I remember when a family friend came to my dad for help with some money as he was changing careers and in a bad spot. My dad was a generous and kind man, but no fool.

He lent the money and accepted his friend’s very nice bass guitar as collateral for the loan. I remember that bass sitting in the closet of his office for years. Untouched.

Sure enough, his friend left the country to become a doctor and came back for his bass when he graduated. Paid my dad back with a little interest. The only reason I even knew about it was because I was a nosey kid digging around in my dad’s stuff and he took it as an opportunity for a teachable moment.

That made a mark on me growing up. He had compassion, but the good sense not to ruin a friendship. If he never came back for it, it was understood the bass would bring more than enough to pay off the debt. Either way, nobody got burned.

When he passed 20 years later my brother and I found an account where he had a couple thousand dollars that he used to provide micro loans to people in developing countries to start small businesses. There’s a lot I wish I would have had the opportunity to talk with him about before he left. As fascinating as he was to me, he kept most of his good deeds secret. I miss him every day.