This was in my newspaper today I already shared it with a few but I think everyone needs to read it!


A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made.

She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First, she told each of them how he or she had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters that read, "Who I Am Makes A Difference."

Afterward, the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each student three more ribbons and asked them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results in about a week.

One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a ribbon and put it on his shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out and find somebody to honor, give him a ribbon, then give him the extra ribbon to acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please tell me what happened."

Later that day, the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow.

He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him.

His surprised boss said, "Well, sure."

The junior executive took the ribbon and placed it right on his boss' jacket just above his heart. As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said, "Would you do me a favor? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring someone else? The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people."

That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old-son and sat him down.

"The most incredible thing happened to me today," he said. "I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative genius. Then he put this ribbon that says "Who I Am Makes A Difference" on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find someone else to honor.

"As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about who I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you. My days are really hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you.

"Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess. But somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you."

The startled boy began to sob and sob. He couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook.

He looked up at his father and said through his tears, "Dad, earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a letter to you and Mom explaining why I had killed myself and asking you to forgive me. I was going to commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just didn't think that you cared at all. The letter is upstairs. I don't think I need it after all."

His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of anguish and pain. The letter was addressed, "Mom and Dad."

The boss went back to work a changed man.

He was no longer a grouch, but made sure to let all his employees know that they made a difference. The junior executive helped several other young people with career planning and never forgot to let them know that they made a difference in his life.

So, who makes a difference in your life?