The following picks are for your deep thinking part
of the mind. Read, think and kindle your gray matter.
One day when
I was a freshman in high school, I saw the new kid in my class
walking home from school His name was Kyle. It looked like he
was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why
would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really
be a nerd.” I had quite a weekend planned with parties and
a football game with my friends. So I shrugged my shoulders and
walked on.
Just then a bunch of kids ran toward
him, knocking the books out of his arms and tripping him so he
landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land
in the grass about ten feet from him. As he looked up, I saw a
terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. I jogged
over to him, picked up the glasses and handed them to him.
“Those guys are rude. They really
should really learn some manners,” I commented.
He looked at me and said, “Hey,
thanks!” There was a big smile on his face. It was one of
those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books and
asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me.
As we walked home, I discovered he was a pretty cool kid. I asked
him if he would like to play football with me and my friends on
Saturday. He said, “Yes.” We hung out together all
weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him.
My friends liked him too.
On Monday morning, I saw Kyle carrying
his huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, “Dang,
boy you are gonna really build some serious muscle carrying this
pile of books everyday!” He laughed and handed me half the
books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and
I became best friends. By our senior year, Kyle had filled out
and looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself
during high school. All the girls loved him, and he always had
lots of dates. He had studied hard and was valedictorian of our
class.
On graduation day, he was to give a
speech. I could see that he was nervous. So I smacked him on the
back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be great!”
He looked at me with one of those really grateful looks and smiled,
‘Thanks.”
He started his speech, “Graduation
is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those
tough years: your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe
a coach, but mostly your friends. I am here to tell you that being
a friend to someone is the best gift you can give.”
Then he began to tell the story of
the first day we met. I stared at him in disbelief when he told
how he had planned quit the education that weekend. He had cleaned
out his locker so he does not have to come back later. I heard
a gasp go through the crowd as this handsome and popular boy told
about his weakest moment.
He looked hard at me, gave me a little
smile, and said, “Thankfully, my friend saved me from doing
the unspeakable.”
His mom and dad looked at me with a
grateful nod. Not until that moment did I realize that in one
small gesture I changed a person’s life. Now I never underestimate
the power of my actions. I learned that the support of a caring
friend can impact someone in ways we may not fully understand
and appreciate.
