Ginny sent me this.

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   and 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.

If  you've received this, it is because someone  cares for you and it means there is probably at  least someone for whom you  care.

Thanks Ginny, I love the story. j