WHO I AM MAKES A DIFFERENCE

This story although it is from an email, the core subject of it really touch my heart. Hope you will like this story and pass it along your friends. One will never know whose lives we will touch.


A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in High School by
telling them the difference each of them had 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 blue 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
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 for
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 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 am a creative genius! Then he put a 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 hectic and when I come home, I do
not 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. 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 could not 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 took my life, and I asked you to forgive me. I was
going to commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just did not
think that you cared at all. The letter is upstairs. I don't think I need
it after all." His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter
full of anguish and pain.

The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch, but
made sure to let all of 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' son. In addition, the young boy and his
classmates learned a valuable lesson, "Who you are DOES make a difference".

You are under no obligation to pass this on to anyone.... not to two people,
or to two hundred. As far as I am concerned, you can forget it and move on.
On the other hand, if you want, you could send it to all of the people who
mean something to you, or send it to the one, two, or three people who
mean the most. On the other hand, just smile and know that I think that
you are important, or you would not have received this in the first place.
Who you are does make a difference, and I wanted you to know that. Isn't
this a wonderful story? I'm passing the blue ribbon to you, for who YOU
are does make a difference, too. May GOD BLESS YOU. Have an awesome day,
and know that someone has thought about you today!

A prayer for today: Lord, Thank you for my friends and family who really
do make a difference to me. AMEN!

To all who read this, you have just received a blue ribbon and I thank GOD
for you! You make a BIG difference to me .