The Most Important Word

I recently heard singer Amy Grant tell a story about songwriter Jimmy Gentry that stayed with me.

He held up his hand and started counting backward using his fingers, sharing what he believed were the five most important things we can say to another person.

With five fingers raised, he said, “How can I help you?”

Then four fingers. “I’m proud of you.”

Three fingers. “I love you.”

Two fingers. “Thank you.”

And finally, holding up one finger, he shared what he believed was the most important word of all.

Not love.

Not forgiveness.

Not success.

The word was “we.”

That hit me hard because the older I get, the more I believe almost everything meaningful in life comes down to that one word.

Nobody builds anything worthwhile alone.

Over the last year, I’ve watched that word come to life in St. Louis through a man named Larry.

The day after the devastating tornado, Larry put a simple table out on the corner. He didn’t have funding, infrastructure, or a big organization behind him. People just started showing up. Some came carrying food, clothes, and supplies. Others came because they needed help.

That small act became Larry’s Corner.

Larry has lived through a lot of hardship in his life. Rough childhood. Rough adulthood. But somewhere along the way, he found his calling through helping other people.

What inspires me most is that he started before he had resources. Before he had certainty. Before he had a plan.

He simply started with “How can I help you?”

Now the Clayco team is all in supporting Larry and what he’s building because that’s what “we” looks like. Thanks Katie Lane and Rick Moeckel and the entire group of volunteers helping out.

It’s people deciding they’re stronger together than apart.

It’s community over credit.

It’s showing up.

At the end of the day, maybe Jimmy Gentry was right.

The most important word isn’t about me.

It’s about we.