The little thing that would make a difference in your relationships?

Too Busy for  a  Friend.....

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the  other students

in the room on two sheets of  paper, leaving a space  between each name.

Then she told them to think of  the nicest thing they could say

about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class  period to finish their assignment,

and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote  down the name of each student on a  separate

sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about  that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class  was  smiling.

'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!'

and, 'I  didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again.

She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents,

but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose.

The students were happy with  themselves and one another.

That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the  students was killed in
Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student.

She had never seen a serviceman in a  military coffin before.

He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with  his  friends.

One by one those who loved him took a last  walk by the coffin.

The teacher was the last one to  bless the coffin.

As she  stood there, one  of the soldiers who acted as  pallbearer came up to  her.

'Were you Mark's math  teacher?' he asked. She  nodded: 'yes.'

Then he  said: 'Mark talked about you a  lot.'

After the  funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went  together to a luncheon.

Mark's mother and  father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his  teacher.

We want to show you something,' his father said,

taking a wallet out of his pocket 'They found this on Mark when he was killed.

We thought you might recognize it.'

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of  notebook paper

that had obviously been taped, folded  and refolded many times.

The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on

which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

'Thank you so much for doing that,' Mark's mother said.

'As you can see, Mark treasured it.'

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. 

Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said,

'I still have my list. It's in the top  drawer of my desk at home.'

Chuck's wife said, 'Chuck asked me  to put his in our wedding album.'

'I have mine too,'  Marilyn said. 'It's in my diary'

Then Vicki, another classmate,  reached into her pocketbook,

took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group.

'I carry  this with me at all times,' Vicki said and without batting an eyelash,

she continued: 'I  think we all saved our lists'

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried.

She cried for Mark  and for all his friends who would  never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget

that life will end one day.  And we don't know when that one day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for,

that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.

And One Way To  Accomplish This Is: Forward this message on.

  If you do not send it, you will have,

once again passed up the wonderful opportunity to do something nice and beautiful.

If  you've received this, it is because someone cares for you

and it means there is probably at least someone for whom you care.

If you're 'too  busy' to take those few minutes right now to forward  this message on,

would this be the first time you didn't do that little thing that would

  make a difference in your  relationships?
                                                                                   
Remember, you reap what you sow.

What you put into the lives of others  comes back into your own.