Jim Stovall - The Ultimate Gift Series

Photo courtesy of Rick Stiller

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jim Stovall is among the most sought-after motivational speakers in the world today. Despite failing eyesight and eventual blindness, he has been a national champion Olympic weightlifter, a successful investment broker, and an entrepreneur. He is the cofounder and president of the Emmy Awardwinning Narrative Television Network, which makes movies and television accessible for Americas 13 million blind and visually impaired people and their families.

Jim Stovall joined the ranks of Walt Disney, Orson Welles, and four U.S. presidents when he was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans. The Presidents Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity honored him as Entrepreneur of the Year in a ceremony at the U.S. capitol. He has appeared on Good Morning America and CNN and has been featured in Readers Digest , TV Guide , and Time magazine. In June 2000, Jim Stovall joined President Jimmy Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Mother Teresa when he was selected as the International Humanitarian.

He is the author of seventeen books, including the three previous titles in this series, the bestselling The Ultimate Gift , The Ultimate Life , and The Ultimate Journey . The Ultimate Gift has been made into a major motion picture by 20th Century Fox. The Ultimate Life and The Ultimate Journey are in production for films to be released in the future.

Jim Stovall can be reached at 918-627-1000 or via email at .

This book is dedicated to my grandparents, who left me with a legacy of hope and possibilities; my parents, who nurtured the legacy and presented it to me; and all of the great mentors in my life who have left me a legacy to share with others.

Praise for Jim Stovalls

The Ultimate Gift

The Ultimate Gift provides us all with a marvelous glimpse of life as it is and as it can be when we change our attitudes. Jim Stovall delivers an important message of hope and possibility.

Dr. Robert Schuller, ret. senior pastor, speaker, and author

A wonderful story. Needed wisdom for young and old alike. Written by one of the most extraordinary men of our era.

Steve Forbes, president, CEO, and
editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine

The Ultimate Gift was fabulous! Margie and I just loved it. This is going to make a major difference in our company.

Ken Blanchard, coauthor of
The One Minute Manager

I love this book. It touches my heart and soul deeply, profoundly, and permanently, and will yours too. Happy reading of The Ultimate Gift .

Mark Victor Hansen, cocreator of the
#1 New York Times bestselling series
Chicken Soup for the Soul

THE GIFT OF A LEGACY
Published by David C Cook
4050 Lee Vance View
Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook Distribution Canada
55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5

David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications
Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, resold, or distributed by or through any print or electronic medium without written permission from the publisher. This ebook is licensed solely for the personal and noncommercial use of the original authorized purchaser, subject to the terms of use under which it was purchased. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

This story is a work of fiction. Characters and events are the product of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.

LCCN 2013934367
ISBN 978-1-4347-0577-8
eISBN 978-0-7814-1081-6

2013 Jim Stovall

The Team: Don Pape, John Blase, Nick Lee, Caitlyn Carlson, Tonya Osterhouse, Karen Athen.

Cover Design: Amy Konyndyk
Cover Photo: iStockPhoto

First Edition 2013

INTRODUCTION

My dear reader, you have paid me the greatest compliment and given me the greatest honor by beginning the trip you and I will take together within these pages. Anytime someone like you is willing to invest their money and, more importantly, their time in one of my books, I feel gratitude and a tremendous sense of responsibility.

This effort represents my seventeenth book. Some of you are old friends who have shared many journeys with me through a number of my books, while others of you are new acquaintances who will be traveling this way for the first time.

My fiction career began with a very special novel entitled The Ultimate Gift, which became a major motion picture from 20th Century Fox and starred James Garner, Brian Dennehy, and Abigail Breslin. That story and those characters resonated with so many millions of people around the worldincluding methat I kept the characters alive in the sequel, The Ultimate Life . That story gave me, and my readers around the world, a deeper connection to Red Stevens, Jason Stevens, Mr. Hamilton, and all the other characters that made the saga come alive. Wanting to travel with those special people one more time, I wrote the novel The Ultimate Journey .

Now, knowing that all good thingsincluding storiesmust come to an end, we experience The Gift of a Legacy . This story, just like the first book, The Ultimate Gift , is told from the perspective of Theodore J. Hamilton. Rest assured that Jason Stevens will make his presence felt as he shares the wisdom he received from Red Stevens and passes it on to another in the form of a legacy.

I trust that this story, like the others, will be entertaining, challenging, and enlightening, but more importantly, I hope these characters and this message will travel with you every day of your life and that you will find these messages worthy of being a part of your own life and your own legacy as you live well and leave the best parts of your own wisdom behind to benefit others.

We human beings, in our own frailty, often believe we need to get outside of ourselves, and even outside of our community, in order to travel to a different land to find the things we seek. Only when we look inside can we begin to understand the ultimate gift, which allows us to appreciate everything in the world we have been given, both inside and outside ourselves. Once we find this balance, we can, in the words of Red Stevens, go home to a place we have never been before.

My wish for you is that all your dreams will come true, and as you stand atop the mountain, having reached each of your goals, you will accept that as an opportunity to dream bigger dreams, set greater goals, and leave a lasting legacy for those who will travel behind you.

Anytime you need to touch base with a fellow traveler, you can reach me at 918-627-1000 or . Im looking forward to your success.

Jim Stovall

2013

Other novels by Jim Stovall

The Ultimate Gift

The Ultimate Life

The Ultimate Journey

OUR LEGACIES

Every footprint that we take

Makes a change where we have passed.

Small things there beneath our heel