millionaireME Minute: The Spirit of Giving (and Donuts 🍩)

Greetings, friends—

There are 26 days left in the year.

Plenty of time to do something small that becomes something big.

Let me tell you a story.

A while back, my brother-in-law and I were taking a friend fishing. Naturally, that meant a mandatory stop at Lone Peak Provisions for the best donuts in Bozeman. But when we got to the counter, the register was down. No cash, no card, no donuts.

Before we could even shrug, a voice behind us said:

“No worries. I’ve got you covered.”

The man’s name? Peter Billion.

Yes—that Billion, from Billion Auto Group in Bozeman.

He didn’t just buy our donuts.

He bought the next guy’s, too.

Just so the shop wouldn’t lose the sale and everyone could walk out smiling. 😊

I promised I’d pay him back someday.

Then life went on—fishing trips, work, errands, the usual swirl.

Fast-forward to today.

A friend invited me to lunch and wouldn’t let me pay, leaving me with a crisp twenty in my pocket. And as I’m driving through Bozeman, I pass—of all places—Billion Auto Group.

So I pulled in.

I met a salesman named Lyle, told him the donut story, and asked if he could pass along the $20 to Peter.

Lyle laughed.

“He won’t take it,” he said. “That’s not who Peter is.”

Then he lifted his pant leg.

Titanium prosthesis.

He told me how he’d broken his leg skiing in Jackson Hole, developed sepsis, endured multiple surgeries, and eventually had to amputate below the knee.

Turns out, the injury, secondary infection, and operations to treat them put Lyle out of work for three years.

And every time he woke up from surgery, Peter and his father were in the room.

Every time, the first ones to make sure he was okay and to wish him well.

And you guessed it…Peter kept him on payroll the entire time, and never pushed or hurried Lyle to get back to the sales desk.

Then Lyle told me about another employee—struggling with alcohol. Peter bought two plane tickets, sent the man and his wife to Mayo Clinic, slipped him $1,000 for expenses, and said:

“Don’t come back Monday. Get on that plane and get well. I’ll see you when you’re ready.”

Before I left, Lyle said the team was taking up a collection—not for Peter, but because of Peter.

His birthday request this year?

To help 13 residents in assisted living get the Christmas gifts they need.

So I gave Lyle the $20 and said, “Put it toward that. When you give to a giver, it multiplies.”

Moral of the story:

There are good people out there.

Givers. Helpers. Quiet heroes.

Find them. Support them. Learn from them.

And when you can—be one.

And if so bold:

Who is one “Peter” in your life—someone whose generosity changed something small…or everything? Share their name or story below. Let’s honor the helpers today.

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