Ever wonder how you can impact someone else's life? Here are a few suggestions. Read them carefully and see just where you
might be able to touch another life.
#1: Most Important Question
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During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop
quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions,
until I read the last one: 'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the
school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman
several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know
her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class
ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz
grade. Absolutely, said the professor.
"In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant.
They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say
hello". I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was
Dorothy.
#2: Say a Prayer
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I was taking my usual morning walk when a garbage truck pulled up beside
me. I thought the driver was going to ask for directions. Instead, he showed me
a picture of a cute little five-year-old boy. "This is my grandson,
Jeremiah," he said. "He's on a life-support system at a Phoenix
hospital." Thinking he would next ask for a contribution to his hospital
bills, I reached for my wallet. But he wanted something more than money.
He said, "I'm asking everybody I can to say a prayer for him. Would
you say one for him, please?" I did. And my problems didn't seem like much
that day.
#3: Pickup in the Rain
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One night, at 11:30 pm, an older African-American woman was standing on
the side of a Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately
needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young
white man stopped to help her - generally unheard of in those conflict-filled
1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a
taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down his address, thanked
him and drove away. Seven days went by
and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant combination
console color TV and stereo record player were delivered to his home. A special note was attached. The note read:
Dear Mr. James:
Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The
rain drenched not only my clothes but my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my
dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping
me and unselfishly serving others.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.
#4: Giving Blood
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Giving Blood many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford
Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liza who was suffering from a
disease and needed a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed
to combat the illness. The doctor
explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be
willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and
saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liza." As the transfusion
progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister
and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile
faded. He looked up at the doctor and
asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give her all his blood.
#5: Two Nickels and Five Pennies
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In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy
entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water
in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" "Fifty
cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his
pocket and studied a number of coins in it. "How much is a dish of plain
ice cream?" he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the
waitress was a bit impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said
brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked
away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed. When the waitress came back, she began
wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed
neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies - her tip.
#6: The Obstacle in Our Path
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In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid
himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.
Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did
anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On
approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally
succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse
lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king
indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the
roadway. The peasant learned what many
others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve
one's condition.
#7: Something To Consider
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Jean Thompson stood in front of her fifth-grade class on the very first
day of school in the Fall and told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she
looked at her pupils and said that she loved each of them the same, that she
would treat them all alike. And that was impossible because there in front of
her, slumped in his seat on the third row, was a little boy named Teddy
Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed he didn't
play well with the other children, that his clothes were unkempt and that he
constantly needed a bath. And Teddy was unpleasant.
It got to the point during the first few months that she would actually
take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and
then highlighting the "F" at the top of the paper biggest of
all. Because Teddy was a sullen little
boy, no one else seemed to enjoy him, either.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review
each child's records and delayed Teddy's until last. When she opened his file,
she found a surprise. His first-grade teacher had written, "Teddy is a
bright, inquisitive child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has
good manners. He is a joy to be around."
His second-grade teacher had penned, "Teddy is an excellent
student, well-liked by all his classmates, but he is troubled because his
mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle." His
third-grade teacher had noted, "Teddy continues to work hard but his
mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father
doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps
aren't taken."
Teddy's fourth-grade teacher had commented, "Teddy is withdrawn and
doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and often
falls asleep in class. He is tardy and could become a more serious
problem."
By now Mrs. Thompson realized the extent of the problem, but Christmas
was coming fast. It was all she could do, with the school play and all, until
the day before the holidays began and she was suddenly forced to focus again on
Teddy Stoddard.
Her children brought her presents, all in beautiful ribbon and bright
paper, except Teddy's, which was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper of
a scissored grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of
the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a
rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was
one-quarter full of cologne. She stifled the children's laughter while she
exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the
perfume behind the other wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed behind after class just
long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my mom
used to." After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.
On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and speaking.
Instead, she began to teach children. Jean
Thompson paid particular attention to one they all called
"Teddy." As she worked with
him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he
responded. On those days when there would be an important test, Mrs. Thompson
would remember that cologne. By the end of the year he had become one of the
highest achieving children in the class and, well, he had also somewhat become
the "pet" of that teacher who had once vowed to love all of her
children exactly the same.
A year later she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her
that of all the teachers he'd had in elementary school, she was his favorite.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he
had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still his favorite
teacher of all time. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that
while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it,
and would graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson she was still his favorite
teacher.
Four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he
explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little
further. The letter explained that she was still his favorite teacher but that
now his name was a little longer. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard,
M.D.
The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that
Spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was to be married. He explained that
his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson
might agree to sit in the pew usually reserved for the mother of the groom. And
on that day, she wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing.
And on that special day, Jean Thompson smelled just like the way Teddy
remembered his mother smelling on their last Christmas together.
THE MORAL: You never can tell what type of impact you may make on
another's life by your actions or lack of action. Consider this fact in your
venture through life.