> > > > 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.
> > > >
> > > > 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.
