The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall is a lesser known book but the message in it sweeps across nations , cultures and creeds. It starts of rather tamely with an old man on his death bed wanting to hand over his legacy in the right hands rather than his good for nothing sons or covetous relatives. He finds a spark of what qualities he is seeking in his nephew, Jason Stevens, who at first comes across as a spoilt brat but with the 12 awesome gifts from his uncle, he is converted from a raw stone to a flawless, polished diamond.
Each of the 12 gifts are the true realities of our complex lives. The Gen X take everything for granted- n, family, friends, love, life, knowledge, work or money. Actually work is worship! No wonder it is said that ’an idle mind is a devil’s workshop.’ This book drives home the point so well. Take a daily wage earner for example-at the end of the day he has a smile on his face and relishes every morsel of his sparse meal and enjoys a full night’s sleep on the pavement, under a canopy of stars, whereas a tycoon is probably suffering from indigestion and insomnia in his palatial masion.
If I had my way I would make it mandatory for every youngster at the age of 20 should take a break from his/her studies and practice all these 12 gifts. Jason, the protagonist at the end of the book says.’ I am going to find a way to use every element of the Ulimate Gift and I am going to find a way to pass it on to deprived people who were like I was a year ago. I had no idea that the greatest gift anyone could be given is to give them awareness of all the greatest gifts they already have!