day on what they could pick up doing these jobs. I asked him what would happen if he didn't get enough money, and he just smiled and told me that there was always enough, and that the problem had created some interesting situations for their family. They were spending more time together than they had before, and their children had learned the value of money and work.

"He chuckled as he recounted an incident the previous week when they had no food other than a little oatmeal. He said he was just about to give up when he heard his wife explaining to their children that many of the pioneers in the Old West went for days at a time eating nothing but oatmeal. He told me that their two youngest boys would probably want to eat only oatmeal from now on, no matter how much money they ever had."

Jason paused for several moments, searching for the right words, and then he continued, "He went on to tell me about all the wonderful things that he and his wife and family were learning and doing together. He washed my car, and I paid him what he asked. I tried to give him more, but he wouldn't take it.

"Before he left, I told him that I was sorry for his situation. He just laughed that amazing laugh of his and told me that he felt like he was the luckiest man on earth-that in the whole world, he couldn't think of anyone he would want to trade places with."

Jason seemed deep in thought and finally said, "You know what's funny, Mr. Hamilton? As he was telling me that there was no one in the world he would trade places with, I was thinking to myself that in a lot of ways I would love to trade places with him."

Miss Hastings supplied the three of us with gla.s.ses of water. Jason took a sip of his and resumed his report.

"The next day, I was driving past the entrance to a cemetery, and I noticed the largest funeral procession I had ever seen. I didn't think anything of it, and later that day I was pa.s.sing back the same way, and out of curiosity, I thought I would drive through and ask one of the workers if it had been a celebrity or something. I drove through the cemetery, and the only person I could see was one very old man standing alone by a grave. Since the funeral procession I had seen had been several hours before, I a.s.sumed he was there on his own.

"I got out of my car and approached the old gentleman. When he heard me walking up behind him, he turned in my direction. I told him I was sorry for interrupting him, but that earlier in the day when I was driving by, I had seen the largest funeral procession I had ever witnessed. I told him I was just wondering if he might have known if it was a celebrity or superstar or something.

"He laughed softly and told me it had, indeed, been a celebrity and a superstar. He told me he knew that for a fact because he had lived with her for almost sixty years. Apparently, his wife had been a schoolteacher for forty years and had influenced so many of her students that literally hundreds of them had come in from all parts of the country for her funeral. So, he felt that made her a celebrity and a superstar, both.

"I told him I was sorry for disturbing him on what must be the worst day of his life. He just laughed that quiet laugh again and told me that his life would be different, but that no one who lived sixty years with his Dorothy could ever have a bad day. 'I was just standing here thanking Dorothy for everything she had done, and I had just promised her I wouldn't let her down.'"

Jason took another sip of his water, looked at both Miss Hastings and me, and continued. "That old man put his arm around my shoulder, and we walked out of the cemetery together. As I was getting in my car, he told me that if there was ever anything he could do for me that I was to call on him. I just sat in my car and watched him slowly drive away."

Jason seemed to have concluded his report at that point. I waited, but he did not continue, so I finally said, "Jason, you found a child who is living through one of the most difficult problems anyone could face with a joy that it is hard for me to understand. You found a middle-aged man and his family who are dealing with financial crisis while maintaining their sense of family and dignity. You found an older man who has taken a tragedy of death and turned it into a celebration of life. But, Jason, you were to have also found a young person with a problem."

Jason cleared his throat and finally resumed speaking. "Well, Mr. Hamilton, I know I was supposed to find a young person, and during the month I found several possible candidates, but I have to admit to you today that I couldn't find any young person who has learned as much from their problem as I have from mine. I have lived my whole life in a selfish and self-centered fashion. I never realized that real people have real problems. It always seemed that problems happened to people on the news or in the movies or something.

"But, thanks to you and my Uncle Red, I finally realized that I have been sheltered from problems, and that I have never learned the wonderful lessons that the people I met this month are learning. I finally know that joy does not come from avoiding a problem or having someone else deal with it for you. Joy comes from overcoming a problem or simply learning to live with it while being joyful."

Miss Hastings' allergies seemed to be acting up again at that moment, as she was dabbing at her eyes and nose.

Finally, Jason asked, "Do you think it will be okay if I serve as one of the four people I was supposed to learn from this month?"