Many grown children are unsure what to give their parents for the holidays. Many go the route of a nice gift card, a cheese basket, or a last-minute tech gift.
But one 21-year-old upped the ante when he used his first paycheck to pay off his parents’ entire mortgage for Christmas.
The First Check
In 2017, the goals Pavin Smith and his parents had worked towards for years finally paid off: the then-21-year-old was drafted to the MLB. That year the University of Virginia student and first baseman was taken seventh overall in the draft.
The player had dedicated many years towards that moment, and he knew his parents, Tim and Pamela, had too. Hotel rooms for traveling tournaments, gas, financial sacrifices with work… the list continued. But they believed in their kid, and now he wanted to show his gratitude.
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So, the Arizona Diamondbacks player decided to put part of his signing bonus — a cool $5 million — towards his parents.
At first, he was thinking about something like a family vacation, but then he overheard his parents talking about how they still had 12 years of their 30-year mortgage left to pay. So he contacted his financial planner and paid off the rest of his parents’ mortgage and home equity loan instead.
A Christmas to Remember
Pavin wanted the gift to be a surprise, so he wrote a poem explaining how much their sacrifices meant to him, and he hid it in the Christmas tree that year. When his parents found it, they read it aloud on Christmas Day as Pavin’s sister recorded the scene. Later, Pavin shared it on social media.
“Just home and love. The words are small. Four little letters unto each,” he began. “Thank you for raising me in a home filled with love. Because of all the sacrifices you made to get me where I am, I want our family home to be yours.”
Pavin’s mom broke down at that point and said, “You can’t do that,” while his father wiped away his own tears. The video quickly went viral, and many people shed a tear or two while watching the heartfelt reactions.
“I’m going to get emotional again,” his mom recalled to AZCentral a year later. “It was just a huge gift that we never expected. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving.”
Spreading the Love
Parents don’t raise their children in hopes that one day their children will give back to them, and most mothers and fathers certainly don’t expect their children to pay off their financial obligations when they’re older. Besides, how many young adults are in the position Pavin was in, where they have an abundance of sudden money they could buy a house with? Not many.
This story resonated with so many people because a kid wanted to show his parents just how much he loved them for being them, and he wanted to do something nice for them. It’s a lesson we could all learn from this holiday season, and we don’t have to be millionaires to do it.
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Whether it’s a handwritten letter thanking someone special in your life for how they make it better, a homemade gift that represents family or friendship, or even a memorable date dedicated to making someone you love feel special, it’s all about giving a gift that makes a person feel seen and appreciated.
Sure, if you have extra cash, removing someone’s financial burdens would be nice. But at the end of the day, just being there for the people you love and reminding them that they’re special is the gift that keeps on giving.
Two of Mr. Moriarty's students pose with their yearbook from 1982.WHAM via CNN / Video
man holding a yearbookWHAM via CNN / Video
Black and white photos from school yearbookWHAM via CNN / Video
Patrick Moriarty (center, blue shirt) and a group of his former students watched the solar eclipse together on Monday in New York.Caitlin Moriarty Hynick
