One night, I went to visit that quiet man with my sisters. We started talking about life, and I told them one of my beliefs. I said that we must constantly give things up as we grow-our youth, our beauty, our friends-but it always seems that after we give something up, we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father spoke up. He said, “But, Curtis, I gave up everything! What did I gain?” I thought and thought, but I could not think of anything to say. Surprisingly, he answered his own question: “I gained the love of my family.” I looked at my sisters and saw tears is their eyes, along with hope and thankfulness. As for me, though, I disagreed. I thought to myself, “You are wrong, Father. You always had our love. What you really gained was the power to say those words; even in your pain, you think of others first.”