Hi Hungry,
After reading a few articles about what happens to big lottery winners (running out of money, committing suicide a few years later, or being bled dry by people and organizations, etc.), I always said that the first two things I'd buy after winning that kind of money would be: 1. a private island with top-notch security, so no one could find me, and 2. the best legal team that money can buy, because everyone around you would be trying to get you to pay for something, whether through guilt trips or lawsuits. (I'm imagining inviting people over for dinner and you can guess how many would have "accidents" or would try to sue you because their coffee was too hot, just like at McDonald's, etc.)
I am also adopted from another country and so I've always wondered, if I won big money like that, how many people would suddenly show up on my doorstep, claiming to be some long-lost relative or friend of the family?
I know the first thing I might pay for is a DNA test for everyone (although, if they hadn't bothered to find me in all this time and them miraculously came looking for me now, I'd politely ask them to provide for their own DNA test if it meant that much to them.) Even if my biological family DID show up, I'd be in a bit of a heartfelt bind. On one hand, these were the people who created--and left--me, whereas, in my own personal life, my primary loyalty is to the people who raised me. They are the ones I wholeheartedly call "Mom" and "Dad".
But yet the Bible says to honor our father and mother... so if my biological family did show up, by some strange luck of the draw (pun intended), I would feel obligated to help them in at least some small way.
As for the funds, I'd probably just keep on doing what I've been doing, except, of course, on a much larger scale. Aside from the needs of my much-loved friends and family, my top priorities have always been churches I've gone, the adoption agency that brought my to my family, and various medical research charities that are important to me. How cool would it be to pay for an entire new building or facility or research project instead of just giving a regular donation?
However, my one big splurge would probably be a personal plane for friends, family, and the churches I've attended. A long time ago, I read about a celebrity who voluntarily flew medical supplies into an area that had been wrecked by a storm, and I couldn't help but think, "How cool is that?"
I just think it would be the neatest thing to not only be able to travel around the world, but also bring people much-needed hope and supplies in the process.
1
