Dusty

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.







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 inVietNam and his teacher attended
the funeral ofthat special student. She
had never seen a serviceman in a military
coffin before. He lookedso handsome, so
mature.

The church was packed with his friends.
One by onethose who loved him took a last
walk by the coffin. The teacher was the
last one to bless the coffin.

__________________

Dusty

( continued ) Never too busy for a friend.

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.






Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two
worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously
been taped, folded and refolded many times. The
teacherknew 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. Tell them, before it

is too late.

__________________

Boanerges

All it takes is a little love to transform a life. We are created with a need to give and receive love and are not complete without it.

__________________
“Neither skill nor knowledge is needed to go to God, all that is necessary is a heart dedicated entirely and solely to Him out of love for Him above all others.”
Brother Lawrence