Special People Give Extra, Get Extra

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias , Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ExtraGumMoments

We all know people who always give extra to impact us. One of the people in my life who have always given extra is my friend Joe. When I was a teenager, he worked at a local church as the youth pastor. He was an old family friend, but for some reason, he took the extra time to go out of his way and spend some time with me.

Knowing that I liked football and baseball cards, one day Joe came over and we looked through his old collection and the ones that I had managed to collect up to that point. That day was special to me as a kid, since I don’t have an older brother and never had that kind of bonding time. I immediately knew there was something different about this guy and his wife, and I started attending their church youth group.

Since that first day, Joe hasn’t stopped giving extra. Although his “job” was to teach the Bible to a group of youth in the local church, he did so much more than that. Joe and Lisa have always been there not just for me but for the other dozens of young people who were involved in that little youth group.

They would go above and beyond, stopping by my house to pick me up for special activities, showing up at my sports events, and even playing basketball with me when that was a major interest in my life. I learned a lot from them about going the extra mile for others.

Not too long ago, a bunch of my friends from that youth group were chatting about how Joe and Lisa had always done special things to make us feel loved and accepted. Each one of us has a special story to tell about how they impacted our lives. It dawned on me that I wasn’t the only one who had seen how special this family is to us.

I want to especially thank Joe and Lisa for their constant impact on my life. To this day, I remember them as being extra special. So for Thanksgiving, I’m sending them an Extra Gum thank you. Plus a gift card so they can enjoy a meal together.

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Is there someone in your life that has given extra? Send them a note with a pack of gum to let them know you think they are special!