Hello everyone.
I got this from a friend of mine, and thought I'd share it with you. WARNING: MAY NOT BE A REAL LIFE STORY.
A friend is something we should never throw out the window!
Observador.
THE POWER OF A FRIEND
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from 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 (parties and a football game with my
friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him,
knocking all his 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. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled
around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him
his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives."
He looked at me and said, "Hey, thanks!" There was a big smile on his
face. It was one of those smiles that shows real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it
turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him
before. He said he had gone to private school before.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked
all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a
pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with
my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know
Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books
again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some
serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and
handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were
seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown,
and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the
miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was
going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about
being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it
wasn't me having to get up there and speak.
Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys
that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually
looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved
him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his
speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be
great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one)
and smiled. "Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "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 all of you that being a friend to someone
is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the
first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He
talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to
do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave
me a little smile.
"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told
us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and
smiling that same grateful smile.
Not until that moment did I realize the impact of my little gesture.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you
can change a person's life; for better or for worse. God puts us all in each
other's lives to impact one another in some way.
Look for the good in others.
"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble
remembering how to fly."
It's National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care.
Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you,
then you'll know you have a circle of friends.