Too Busy for a Friend...

[Guest guest]

Dear Too Busy Friends in TBP,

 

Love and Love alone....

 

Many of you must be wondering, I keep writing " Love and Love

alone.... " in each and every posting. Nobody has asked me nor I

tried to explain it to anyone. The following few lines will, in a

way, explain to some tent, what I wish to convey. Enjoy reading it.

 

Love and Love alone....

 

P. Gopi Krishna

 

====

 

Too Busy for a Friend...

 

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.

 

 

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the

entire class was smiling. " Really? " she heard whispered. " I never

knew that I meant anything to anyone! " and, " I didn't know others

liked me so much, " were most of the comments.

 

 

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 in Vietnam his

teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She

had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked

so handsome, so mature.

 

 

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved

him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to

bless the coffin.

 

 

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.

 

 

" We want to show you something, " his father said, taking a wallet

out of his pocket " They found this on Mark when he was killed. We

thought you might recognize it. "

 

 

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of

notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded

many times. The teacher knew 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.

Gopi Krishna <gopi