Very special worth sending to everyone

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>  Who We Are Makes a Difference
>
> 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 they had  made a difference to her and the
class.  Then she
> presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with
gold letters, which
> read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."
>
> Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to
see what kind of
> impact recognition would have on a community.  She gave
each of the
> students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out
and spread this
> acknowledgment ceremony.  Then they were to follow up on
the results,
> see who honored whom and report back to the class 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 blue 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, find somebody to honor, give them a blue
ribbon, then give them
> the
> extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person
to keep this
> acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please report back to
me and 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 blue
> ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on
him.  His surprised
> boss said, "Well, sure."  The junior executive took the
blue ribbon
> and placed it right on his boss's jacket 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 somebody
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.
> He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me
today.  I was in my
> office and one of the junior executives came in and told
me he admired me
> and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius.  
Imagine.  He thinks
> I'm a creative genius.  Then he put this blue 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 somebody else to honor.  As I
was driving home
> tonight, I started thinking about whom 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
> mostimportant person in my life.  You're a great kid and
I love you!"
>
> The startled boy started to sob and sob, and 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 envelope 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...one being the boss's son.  And the young
boy and his classmates
> learned a valuable lesson.  Who you are DOES make
difference.
>
> You are under no obligation to send this on to
anyone...not to two
> people or to two hundred.  As far as I am concerned, you
can delete it
> and move on to  the next message. But if you have anyone
who means
> a lot to you, Iencourage you to send him or her this
message and let them
> know.  You never know what kind of difference a little
encouragement can
> make to a person.
>
> Send it to all of the people who mean anything important
to you, or send it
> to the one, two, or three people who mean the most.  Or
just smile and
> know that someone thinks that you are important, or you
wouldn't have
> received this in the first place. Remember that!
>
> I give you a blue ribbon. Who you are makes a difference,
and I wanted
>you to know that.
>