He just smiled that huge smile I came to know and love, and boomed, "So I thought the best lawyer in the world and the best oil man and cattleman in the world ought to get together."

It didn't seem to bother either of us that I was a lawyer fresh out of law school with no clients, and he was an oil man and a cattleman without any oil or cattle. It began that simply and grew into a longtime professional and personal relationship.

My thoughts of Red were interrupted when Miss Hastings stuck her head into my office and said that Jason Stevens was waiting for us in the conference room.

Red appeared on the video screen and said, "Well, Jason, you've made it through six months of this twelve-month project. I want to remind you that you've come a long way, but you have a long way to go, and if at any point your att.i.tude or your conduct does not meet Mr. Hamilton's expectations, we will end this journey immediately, and you will not receive the ultimate gift, which is the bequest I have left to you in my will.

"This month, you are going to learn about the gift of laughter. The gift of laughter I want you to learn about is not a comedian in a nightclub or a funny movie. It is the ability to look at yourself, your problems, and life in general, and just laugh. Many people live unhappy lives because they take things too seriously. I hope you have learned in the last six months that there are things in life to be serious about and to treasure, but life without laughter is not worth living.

"This month, I want you to go out and find one example of a person who is experiencing difficulties or challenges in his or her life but who maintains the ability to laugh. If a person can laugh in the face of adversity, that individual will be happy throughout life.

"At the end of the month, you will report to Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings about the individual you have found and what you have learned from him or her about the gift of laughter."

Red Stevens began laughing and said, "Someday, Jason, you will have to ask Ted to tell you about some of the laughable situations we got ourselves into in the olden days." As Red continued laughing to himself, the screen went black.

Jason asked, "What is he talking about, Mr. Hamilton?"

I smiled and replied, "That would, indeed, be for another time and another place, but for now, young man, it is time for you to get serious about the gift of laughter."

At that, Miss Hastings walked Jason out of the office.

Our firm's private investigator, Reggie Turner, discreetly followed Jason throughout the month. Reggie reported that Jason seemed to be going about his normal routine and did not appear to be showing any outward signs of exploring the gift of laughter.

On the last day of the month, Miss Hastings buzzed me to say that Jason had called and asked if he could stop by in the afternoon. I told her that would be fine, and she let me know that Jason had informed her he would be bringing someone with him.

At the appointed hour, Miss Hastings escorted Jason into my office along with another young man who was obviously blind. He wore dark gla.s.ses and carried a white cane. Miss Hastings seemed uncomfortable as she watched the blind man walk across the office, and I must admit to feeling a bit of apprehension myself.

"Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings," Jason said, "I'd like you to meet David Reese."

Mr. Reese held his hand out and said, "Long time, no see."

It took me a moment to overcome my anxiety and to be able to enjoy his humor. I shook his hand, and we all sat down.

"I met David on a commuter train last week," Jason explained. "We talked during the train trip and several times since, over the phone. He is simply the best example I can imagine of the gift of laughter."

David Reese blurted out, "Yeah, David told me that you guys needed a few laughs around here, so he dragged me in."

David turned his head to the right and said, "Boy, this is really a beautiful office."

"Thank you," I said and was about to tell him about my furnishings when I realized he had been pulling my leg. We all laughed.

I asked Jason, "What was it about this young man that made you believe he had the gift of laughter when you first met him on the train?"

David Reese cut in and answered, "It was my magazine trick, sir."

I smiled and asked, "Okay, what's the magazine trick?"

David Reese explained. "Some of the commuter trains are not as clean as they should be, so whenever the seats are dusty, people often sit on magazines. Since I can't tell when they're clean and when they're not, I always sit on a magazine. While Jason and I were getting acquainted on the train, a gentleman behind me, as people often do when they're looking for something to read on the train, asked me if I was reading the magazine."

At that point, Jason began laughing out loud and interrupted. "Right after the guy asked David, 'Are you reading that magazine? ' David stood up, turned the page, sat back down, and said, 'Yes, sir, but I'll be done before long.'"

When our laughter died down, I asked David how and when he developed the gift of laughter. He explained that he lost his sight early in life and had dealt with many struggles and challenges, not the least of which being people treating him poorly.

"Mr. Hamilton, sometimes in life, either you laugh or you cry," he said. "And I prefer to laugh."

I thought about David Reese and what a wonderful outlook he had on life. His gift of laughter had not only benefited him, but everyone around him, including me. I told Jason that he had certainly fulfilled the a.s.signment for this month.

As Jason walked with David Reese out of the office, David stopped, turned, and said, "Mr. Hamilton, I wanted to tell you before I left-I think that's a beautiful tie you have on."

I was halfway through thanking him for the compliment when I realized he had done it to me again. He and Jason could be heard laughing all the way down the hall to the elevator. Miss Hastings was laughing softly as well.

"So, what are you laughing about?" I finally asked her.

"Well, it is a nice tie," she replied.

TEN.

THE GIFT OF DREAMS.

Faith is all that dreamers need

to see into the future.

There are days when you can just feel in your bones that something extraordinary is going to happen. There are other days when the extraordinary things in life surprise you.

As I was waiting for Jason Stevens to arrive for his scheduled appointment, which would begin another month of discovery for both of us, I was standing at my window looking over the Boston skyline and thinking about Red Stevens. It is hard to feel the loss of someone you love when so much of that person remains with you all the time. There are people who have such a huge impact in our lives that they become almost a part of us. Red Stevens had that effect on me, and I know he had the same effect on many others.

There were, indeed, many days I wanted to pick up the phone and hear that gravelly voice with the West Texas accent boom back at me. But, somehow, I knew that I would never be without the good things that Red Stevens had brought into my life.

Red Stevens appeared before us on the large video screen at the end of the conference room. He was, indeed, a great man, and his greatness had manifested itself in every area of his life. Now he was attempting to pa.s.s that greatness on to his great-nephew.

"Jason, while you're sitting there, I want to take just a minute to thank Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings for agreeing to take on this yearlong project. I hope you'll remember that when you receive the ultimate gift that I have planned for you as my final bequest, the delivery of that gift will be due in large measure to the efforts of my dear friends Theodore Hamilton and Margaret Hastings."

Red seemed so lifelike on the big screen that I wanted to tell him that I was more than glad to do this for him, but I knew it wouldn't do any good to speak those words. Somehow I felt-in my own way-that he would know I was pleased that he had selected me to accompany Jason along this journey.

"Jason, this month you're going to learn about a gift that belongs to all great men and women-the gift of dreams. Dreams are the essence of life-not as it is, but as it can be. Dreams are born in the hearts and minds of very special people, but the fruit of those dreams becomes reality and is enjoyed by the whole world.

"You may not know it, but Theodore Hamilton is known far and wide as the best lawyer in the country. I know that performing at that level was a dream of his when I met him, and he has been living that dream for over fifty years. The dream came true in his heart and mind before it came true in reality.

"I can remember wandering through the swamps of Louisiana, dreaming about becoming the greatest oil and cattle baron in Texas. That dream became such a part of me that when I achieved my goals, it was like going home to a place I had never been before.

"I have been trying to decide, as I have been formulating this ultimate gift for you, which of the gifts is the greatest. If I had to pick one, I think I would pick the gift of dreams because dreams allow us to see life as it can be, not as it is. In that way, the gift of dreams allows us to go out and get any other gift we want out of this life."

Red paused for several moments and seemed to be collecting his thoughts. Then he continued. "Jason, the best way to introduce you to dreams is to acquaint you with some dreamers. I knew many throughout my life. I always considered my friendship with the dreamers to be a treasure.

"One of the first truly great dreamers I ever met in my life had a pa.s.sion to create places and things that would touch the imagination of people. This pa.s.sion was with him all the days of his life. He had his share of setbacks and failures as well as many detractors. I never saw him or talked to him at a time when he didn't want to share his latest project with me. He was in the habit of creating huge dream boards that he would hang on the wall and draw out the plans for each of his projects on.

"I remember that when he was on his deathbed, he had arranged to tack the plans for his newest project onto the ceiling of his hospital room. That way, he could continue to look at his dream as he constructed it in his mind.

"A reporter came to visit him while he was in the hospital, and my friend was so weak he could barely talk. So, he actually moved over and asked the reporter to lie on his bed with him so the two of them could look at the plans on the ceiling while my friend shared his dream.

"The reporter was so moved that a person would have that much pa.s.sion while dealing with a serious illness in the hospital. The reporter concluded his interview, said good-bye to my friend, and left the hospital.

"My friend died later that day.

"Please do not miss the point. A person who can live his entire life with a burning pa.s.sion for his dream to the extent that he shares it on his deathbed-that is a fortunate person. My friend had his dream with him all the days of his life. It continued to grow and expand. When he would reach one milestone of his dream, another greater and grander one would appear.

"In a real way, my friend taught a lot of people how to dream and imagine a better world. His name was Walt Disney.

"But let me warn you. Your dreams for your life must be yours. They cannot belong to someone else, and they must continue to grow and expand.

"I had another friend whose name you would not know. He said it was his dream to work hard and retire at age fifty. He did, indeed, work hard and achieve a degree of success in his business. He held on to that dream of retiring, but he had no pa.s.sion beyond that.

"On his fiftieth birthday, a number of us gathered to celebrate both his birthday and his retirement. This should have been one of the happiest days of his life-if his dream had been properly aligned. Unfortunately, his entire adult life had been spent in his profession. That is where he had gained a lot of his pride and self-esteem. When he found himself as a relatively young man without his profession to guide him, he faced the uncertainty of retirement. It was something he thought he had always wanted, but he discovered quickly it created no life-sustaining pa.s.sion for him.

"A month later, my second friend committed suicide.

"The difference between one dreamer who was still energized by his lifelong pa.s.sion while on his deathbed and another dreamer whose goal was so ill-fitting for his personality that he committed suicide should be apparent to you.

"Jason, it is important that your dream belong to you. It is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Your dream should be a custom-fit for your personality, one that grows and develops as you do. The only person who needs to be pa.s.sionate about your dream is you."

Red Stevens paused, cleared his throat, and seemed to mentally shift gears. He finally continued. "Jason, this month, I want you to begin experiencing the gift of dreams. a.s.sume everything is possible. Make a list of all the things you would like to do and be and have in your life. Then begin to prioritize that list as you discover the ones that generate the most pa.s.sion in your soul.

"At the end of the month, I want you to share a handful of those dreams with Mr. Hamilton. There are no right or wrong answers, and keep in mind your dreams will grow and develop through the years. What is more important than the dreams, themselves, is the process of becoming a dreamer.

"I wish you a life of pleasant dreams."

Red Stevens' image faded, and for a moment Jason stared down at his hands, which were folded on the conference room table. Finally he spoke. "I have never thought about what I wanted to do with my life. I guess I always felt that just existing and drifting through day to day was enough."

I stood up and began walking toward the door as I said, "Jason, this would be a good time to start dreaming, and there is no one better to learn the process from than Red Stevens. I look forward to your report at the end of the month."

I walked out of the conference room and left Jason there with his thoughts and-I hoped-his dreams.

I will never forget the day, more than three weeks later, that I sat across my desk from Jason Stevens as he shared the beginnings of his lifelong dreams. He began slowly, but gained momentum as he spoke.

"Well, in the beginning I had a huge list of things I thought I wanted to do or be or have. But I realized these weren't really dreams-they were things I could do now if I wanted to. I just hadn't taken the time or energy to do them yet. But when I thought about Walt Disney, several things came to me."

Jason paused for a moment. He looked from Miss Hastings to me and back again. I felt he was seeking encouragement. Miss Hastings smiled and nodded at him, and Jason seemed to gain confidence as he continued.

"Somehow, some way, I would like to be able to help deprived young people live a good life. I don't really mean poor young people. I mean young people who have not learned the power and the pa.s.sion and the values they can have that will make their lives worth living. Somehow I am going to do for other young people what my Uncle Red is doing for me."

Miss Hastings clapped her hands and replied enthusiastically, "Jason, that's exciting. I can't think of anything better you or anyone else could do with their life."

Jason looked toward me and asked, "Well, does that sound okay to you?"

I smiled and replied, "Jason, after forty years of working with Miss Hastings, I have learned one principle of survival. That is simply to always agree with her. And I do, indeed, agree with her. You have established a most worthwhile dream and goal for your life. Just be sure to remember both of your great-uncle's friends whose stories he shared with you, and keep your dream alive as long as you stay alive."

Miss Hastings walked Jason to the elevator, leaving me alone at my desk. I thought about my dreams and how they were still alive in my eightieth year, although I did vow at that moment to make sure all of my dreams stayed alive and continued to grow.

ELEVEN.

THE GIFT OF GIVING.

The only way you can truly get

more out of life for yourself

is to give part of yourself away.

I was amazed at the progress young Jason Stevens was making as we traveled through our yearlong lesson in life together. He still had a long way to go, but there was definitely a light appearing at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

As we sat at the conference table to begin our ninth month of this journey together, I noticed an amazing change in Jason's countenance, att.i.tude, and demeanor. I felt that he was actually looking forward to whatever Red Stevens had in store for him this month. I knew that I was.