Gerald Nizbit’s day took a strange turn when he found his mother’s will. The document that his lawyer sent to him by mistake told him a shocking truth: his 62-year-old mother, Edith, had left her entire wealth to his siblings Amy and Oliver.
Gerald, a wealthy investor, felt lied to. He called his lawyer right away, then Margaret Pratt, and finally his mother. He spoke in a strong voice, “Mother, I need to talk to you.” “Pack your bags, you’re leaving my residence immediately.”
Gerald had been taking care of Edith’s pain while she lived with him. She was shocked. She thought her youngest son would understand why she made the choice she did. She had tears running down her face as she packed her bags.
Edith tried to explain when Gerald got home, but he cut her off. “We’ll discuss this later, Mother.” As they drove, they didn’t say a word to each other.
As they got closer to a private airport, Edith’s worry grew. She asked him, “Where are we going, Gerald?” but he didn’t answer.
Gerald didn’t tell them what he really wanted until they got on a fancy private plane. “Mother, I’m taking two weeks off to go to Tahiti. The warm weather will help your pain, and I need to spend time with you.
Edith’s sad tears turned into happy tears. She got Gerald’s behaviour wrong because she thought he was mad about the will.
As they flew through the sky, Gerald told her that the old house, his grandfather’s war photos, and his dad’s watch were the things that meant the most to him, more than any money.
Edith learnt an important lesson from this touching experience: don’t guess what other people are thinking based on your own worries. Gerald did what he did out of love, not anger.
They became closer during their two-week trip to Tahiti, and Gerald even met a cute New Yorker. Edith knew that her secretly favourite son, her youngest son, would love the family treasures.
As this story shows, real value is not in the price tag, but in the heart. Unexpected acts of kindness can bring us closer to the people we love.
