Paying It Forward by Jeff Smith

My personal journey to giving dates to just after I was born. First, you must get to know my mom and dad, Betty and Charles Smith Jr., may they rest in eternal peace. My mom, a nurse, and my dad, a Tech Sgt. in the US Airforce, wanted to expand their family, but because of my mom’s hereditary blood disease that cut down the lives of both her mother and sister, curtailed her ability to have children. Yet, this didn’t deter my big-hearted parents.

They decided adoption was the way to go, and while stationed at Vandenberg Airforce Base in California, they got the ball rolling. Long story short, they adopted my brother and I from the local community. My brother and I couldn’t have been blessed with a better situation. The love and care we’ve been given in a word have been amazing. So much so, we didn’t even know we were adopted until we were in our mid-teens. That’s to say, we knew nothing but the normal experience that any biological child would know. To this day, my brother and I share an impenetrable bond, much like that of twins, due to our shared experience.

We had an instant doting older sister Penny, who was thirteen when we arrived on the scene, whom we also developed an immediate strong bond with.  I think about my Mom’s gentle loving spirit, the kind that never met a stranger and my Dad’s quick wit and infectious smile. Because of who they were and what they did for my brother and I, and perhaps themselves, I’ve felt a sense of duty to pay it forward. I could go on and on about my parents and family, and the selflessness, love, and humanity they embodied. Suffice to say, this is where my journey of giving began.

I feel my life is filled with blessings that largely begin with mine and my brother’s adoptions. I reflect fondly on summers spent at our home away from home at Hospitality Creek campground in New Jersey, fishing, swimming, riding our bikes, and toasting marshmallows around the campfire. I think about my parents and their many acts of generosity which include assisting family, friends, and strangers in need.  It’s often said that we take for granted the positives that exist in our lives, but for me, I often reflect on all the blessings I’ve been afforded. Thus, my family and I seek opportunities to give back and assist others along their journey.

Being a lifelong blood donor is one way I’ve found to pay it forward. I pay homage to my Mom by helping others like her who suffer illness or injury that require blood transfusions and other blood services. One final point is that my wife, Maria, and I believe that it’s our responsibility to teach empathy, charity, selflessness, and humanity to our children through our actions, just like our parents did! We believe that to whom much is given, much is expected. Find a cause that speaks to you and give unapologetically from the ♥.

-Jeff Smith

Digital Field Consultant