Readers made it happen.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Steve O’Brien’s novel, Elijah’s Coin, are directed to a non-profit, The Elijah’s Coin Charitable Foundation. The Foundation has recently selected four worthy organizations for financial support.

Youth Leadership Foundation programs are founded on Four Pillars of Success: Challenging Academics, Character Formation, Personal Mentoring and Parental Involvement.  The goal of each of these pillars, through YLF’s well- rounded academic and character programs, is to teach students the basic human and Christian virtues that will guide them on a stable moral path.

Mentoring Today serves youth both before and after they are released from incarceration to support their successful reintegration into their families and community.  Mentoring Today’s advocates and mentors help youth with critical issues such as education, employment, and housing as they enter adulthood.  Through these comprehensive, client-centered services, Mentoring Today strives to improve the juvenile justice system and empowers young people to recognize their dreams and realize their aspirations.

Life Pieces to Masterpieces has identified effective, innovative, and replicable strategies that have resulted in a dramatic improvement of the early childhood and youth development experiences of young, underserved, African American males living in the nation’s capital. Each day, the mission is actualized through the use of unique and effective four-part Human Development System which are called LPTM basics. This system is the foundation of the arts-based curriculum that guides all of the programming.

Latino Student Fund provides opportunities for a strong academic foundation for PreK-12 students of Hispanic descent to promote higher education and professional leadership. The LSF Tutoring Program provides free academic support through individualized tutoring for Latino students from the Washington, DC metropolitan area in all areas of academic learning. The LSF provides financial aid and education-related support through the Scholars Program.

The message of Elijah’s Coin centers on “giving to get.” Buyers of the book know that a portion of the sale price funds programs for disadvantaged youth, so by buying they are involved in the gift of giving automatically.

To all the readers of Elijah’s Coin and to the organizations recognized above, your friends at A&N Publishing say Thank You.

The silver Cadillac purred down the asphalt. Dad was a car guy. He bought a new Cadillac every two years, whether we needed it or not. He was a 21^st century cowboy. A good day for dad was jumping into his car and driving several hundred miles. It was about freedom. It was about independence.

Morning would bring opening day for grouse hunting season. This year, having turned the ripe old age of 13, it was my turn with dad. Hopefully, we’d have our limit by noon, snap on the radio for the football game and just hang with dad’s hunting buddies.

The posted speed limit was merely a suggestion. Straight north, the two lane highway from Taylor to Bassett was 60 miles through rolling sandhills. The road barely curved. Our journey would be interrupted about half way by a general store and post office tucked off the side of the highway. The town was named Rose. It had to be named for a person, because a delicate flower was nowhere to be seen. If you blinked or looked left, you missed the whole town. There was never a reason to slow down for Rose.

In this part of the country, you could drive for several miles without even seeing another vehicle. If you did, it was customary to wave. Not an exuberant hand motion, just lifting the hand casually from the top of the steering wheel and flashing a mitt of fingers. Invariably, the wave would be returned. It was a throwback to the covered wagon days, I figured—two travelers in opposite directions having a brief encounter as their paths crossed. A courtesy of the travelling clan, long since abandoned.

The road was lined with windswept ditches of white sand and sage brush. Occasionally a tumbleweed the size of a small child would get its courage up and spring onto the road. The constant gusts of wind ensured its safe passage across the highway. Unless an unfortunate one got trapped under the front bumper of a speeding vehicle, they were harmless and nature’s way of marking time.

Just beyond the ditches were the barbed wire fences. This was cattle country. The ranches so large, you rarely saw a cow. The fence was the law of nature and the law of man. Fence posts were unique and uniform at the same time. They were built from rough hewn wood, not fabricated posts. Limbs cut right off the tree. Fence posts were valuable, trees were sparse. Five or six feet long and securely pounded into the terrain. Three lines of taut barbed wire linked the posts together. Every several miles a fence post would be marked with an upside down cowboy boot. Sometimes several boots consecutively. The boots were worn to the point they had to be replaced and the marking was significant only to the person who had left them.

The fence ran for miles without a break, until a county road forced a separation. In a flash the fence continued, occasionally interrupted by a sand and dirt entrance to one of the ranch houses. Large overhead signs identified by symbols marked the ownership. The Lazy L Ranch, RDT Ranch, XOX Ranch. The brand meant ownership. The brand meant independence.

The rules for neighbors were simple. Property lines were sealed by handshakes generations before and memorialized by barbed wire. Legal documents weren’t necessary. Justice did not require a lawyer, a judge or a courtroom. Justice was swift. Justice was self help. Neighbors knew right from wrong and would nod along with the solution as willing jurors.

Just as justice was swift, so was compassion. This country was still man versus Mother Nature. In the daily battles, Mother Nature continued to win her share. Emergency services were a luxury not to be afforded. Neighbors helped. The mention of a trip to town meant, “Can I get you anything?” Sometimes a neighbor would drive the several miles around the fence just to drop by. Invitations weren’t needed. If you noticed a neighbor’s fence was down or damaged, you didn’t call and report it. And you sure as heck didn’t just drive by. You stopped and fixed it. If it required parts and materials in your pickup, you just used them. You didn’t send an invoice, and unless specifically asked, it was never mentioned. With neighbors here you just knew that “it would all even out in the end.”

I stared out the passenger window watching the fence posts go by—thwack, thwack, thwack—mesmerized by the faint sound of the airflow. We would drive for long stretches without a single word. I could tell he was looking at me.

“What’re you doing?” he said.

“Nuthin,” I said as I continued to watch the fence posts. Anthropologist had determined that the word had multiple and varied meanings ranging from “I don’t want to talk about it” to “I was thinking about something I don’t want to share with you,” to simply “I’m not doing anything.” Mine was the latter.

“You know what you see between the fence posts, don’t you?”

“Nuthin.” This time I meant it.

“Focus on the fence posts as we go by.” We continued flying down the highway. I watched the fence posts—thwack, thwack, thwack. “What do you see?” he asked.

“I don’t know…after a while you can’t see the fence posts. You just see the flash of them going by. It’s kind of like a sideways movie.”

“Yep.” The car dipped and rose slightly like a ship rolling on choppy waters. “So, do you know what’s between the fence posts?”

I watched in silence. “I give up.”

“Life.”

“Life?”

“What you see between the fence posts is life. The fence posts are just posts.”

“Right,” I chuckled. He was always pulling my leg. I looked over at him and he seemed serious. “I don’t get it.”

“You will.”

We blew through Rose, not decelerating a bit. The post office flashed by, one car parked alongside the building. In two seconds the fence posts were back. What was he talking about? Life?

“The fence posts are just posts,” he said, responding to my unasked question. “They are the people you will meet in your lifetime. The space between the posts represents your interactions with them. That’s life. It is like a sideways movie.” We drove on in silence.

An orange red dot appeared in the distance. It had to be a pick up truck. That was all you encountered on the roads out here. The heat rising up from the asphalt made water appear on the surface. The pickup was traveling at high speed, as were we, yet it took an eternity for it to reach us. Growing ever larger as it drifted in and out of my imaginary reservoir on the road. It gained form and definition as it approached. Then swoosh, it went past. Dad waved. The guy in the cowboy hat waved back.

“Think about your fence posts,” he said. “Your interaction with them will be your life. Are you keeping up maintenance on your fence? Are the holes deep enough to last through several winters and summers? What kind of wood are your posts made of?”

We drove on. Twenty minutes to Bassett.

That was the end of the conversation. I understood without understanding. It haunted me at first, then as with all things, time ground the sharpness of the concept to a whisper.

Dad died last year.

In a flush of emotion the conversation slammed back into me. He was right and I was stupid not to have seen it all these years.

At the funeral hundreds of friends appeared, some traveling thousands of miles. All assortments of people, high school chums, college roommates, neighbors, business associates, even the guy who ran the gas station. They told me endless stories of his kindness and friendship. They shared tales of his youth that fathers usually don’t tell their sons. Though it was a day of good byes, we smiled, laughed and cried at the reception following. People I had never seen in my life squeezed me tightly. As if by hugging me, they were able to touch him one last time. They didn’t want to let go. That’s when I got it.

Life.

These were his fence posts. Alone they were just posts. They were just people on the street, faces in pictures, anonymous creatures with curious and irrelevant actions that interrupted my urgent daily tasks. They were just people, until you slowed down the sideways movie. Only then you could see the fence posts.

With my father, these fence posts became life. The stories, the tears, the laughs, the handshakes, the hugs, the kisses, those were life. It was never about the fence posts. It was always about what’s in between.

I was humbled by what he had built. Not a profitable business, though he did that. Not an enduring close-knit family, though he did that. Not a robust financial statement, though he did that.

Dad built a life that, on that day, and for the rest of my days, would cause me to examine my own.

He tended his fence well.

The elderly woman looked down at the young boy seated at the solid maple table.  They were in the breakfast nook.  Sunlight filled the room and shadows from the flowered branches of the dogwood tree danced and bobbed on the table.  A magnifying glass covered the Sunday paper which was strewn across the table.  A clock on the wall measured time with oaky sounding clicks.  Her aluminum and plastic cane rested against the armrest of her chair.

“Each day you have a challenge,” she said.  “God puts people in your path.  There is someone each day that needs your help.  It should be the first thing you think about when you get up.”

The boy shifted in his seat.  At age seven the world was an easy place.  Time was not a villain.  He was protected by love and generosity.  There was no urgency.  There were no pressures.  There were only opportunities and days of grace.  He pushed the plate that contained remnants of scrambled eggs and toast with rhubarb jelly.  He tugged on the napkin below the table and listened.

“Every day,” she continued.  “Every day there is someone you must help.  They need you.  It could be a family member.  It could be a friend.  On some days it will be a complete stranger.  But God puts them in your path.  Then he watches to see if you notice-if you help.”

He looked at the steely and certain eyes of the woman.  They were surrounded by the wrinkles of experience.   Ripples of skin closed in on the lips as if they were going to tighten and seal her mouth.  Her hair had long since lost its radiance.  Now merely shades of whites and grays.  Time had exacted its inevitable toll on her body, but the mind remained sharp.  It still drew in facts and sorted them into perfect mental compartments for rapid retrieval.  The body was weak, but the mind raced forward regardless.

“What am I supposed to do?” he asked.

She considered him for a moment.  He was getting it.  “You never know.  Each day and each person will never be the same twice.  Some may need you to listen, some may need a favor-something you can do, some may need directions, but you are chosen because you,” she pointed at him with a tender and trembling finger. “are the one who can help the situation.  You are the one selected in advance to be of assistance.  But you must find them.  You have to be aware.  You have to be looking.  If you are not paying attention, you might walk on past them and never notice.  Don’t miss them.  Each person is at a critical stage in their day, or in their life.  You have to be watching.  You have to be attentive.”

“What if I can’t see it?”

“You must look carefully.  They will be there.  It is a daily test you cannot fail.  They are counting on you.  If you look carefully, you will see them.  And with experience, you will know what to do.”

“I’m just a kid.  What can I do?”

She smiled.  Sixty years before she had heard the same message, from her grandmother and she practiced it, some days better than others, but it was the first thing she thought about each day.  It was a daily mystery, a daily challenge.  Can you spot them?  Can you help?  “If you do this, you will be doing what is required of you.”

He nodded.  He didn’t understand, but he knew it was important.  He would do it, because she asked.  At least he would try.

“You are part of the solution,” she said.  “You are part of the puzzle.  The piece that makes the others fit together to make the wonderful picture on the box.”

“If I do this, what do I get?”

“You never ask what you get.  You don’t need to think about it.  This is your job.  God determines what you get.  And it will be better than you could ever imagine.  You cannot dream big enough to know what your reward will be.  You don’t get to pick.  It isn’t like a carnival game where you win and pick a stuffed animal off the shelf.  You don’t do it for the stuffed animal.  You do it because it is part of you.  With practice you become better and the rewards become greater.  With practice it becomes second nature.  The world rewards you in ways you’d never think of on your own.  You will live a meaningful and important life.  You will get all the riches and blessings you deserve.”

He looked down at the napkin.  His fingernails dug nervously at the edges.

“Your life isn’t about you,” she continued.  “It isn’t about what you get.  It is about what you give to others.  The difference you make in lives that are close to you and lives of those you merely pass by each day.  Be watchful.  They are out there.  Your challenge lies before you each day.  Don’t let God see you turn away.  If you find the person and help, He will smile down on you.  If you are thinking only of yourself, only about what you want, you will miss it.  Some days there will be many who will need your help.  But every day there will be one.  Don’t miss it because you are looking at the ground in front of your steps.  Don’t miss the chance.”

And she was right.  Each day the boy searched for the one chosen for him to help.  Many days he found them.  Some days he went to bed knowing that he missed it–he had failed that day.  Before drifting off to sleep, he vowed to do better the next day.  Each day was a mystery that only he could solve.  When he was careful to look, he always found them.  Most days the task was simple–some days quite difficult.  But there was one each day, just as he had been promised.  Also, as he had been promised the rewards were beyond his belief and greater than he could ever have imagined.  The concept was simple.  The execution was messy and uncomfortable at times.  But it was his job, his duty–one that became easier each day, and one he willingly searched for.  It was the first thing he thought about in the morning.

Now it was his turn.  He looked over at his son in the blue baseball cap, holding his shiny glove as they drove to the park for ball practice.  “You know Buddy, each day you have a challenge.  God puts people in your path….”

How’s your title?

Do you want a new one?

Try this one on—Social Arbitrageur.

Sounds cool, doesn’t it? What does it mean? What do I have to do?

Well, let’s start with the concept of social entrepreneur. This is a person who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize and manage a venture to create social change. In other words, they create a sustainable enterprise to remedy a social problem. Perhaps the most famous social entrepreneur is Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Yunus started a micro lending bank that provided capital to poverty stricken communities in Bangladesh. Despite conventional wisdom, Yunus found these borrowers to be good credit risks. His lending allowed micro businesses to be started and created the opportunity for jobs and economic activity. The social entrepreneur attempts to build an enterprise to address social issues. They see opportunity where others see irreconcilable problems.

We don’t all have the ability, vision, time and capacity to build sustainable organizations to address social problems. So what is one to do? Just sit on the sidelines? How about taking on the moniker of Social Arbitrageur?

Arbitrage is a financial transaction where an investor finds a discrepancy in markets for the same or similar goods. If widgets are selling for $2 in the US and $1 in China, the arbitrageur will buy widgets in China and sell them in the US. Actually, the deal takes place instantly and exploits the inefficiency between the two markets. If the price can be secured and there is enough margin for commissions and transaction costs, a profit is guaranteed. The arbitrageur makes money on the transaction, and proceeds to look for another opportunity.

Okay, then what is a Social Arbitrageur? Just like the social entrepreneur applies business acumen to a social problem, a social arbitrageur spots opportunities to address social problems by investing in the lower market price. Huh?

Social entrepreneurs operate a business to remedy a social problem. Social arbitrageurs make individual investments to bridge the gap between two markets. Social arbitrageurs engage in the “give to get” philosophy by transferring value from one market to bridge the gap with another market.

How about an example? Homelessness is a serious social problem in many cities. A social entrepreneur might raise capital and build housing or seek grants and other funding to provide housing for the homeless. A social arbitrageur will focus on a transaction and attempt to help one homeless person find a place to live or provide resources to secure a safe place for a homeless person to live. The social arbitrageur recognizes the difference between homelessness and those with a home. The social arbitrageur invests time or money to remedy the difference.

I did not invent the phrase social arbitrage. That has been coined by others, most notably, Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz in their book, “Never Eat Alone.” Their use of the phrase applies to social networks and leveraging relationships to assist members of one’s network. In a sense this is a horizontal social arbitrage. My application of the concept is about giving to get, bridging two vertically aligned markets. “Giving to get” is a philosophy and practice where one selflessly gives to another with no expectation of return. The social arbitrageur seeks to remedy a social problem by giving of time, money, interest, or encouragement—one transaction at a time.

A social arbitrageur does not have to run an enterprise or build a structure. A social arbitrageur is an independent free agent who gives to bridge a gap between two markets of “human condition.” It does not have to be about money. A social arbitrageur can be attempting to remedy despair, lack of confidence, or lack of appreciation. In those cases a kind word or a selfless act can bridge the gap. A social arbitrageur is not always successful, but they always try. They “give to get.” Their reward comes, but it is unknown at the time of giving and the act is done from a spirit of service, not with an expectation of return.

Here’s the best part. You can be one. There is no fee to join, no degree necessary and no experience required. You just start. Identify a social inequity—a gap between two markets of human condition—then work to remedy it. It will not be perfect every time, but if you try you may well succeed. You might also convince others to become social arbitrageurs and your efforts expand. But first you have to start.

So, the next time someone asks you what you do, just reply “I’m a social arbitrageur.” They will be stunned and impressed. Then, of course, you have to live up to it. You’ll be glad you did. Just remember to “give to get.”

What does it mean to “Give to Get?” It is a philosophy and way of life that centers around selfless actions on behalf of others. The benefits are not known, yet returned to the giver. The first step in giving to get is the hardest because you have no idea what you are going to get. Is it worth it? What if I don’t get what I want? What if I don’t get anything at all?

There is no balance of trade with giving to get. There is no arbiter of “value” who ensures that what was gotten measures up to what was given. No one is “due” to get because they have given. It just happens and it happens in ways that the giver could not have expected. But, many people never start for fear of the unknown or because their personal philosophy has become simply about struggling to hold onto what they have.

The point is to give without knowing what, if anything, you will get in return. Humans are wired to give. We are wired to help one another. Unfortunately through life we begin to place a value on what we give and if disappointed with the return, we feel we’ve been cheated, that we have been foolish. And we stop giving.

“Giving to Get” is a simple concept, but sometimes because of its simplicity, it is misunderstood. Giving to Get is not about “giving” with the expectation of a specific return, or any return at all, for that matter. If the expectation of return does not match the giver’s perceived generosity, there is disappointment.

Donating one million dollars to a university to have one’s name placed on a building, is an act of generosity (and should be applauded and recognized), but it is not “Giving to Get.” It is simply a business deal. Handing five dollars to a homeless man while traveling in a town far from home is “Giving to Get.” Giving without an expectation of return or without any outside pressure or recognition (other than a thank you) is the basis of giving to get.

“Giving to Get” is also not about money. In the vast majority of cases, “Giving to Get” is not even related to money. Money can be a substitute for effort. For some, money is just an efficient means to make a difference. But for others it is about something far more valuable than money. It is about a transaction in humanity.

We each have a bank account that is never ending. That bank account is filled with kind words, smiles, pats on the back and other forms of encouragement. Our bank accounts can never be exhausted, but we should try. Rather than giving money one can give time, interest, encouragement, applause, a handshake, a hug, praise or deserved thanks. You can also offer an open door, space under an umbrella or a helping hand. You don’t need money to “Give to Get.”You give because it increases your connection with humanity. You Give to Get because you’re human.

What do you get? Well, it is a little like Forrest Gump’s mother said “Life’s a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Now, perhaps more than ever, the world is looking for leadership. Unfortunately, the world expects someone to step up and fix problems for them. The world’s answers do not lie in leadership, in government programs, nor even in the best intentioned social program.

The answer lies in each one of us. It lies in what we do with the gifts we have and how we step up to help one another.

We don’t need new government programs, we don’t need eloquent leaders, we need to look within ourselves and decide that if there is going to be change, it starts with each of us. Leaders, government and social programs can play a part in creating fertile soil, but without planting seeds and nurturing the crops, nothing of value will grow. Plant the seeds. Give to get.

Some wonder why they are not happy. They are looking in the wrong places. Happiness is not something others give to you. Happiness is something you give to others. When you do, it reflects back on you.

What does it mean to be successful? How is success defined? We watch television, go to movies, read magazines and newspapers and the answer that traditional media gives us is money and fame. If you have money, you are successful. If you have fame, you are successful. It is a scene repeated everywhere we look, and it is wrong. Money and fame can be byproducts of success, but they are only ornaments. Many people are successful and never acquire great wealth and never become cultural icons.

There are wealthy people who are unsuccessful; there are famous people who are unsuccessful. The correlation between success and wealth and fame is an illusion.

Success is directly related to how one gives back. How you give to get. Many are confused by this and believe that giving involves money. If I had a million dollars, I’d give more. If I had everything I need, I’d give what’s left over. People also do this with emotional capital too. If only I had the happiness I deserve, I’d do more for others. The problem is that this attitude is coupled with the belief that there is never anything left over. It is a self perpetuating state of emotional poverty.

Money is just an efficient means to transfer value, but value can be transferred without money. Giving could involve a kind word, a pat on the back, or a smile. It could be spending time, it could be volunteering for a cause, it could be encouraging another and building up confidence.

Success is directly tied to the give to get philosophy. We give without knowing what we get in return. The truth is that we do “get” in relation to what we “give.” We just don’t know how it will manifest itself. If you don’t give, then you won’t get. At a minimum you won’t get what you should. You get what you deserve and when you don’t give, you don’t deserve much.

How much does it cost to provide encouragement to someone? How much does it cost to offer someone space under your umbrella? How much does it cost to smile and hold a door for someone?

Giving to get is about human transactions. As it relates to human transactions, we each have a bank account we can never exhaust, but we should try. If you give without an expectation of return, you will be rewarded. If you give only when it serves your purposes, you are wasting your time and your lack of sincerity eventually becomes apparent to all.

When you ask how “can I become successful,” don’t look for the government to provide the answer. Don’t look to leaders to give you what you deserve. Look at yourself. How are you giving? What did you do yesterday to help someone? What did you do this morning? What did you do in the five minutes before you started reading this article? The question becomes what can you do right now? Thank someone. Send a message of encouragement. Think about your behavior. Think about what you are giving. If you want to be successful, you have to give to get. Plant the seeds. Be the example and inspiration for others.

And the best part is that you alone are in control. You can create change. You can be the leadership you need.

We have been overwhelmed with stories of Giving to Get in connection with the Share Your Story tab.  A&N Publishing has agreed to publish a follow on book to Elijah’s Coin that will include stories about giving to get.  Some of the submissions have been on behalf of non-profit organizations that started as a simple vision to lend a helping hand.  Others have come from individuals who have experienced the gift of giving.  Some have been written from the first person point of view, some in third person.  Some have been from the viewpoint of the giver.  Some have been from the recipient’s point of view.  We don’t care.  We just want your story.

Below are two examples of Give to Get stories.  Yours can be longer or shorter or narrated any way you’d like, we just wanted to show you some examples of the stories we are considering. 

Keep giving.  Keep writing.  Keep sending us your stories.

One fall afternoon I was driving home with two tickets to that evening’s local, sold out college football game.  It was the last game of the season.  As passed by an orphanage, I decided out of nowhere that I was going to give the tickets away.  It was about ninety minutes to kickoff, but I thought, “what the heck,” maybe they can use them.  I pulled into the driveway and walked to the door.  A kind elderly lady opened the door and I informed her that I had two tickets for that night’s game if they could use them.  She turned and shouted “Johnnie.”  A bright faces boy of about 12 or 13 came running to the entryway.  The woman said, “Johnnie, this man has two tickets to the game tonight.  I guess you get to go after all.”  Johnnie suddenly started dancing around and shouting.  He was out of his mind with joy.  The woman turned to me and said “we can only take the kids if we have tickets for an adult on staff to sit with them.  All of the boys here have gotten to go to a football game this season; all except for Johnnie.  Now he’ll get to go.  You made it just in time.”

Seeing the excitement on that boy’s face and knowing that he wasn’t going to be the only child who didn’t get to attend a football game that year was all I needed to get.  If somewhere along the way, I got something more, well, that would just be a bonus.

Sandy was driving to work one day and decided that she was going to take all the money in her purse and give it to a complete stranger, to someone who could use the money.  When she arrived at work she pulled her wallet out of her purse and counted.  She had $118.  Well, she thought, someone is going to get $118 and I hope it can help them in some way.  An hour later she received a call from the human resources department.  Sandy had been laid off due to the downturn in the economy.  She struggled with the emotional strain and shock of being suddenly unemployed and reconsidered her idea to give the money away.  She could use it for her family and probably would need the extra money as she started her job search.  Then she thought, “no, I decided to give it away.   It is not mine anymore, I made the decision.”  On her way home she saw an elderly man by the roadside.  He looked as though he lived on the streets and was in need of food, clothing and anything else that a stranger wanted to give him.  Sandy pulled her car alongside the man and rolled down her window.  She reached across and handed the man an envelope with the $118 inside.  The man had no idea what was in the envelope, but he said “God bless you.”  Sandy smiled and drove off.  She was still burdened with the sudden job loss, but giving the money to the man somehow made her feel alive and connected to the world.  When she got home she pulled the mail out of her mailbox.  Inside was an envelope from her mortgage company.  Oh, great, she thought.  She took the mail inside and opened the envelope.  The mortgage company had overcharged her for escrow on her property taxes and they were refunding the overage.  There was a check for $118.

Now, had she chosen not to give the money to the stranger, she would have had an extra $118, so some might argue that giving the money away was wrong.   Sandy knows better.

Perhaps no other figure is as embedded into western religious faith and lore as this solitary figure.  The prophet Elijah appears prominently in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Talmud, Mishnah and the Qur’an.  Stories of Elijah appear in the Manual of Discipline in the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Featured in multiple Jewish traditions, the Book of Malachi predicts the return of Elijah prior to the return of the Messiah.  Elijah is considered a Prophet Saint and recognized on liturgical calendars of the Lutheran Church, Byzantine Eastern Catholic Churches, Roman Catholics Church, The Catholic Order of Carmelites, and the Eastern Orthodox Church.  He appears in The Doctrine and Covenants Section of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The Baha’i faith recognizes Elijah as a lesser prophet, but a precursor to Bab, the founder of the faith.  Slavic tribes in Eastern Europe foretold of a God of storms, Elijah the Thunderer who drove a chariot and directed rain and snow.  Even Raelists, who believe in extra-terrestrial life as the source of religion, recognize Elijah among their prophets on earth. 

Despite his near universal appearance in western religion, Elijah is a character shrouded in mystery.  He appears in the Old Testament as a prophet from the ninth century BC.  Despite the biblical tradition of identifying the lineage of major biblical characters, the Prophet Elijah appears on the scene with no information concerning his family background.  He is referred to as a “Tishbite,” or in the times of the day, “one coming from town of Tishbe.”  However, there are no records, nor any reference to a town or village called Tishbe or Tish.  His time on earth was spent mostly in isolation, wandering the desert. 

In various versions of his existence on earth he was able to perform miracles; to converse directly with God, raise people from the dead, produce abundant meals from scraps of bread, rain fire from the sky, end famines, and ascend into heaven.  Significantly, he is also one of only two people in the bible who depart earth without dying.  Elijah was recorded to have entered heaven in a whirlwind, riding on a chariot and horses afire.  In Christian teachings, Elijah appeared again on the Mount of Transfigurations with Moses as they discussed Jesus’ approaching death. 

There is also a religiously controversial concept known as the “Revelation of Elijah.”  Scholars disagree on the true meaning.  Some believe it is the concept that Elijah will return prior to the Messiah as predicted in the Book of Malachi.  Others believe it means the reappearance of Elijah prior to the events predicted in the Book of Revelation.  Some believe that through prayer, they can reach a mystical state and Elijah will appear to them, hence the revelation of Elijah.  I chose to name one of my principal characters after Elijah because the prophet was a well known unifying figure, yet one filled with mystery and controversy.

This construct for Elijah’s Coin is an amalgamation of several Jewish teachings about Elijah and his use of coins as symbols of transformation.  In one story Elijah meets two brothers, one is wealthy and the other is quite poor.  The wealthy brother rebukes Elijah, while the poverty stricken brother takes Elijah in and gives him food and shelter.  Elijah gives the poor man several coins and asks him to count them.  He begins counting and counting and counting.  The coins multiply and the man becomes miraculously wealthy.  The man was rewarded for his kindness to a stranger. 

In another story Elijah gives two coins to a man and he as well becomes wealthy beyond his dreams.  Several months later Elijah returns and takes back the two coins, which in turn causes the man to lose all of his wealth.  The reason Elijah took the coins back was that the man did not provide charity despite the great wealth he had accumulated.  In a third story Elijah asks a young man whether he would rather have money, wisdom or a beautiful wife.  The young man chooses wealth and Elijah gives him a coin, which the man turns into a great fortune.  The three choices were given to the man because he had cared for his father’s garden and made it more prosperous.  Since he had given of his time and energies to improve his father’s business, Elijah rewarded the son.

All of the Elijah “coin” stories have a common theme.  A coin was given which resulted in good fortune or success.  Bestowing the coin in each case was itself an act of kindness and rewarded acts of kindness by each recipient.  Thus, evoking kindness and evincing the “give to get” philosophy.  The coin, however, comes with obligations.  If one does not behave as Elijah wished, the good fortune can be whisked away along with the coin.  In my adaptation, Elijah is an elderly mentor.  He finds individuals who are struggling and offers to help them change their lives.  A coin is presented and the mentee must then travel a personal journey to learn the message and the purpose of the coin.  As with the Jewish teachings about the prophet returning and taking back the coin, the characters in Elijah’s Coin must embrace the rules surrounding the coin and change the way they live their lives.  Elihah’s Coin is about evoking kindness, about “giving to get” and, ultimately through application of Elijah King’s rules, about personal transformation. 

  By published accounts, the young men involved in each of these violent acts separated from their connection to society.  Reports of anti-social behavior and relationship difficulties with family members run throughout these tragic events.  In some cases the cause may be mental illness or chemical imbalance.  I leave to trained psychologists and psychiatrists to determine the medical cause and treatment. 

In some contexts, these acts of violence can be seen as the result of the young men’s struggles to be seen as significant.  Whether it is due to disproportionate performance in the classroom, the winner-take-all sports mentality, school bullying, or the domination and destruction of some simulated game technology, boys are increasingly at risk to engage in destructive and anti-social behavior.  Women are not immune to societal pressures and violence, but young men have been at the center of some of the most tragic events in our nation’s history. 

In each of the tragic headline shooting cases, the behavior displayed by the young men leading up to the events might have been a warning.  We all face moments of frustration, self doubt, and rejection.  When there is no connection to positive reinforcement or appropriate modeling actions, the downward spiral accelerates.

I don’t have a solution, I only have my thoughts.  The pressure on young people today and the distorted visions of “success” and “fame” have led to a selfish and self serving subculture.  Media and popular culture has fostered the “it’s all about me” generation.  This book tries to demonstrate another definition of success; one that involves selfless acts of kindness toward others.  I believe the “Give to Get” approach described in the book is something wired into humanity.  But even though it is wired in, it must be reinforced or the connection grows weak.  The message from Elijah’s Coin may seem soft and fuzzy to some, but if one person can be impacted who can create one relationship that in turn averts a “random” act of violence, then it will have surpassed all my dreams. 

With this thought in mind, I have started the Elijah’s Coin Charitable Foundation. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Elijah’s Coin will go to the foundation, which will in turn provide assistance to disadvantaged youth.  The non-profit organization will support programs designed to assist youth organizations in disadvantaged areas, to promote literacy efforts, to provide educational opportunities, to assist children and families struggling with long term illness, and to provide mentoring to adolescents and young adults. 

The message of the book is “Give to Get.”  As we all must, I begin with myself.  This book is the direct result of applying Elijah King’s directive: observe, think, believe, act.  I have done that.  I hope it can make some level of difference.