John was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of his books he was carrying, along with 2 sweaters, a baseball batt, a glove, and a small tape recorder. John knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked, John discovered that the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, that he was having a lot of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill's home first and John was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passes pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then John went home.
They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over years. Finally the long awaited senior year came, and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked John if they could talk. Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met.
"Do you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill.
"You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for everyone else. i had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills and I was going home to COMMIT SUICIDE. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, John, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. "YOU SAVED MY LIFE."
John W. Schlatter
Sometimes random acts of kindness, as portrayed in this story, can mean more than we realize. Helping people is such an easy task but at times it can mean so much to the person receiving the help. We all live together in this world & it is our responsibility to help one another out. If you are having a bad day, keep a smile on your face and remember that there are so many people around to help. Don't be afraid to reach out!!!!
