I had bought four tickets to a summer concert for my husband, my two adult sons, and me. On the concert day, my sons became unexpectedly detained and both were unable to go, with their cancellation calls coming only an hour before the concert. I had feelings of disappointment from my unrealistic expectation that the evening should have been a wonderful family get-together, and I even blamed my sons for their thoughtlessness.
My emotions were misdirected and wrong, just as they always were before Program, but at least now I could recognize my foolish ways! I could and would certainly have a wonderful time with my husband at the concert and didn’t need to feel incomplete without my sons.
As I walked up to the ticket area, I saw two women scrambling for their wallets to buy tickets. I walked over, gave them the two extra tickets, and told them to simply enjoy the concert. They were totally amazed, almost scrutinizing the tickets I handed them, distrustful that they might not be real. They then insisted on paying for them. I explained it was a gift; no money was needed, to just join us and enjoy it.
Our new guests kept thanking us and saying over and over how thrilled they were to see the show for free. They confessed that they enjoyed it even more, knowing how the unexpected tickets seem to fall into their laps. It reminded me of the thrill I got when I walked in the FA room and saw that folks there were giving me a free gift to good health and happiness, unexpected and thrilling. They too wouldn’t accept money and just wanted me to enjoy the program.
At the evening’s end, as we left the hall, the singer announced that here would be a voluntary collection for her favorite charity. I noticed that our guests pulled out their wallets quickly to contribute, adding that since they hadn’t paid for the tickets, they felt even more grateful for the evening and wanted to give something back. I feel that way in FA too, whenever I respond by “giving back what we have so generously been given. ”Most of all, I feel like I got the golden ticket when I joined FA.