When I was a young boy,

sometime in the mid to late 90’s, I presented my mother with a proposition. I asked if I could earn an allowance for doing house chores. She agreed, and informed me that with this new agreement, I was now responsible for putting my own money into the offering basket at church. Our agreement was $7 a week, and she explained the entire $7 was not mine to keep, I had to give 10% away.

I remember being confused

about the amount I had to give, and I remember her showing me how to move the decimals over to figure out the percentage. I was geeked, I’m earning my own money. The following Sunday I was so hyped to be walking up to the offering basket with my own money I decided instead of giving 70cents I’d give $1. In my mind what was the big deal? I still had $6, way more than I was giving. I remember feeling like it was a great deal, make some money, and give a small portion back. Little did I know that was the beginning of something greater. The same principle my mother taught me as a little innocent boy, is the same principle I live by today.

On that day over 25 years ago,

my mother gave me a life lesson on what giving is like. Although I didn’t recognize it then, not only was my life changed forever, but it was the birth of a project I would introduce to the world a quarter of a century later.

Giving is Like is my life’s project, a project from my heart and soul, given to me when I was just a little boy and I didn’t even know.

Thank you mom, for showing me what giving is like.