I received this in a email today and was really touched by it. Hope you all are too...
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A teacher in New York decided to
honor each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told each of them how they
had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters, which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference." Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this
acknowledgment ceremony.
Then they were to follow up on the
results, see who honored
whom and report back to the class in about a week.
One of the boys in the class went to a junior
executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him
with his career planning.
He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his
shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons
and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony
going. Then please report back to me and tell
me what happened."
Later that day the junior executive
went in to see his boss who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow.
He sat his boss down, and he told him that he deeply
admired him for being a "creative genius". The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he
would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him.
His surprised boss said, "Well, sure."
The junior executive took the blue
ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart. As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said, "Would you do me a favor? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else. The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school, and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people." That night the boss came home to his
14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible thing
happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative
genius. Then he put this blue ribbon that says "Who I Am Makes a Difference" on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor.
As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking
about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you.
I want to honor you. My days are really hectic, and
when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you.
Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most
important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you!"
The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he
couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook.
He looked up at his father and said through his tears,
Dad,earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a
letter to you and Mom explaining why I had killed myself and asking
you to forgive me. I was going to commit suicide tonight
after you were asleep. I just didn't think that you cared at all. The
letter is upstairs. I don't think I need after all.
His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of
anguish and pain. The envelope was addressed, "Mom and Dad."
The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no
longer a grouch but made sure to let all his employees
know that they made a difference.
The junior executive helped several other young people
with career planning and never forgot to let them know
that they made a difference in his life... one being the boss's son.
And the young boy and his classmates learned a valuable
lesson. Who you are DOES make a difference!
********************************************************
A teacher in New York decided to
honor each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told each of them how they
had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters, which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference." Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this
acknowledgment ceremony.
Then they were to follow up on the
results, see who honored
whom and report back to the class in about a week.
One of the boys in the class went to a junior
executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him
with his career planning.
He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his
shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons
and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony
going. Then please report back to me and tell
me what happened."
Later that day the junior executive
went in to see his boss who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow.
He sat his boss down, and he told him that he deeply
admired him for being a "creative genius". The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he
would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him.
His surprised boss said, "Well, sure."
The junior executive took the blue
ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart. As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said, "Would you do me a favor? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else. The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school, and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people." That night the boss came home to his
14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible thing
happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative
genius. Then he put this blue ribbon that says "Who I Am Makes a Difference" on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor.
As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking
about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you.
I want to honor you. My days are really hectic, and
when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you.
Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most
important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you!"
The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he
couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook.
He looked up at his father and said through his tears,
Dad,earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a
letter to you and Mom explaining why I had killed myself and asking
you to forgive me. I was going to commit suicide tonight
after you were asleep. I just didn't think that you cared at all. The
letter is upstairs. I don't think I need after all.
His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of
anguish and pain. The envelope was addressed, "Mom and Dad."
The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no
longer a grouch but made sure to let all his employees
know that they made a difference.
The junior executive helped several other young people
with career planning and never forgot to let them know
that they made a difference in his life... one being the boss's son.
And the young boy and his classmates learned a valuable
lesson. Who you are DOES make a difference!
