Though there was nothing I could advise as regards his control of the money, I did note that his mother had the money in just a simple saving account. If this young men has to wait for some time period to get use of the money, it should at least be earning better interest. I told his that he should contact the bank where the money is kept and talk to the financial advisor on better ways for the money to be earning interest. At the minimum, it can be place in CD's. If you are a young person whose first thought is why would a person put his money in a music disk, CD's meant Cash Deposit certificates decades before they meant a shiny disk with music recorded on them.

Apparently he took my advise, and more. He didn't just talk to one advisors, but three, putting together a report to show his mother how the money could be better invested. She was impressed enough to give him control of half the money. He did buy himself a good, used car, and put the rest into five year certificates. He was rather proud of himself, and thanked me for my advise. As I had a customer ready to go home, I didn't have the time to talk to him about PIF, but I will when I see him next, as he lives near me.

Four weeks ago I had a taxi customer, who is now living in a half way house. He spent time in jail for drug possession. It cost him his marriage and his children. The state had ordered the children's mother to divorce him, in order for her to get the children back. He told me that he was trying to turn his life around and he misses seeing his children. He currently sees them once a week for an hour. I told him that he could be doing something about it. First, go to church and learn that there is a higher power there to help him. Second, ask his ex-wife out on a date. No sex, necking, or other fooling around, just a date. Start over, by dating and making an effort to put the marriage back together. The other night, he told that he had taken my advise. He had begun a Bible study with Jehovah's Witnesses and that he had asked his ex-wife about dating again. She has agreed and they have begun over, with the ground rules that I had suggested. Further, the social worker has informed him that due to the changes she has been seeing in him, he will no longer have to be supervised when seeing his children.

Last year, I had a boy in my cab who didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. He was in college to be an architect, but he was not sure who he wanted to work for when he graduated. I suggested that he consider joining the Peace Corp and use his knowledge to rebuild devastated villages in towns in foreign lands. Aside from the good experience, it would give him a chance to see some of the world when he is still young and healthy. I learned recently that he has joined the Peace Corp and is now helping others. He also took the copy of the book, "Pay It Forward" that I gave him to those foreign lands.

When I have a business traveler, or someone whom going to a sixteen room house on a hill, in my taxi who treats me like I'm nothing compared to them, I think about what have they done to change someone else's life?

You have my permission to reprint this, but please say it is from George Mac, a father, a grandfather, and a cab driver.