"Someone Who Cares"

I was going through some papers today and came across an article that my dear Grandson Nick sent me through the email a while back,and after reading it again I thought I would enter it on my "Blog" and share it with all of you that may read it. It's a very true and touching story.

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of 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 the assignment and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the names of each student on a seperate sheet of paper and listed what everyone else 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 some 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 it's purpose. The students were happy with themselves and with 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 service man in a Military uniform in a 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 a Pall Bearer, 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 class mates went together to a luncheon. Mark's Mother and Father were there, obviously waiting to speak to 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 note paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones 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 Vickie, 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," Vickie 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 all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people is so thick that we forget that life will end one day, and we don't know when that day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them before it's too late.

If you received this, it is because someone cares for you.

May god bless you all.