PAPERS.....

One day, a teacher asked her class to list all the names of every student in their class. But, she asked them to leave a space between each name.
She also told them to write the nicest thing they could, about each student.
She collected the list at the end of the class period.

The teacher took the list home, and spent all weekend writing on seperate sheets, one for each student, what the others had written about them. On Monday, she handed out each student, his or her list.

Before long, the entire class was smiling...."Really?" she heard whisper.....and...."I never knew I meant anything to anyone...."and ...."I didn't know others liked me that much..." such were the comments she heard!

NO ONE EVER MENTIONED THOSE PAPERS IN CLASS AGAIN!

The teacher never found out whether they discussed them after class or even with their parents,
but that did not matter, the exercise had accomplished it's purpose.
The students were happy with themselves and with each other....that group of students moved on......


Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of her special student.
She had never been to a military funeral before all the men looked so "handsome...."so mature!
The church was packed with his friends....the teacher was the last one to come by the coffin and, as she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her.
"Were you Mark's teacher?" he asked...She nodded, "Yes" Then he said, "Mark talked about you a lot"

After the funeral, most of Mark's former class mates went to a luncheon together.
His parents were there too, and waiting to speak to his teacher. "We want to show you something..." His father said. He took a wallet out of his pocket....."They found this on Mark when he was killed....thought you might recognize it..."

He carefully removed a piece of paper that had very obviously been folded and refolded many many times. The teacher knew, without looking, that it was the paper she'd listed with all the good things all his class mates had said about him.

"Thank you so much for doing that..." Mark's mother said, "As you can see, he treasured it..."

All of his former classmates gathered around and sheepishly admitted they still had theirs too.
Chuck's wife said, " Chuck asked me to tape it in our wedding album..."
"I have mine too, it's in my diary..."said Marilyn.
Then Vicky, another class mate said, " I carry this with me everywhere," and then, without batting an eyelid she said, "I think we all saved our list..."

That's when the teacher sat down and cried!

She cried for Mark and his friends, who would never see him again. We forget that life will end
for all of us...one day!
And....we don't know "when" that day will be!

And....we reap what we sow!
Bless you....

Yaddy