Do you ever spend any time thinking about all of the people who are responsible for helping you make it through the day? Or are you one of those people who actually think you have made it on your own? See if the following little story improves your memory.

Charles Plumb was a United States Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a missile and after parachuting to safety he was captured and spent six years in a communist prison. He survived the ordeal and went on a lecture tour providing audiences with insight into the lessons he learned from his experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb.

“I packed your parachute,” the man replied. “I guess it worked!”

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude as he shook the man’s hand, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about the man. He said, “I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said Good morning, how are you? or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.”

Plumb thought of how many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.

From that day on, Plumb always asked his audiences, “Who’s packing your parachute?”

Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb pointed out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plan was shot down over enemy territory. He needed his physical parachute; his mental parachute; his emotional parachute; and his spiritual parachute. He called on all of these supports before reaching safety.

It’s easy to miss what is really important as we go through the daily challenges of life. We get so caught up in surviving that we forget about the people who have provided us with the support in order to get through those challenges. In our hurry to get on with life we may fail to say hello, please, thank you, congratulate someone else on an accomplishment, give a compliment or just do something nice for someone we love. Yet, when you think of it, where would you be if they hadn’t packed your parachute?

Take a few moments to reflect upon the parachutes you use during the day. The girl who gives you your morning coffee at the drive through; the person who ploughs the road so that you can get to work; the cleaning lady who empties your garbage at night and vacuums your office; the mechanic who works on your automobile; the police officer who enforces the speed limit on the highway; the internet provider who makes sure your email arrives on time; your spouse who is always there to listen to your problems; your child’s coach who has made the arrangements for the game or practice so that you could concentrate on other things; the grocery store which remains open late at night so that you can get those things you forgot. Think about all of the things you did today which would have been impossible or much more difficult were it not for the help or assistance of someone else. Did you thank them for what they did? Did you show your appreciation? Moreover, did you pack anyone else’s parachute today? Did you make it easier for someone else to meet life’s challenges? Remember, as well as using parachutes, we must also provide parachutes for the people who come into our life.

Make sure you mark Monday, February 18, 2002 in your calendar as a very significant day in the history of hockey. On that day, two teams were scheduled to play the first game of their playoff round. However, the game was cancelled - not because of the weather, or some mechanical failure in the arena, or for any other of the usual reasons. This game was cancelled because the Referee-In-Chief could not find a qualified referee who would do the game. It was not because the referees were already booked in other games. Rather, it was because the referees who would normally be assigned to the game decided that it wasn’t worth the risk. And this may just be the beginning of a new trend, which will emerge as the officials finally make a statement that they are not going to take any more abuse.

One of the parents of a player with the visiting team was involved in a serious altercation with a referee earlier in the year. After a number of meetings to discuss acceptable solutions to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents in the future, senior referees decided that their safety couldn’t be assured and thus made a decision to book themselves off games involving this particular team.

Referees are concerned with the rampant spread of “Hockey Rage”. The possibility is very real that some participants are losing so much control of themselves that physical assault against the person in authority is inevitable. The referee is the prime target of this rage. If such an assault were to occur, many of the referees, who are in excellent shape, are not overly concerned about being able to defend themselves against the assault, but they are concerned with the fact that at the end of any altercation charges will likely be laid against them as well as their attacker. This means large legal bills, which have to be paid out of their pocket since the NOHA offers little if any support in these matters. Until the “Hockey Rage” participants are forced to stay away from the arenas, the senior officials are saying that it is not worth the $25 pay they get for doing a game if they have to worry about facing a $1000 legal bill and possible criminal charges which may affect their career.

What happened on Monday, February 18, 2002 in Valley East may well be repeated in the future unless parents, coaches and players who continually threaten and abuse officials change their ways.

Under the present rule structure, a referee may stop a contest if he feels that the situation in the arena is unsafe. In the future, when you hear a fan uttering threats of bodily harm to a referee, or if a referee feels that a fan is so out of control that his physical safety is in jeopardy, don’t be surprised if the game is stopped immediately. It is the responsibility of the home team to ensure the safety of all participants. This means that the home team will be asked to contact the police and initiate proceedings to charge the fan or have him removed from the arena.

There have been numerous instances this year when a coach or player has been ejected for uttering threats to the referee. In the past, a coach who threatened a referee was given a game misconduct and usually had to sit out another one or two game suspension. However, a coach who threatens physical harm upon a referee will now be facing much more than a game misconduct. It is quite possible that when a referee, especially one of the senior referees who feel a sense of responsibility for the future of the game and for the protection of his fellow officials, is required to eject a coach or player for verbal abuse, he may be inclined to pick up his cell phone and ask a police officer to report to the arena to press assault charges against the guilty party.  Never mind the suspension. Put the matter into the hands of the courts. 

Why is this happening? How has it gotten this far?

Just visit your local arena and listen to the fans. Watch how the coaches react when they don’t like a call. See how the players react when things don’t go their way. Suspensions haven’t worked. Coaches and players sit out a few games and then come back and commit the same infractions. They haven’t changed and likely won’t. Minor Hockey Associations say that their hands are tied and that they have trouble keeping violent parents out of the rink. The only solution is to bring the matter to the courts where a condition of dropping an assault charge is that the person will have to stay out of arenas. If that doesn’t work, watch for more referees sending in a list of teams for which they will refuse to work.

“Hockey Rage” is nothing more than a form of “terrorism” and we all know how the world view terrorism since September 11. It’s time to eliminate the terrorists from sport and make room for the people who still consider hockey a form of recreation.

Just remember, if it is something you wouldn’t say to a police officer or to a lawyer, it is likely something you shouldn’t say to a hockey referee who is doing his best to maintain order on the ice. If coaches, players and parents don’t watch out, they will soon find themselves sitting on the bench looking out at an empty sheet of ice in a very, very silent rink.

And as for baseball, soccer and other sports - don’t think this can’t happen there as well!

My readers know that I have a special fondness in my heart for dogs, so it should come as no surprise when I tell you that it’s my firm belief that you can tell a lot about people just by watching how they treat animals. Another one of my strong beliefs is that things are not always what they seem and that angels come in many packages. Let me show you what I mean.

Late one Saturday evening, John and his wife Jane were on their way back to their home town where they planned on spending Mother’s Day with their parents. They stopped at a local gas station to get coffee and something to snack on during the final hour and a half of their trip. When they got back inside their car, they noticed a man standing outside in front of the building. They assumed from his appearance that he was a homeless man. His clothes were tattered and worn and it looked like he had gone in and gotten himself something warm to drink. It was a rather cold night and it certainly looked as if the man did not have much money for food.

The next thing they saw was a dog walking up to the front of the building. Being dog lovers, John and Jane noticed that she looked like she was part wolf and part German Shepherd. They could tell she had been feeding puppies. She was also terribly in need of something to eat and both John and Jane felt bad for her, knowing in their mind that if she didn’t eat soon, she and her puppies would not make it.

John and Jane sat there and looked at the dog. They noticed that people walked by and didn’t even pet her, like most people do when they walk by an animal in front of a store. The shepherd may not have been as pretty and clean as most, but she still deserved better. Nevertheless, John and Jane sat, eating their snacks and did not do anything. However, someone else did. The homeless man, who himself looked hungry, went back inside the store. What he did after he came out brought tears to the eyes of both John and Jane. He had gone into the store, and with what little money he may have had, bought a can of dog food and fed that dog. A lot of people that night forgot that animals are God’s creations too. That dog was a parent, and it took a homeless man to show John and Jane as well as all of the others who walked by what they should have done.

It is becoming easier and easier for people in general to ignore others who need our help. We have been taught to distrust stranger and to keep within the safety of our own little piece of the world. Trouble is that as human beings, we will likely all have to rely upon the support of strangers at some time in our life. The homeless man, who himself was treated like an outcast, identified with the plight of the little dog. He felt the need to reach out and do what he could to provide the dog with nourishment so that she could take care of her puppies. Sometimes we need adversity in our own life in order to realize our responsibilities to others. If things are going too well, there is a tendency to put up a defensive wall around our world in order to keep others out. It’s time to remove those walls and allow humanity to thrive once again.

As I leave you this week, I want you to reflect upon the message in the following story about six human beings who found themselves in the black and bitter cold one night. They stood around the fire, each one clutching to a stick of wood, watching the glowing embers slowly dying. The first woman held on to her stick. There was no way she would give up her piece of wood because she noticed that one of the people in the group was black. The next man refused to put his stick on the fire because he noticed that one of the people did not belong to his Church. The third man sat in tattered clothes because he did not want to give up his stick to warm the rich. The rich man sat back and thought of the wealth he had accumulated and how he could keep what he had from the lazy poor people in the group. As the black man watched the fire die away, he saw holding on to his stick as a way of getting revenge on the white people. The last man refused to give up his stick until all the others had given up theirs. When the six people were found dead, many days later, each of them still clutched to their own stick. It was proof positive that they didn’t die from the cold outside, but instead, they died from the cold within.

Everyone who reads this editorial column week after week is well aware of the fact that I love using stories and anecdotes to express my feelings. So when we decided to ask our readers to submit stories about how they met the “love of their life”, I looked forward to discovering the “real-life” side of love that has touched the lives of “real people in our community”. The stories we received were amazing and truly heart-warming. We hope you enjoy reading the ones we have room to publish.

Love is a very difficult subject about which to write. It affects each of us in different ways at different times, yet it is a feeling, which is unmistakable when it comes to us. And scientific studies have shown that real, sincere love is as vital to human life as food, clothing and shelter.

My wife has always loved birds and animals. Besides dozens of bird feeders and houses outside, she once had over 26 birds in cages throughout the house, and among those were two lovebirds. So, when I read a little article on the internet written by a person named Vickie Lynne Agee, called ‘Life Lessons From Lovebirds’, I could definitely identify with what she wrote.

Vickie said that she and her husband were walking through a mall one day and stopped to look around the pet store. They came upon a pair of peach-faced lovebirds, which looked like they were truly “in love”. Vickie’s thoughts drifted back to the lovebirds during the next several days and to her surprise, one night after work her husband returned home clutching an elegant birdcage that housed those two precious creatures. The birds reminded them of a simpler day when love and togetherness between couples was not only a commitment, but a way of life.

Vickie and her husband have watched those lovebirds for some time and made the following observations about life and love, which, I am sure you will find, apply not only to birds, but to men and women as well.

1. If you spend too much time looking in the mirror, it’s easy to lose your balance.

2. Always keep a pleasant look on your face, even if your cage needs cleaning.

3. If your mate wants to share your perch with you, move over.

4. The real treats in life usually come only after you’ve cracked a few hulls.

5. It takes two to snuggle.

6. Sometimes your mate can see mites you didn’t even know you had.

7. Singing draws more affection than squawking.

8. It is only when your feathers get ruffled that your true colours really show.

9. Too many toys can be distracting.

10. When you have love in your heart, everyone around you will find joy in your presence.

The stories you will read elsewhere in this issue of The Vision will touch your heart. They are from real people who experienced real love and are living their lives with the confidence that comes from knowing that someone truly loves them in return. We all have our own stories about love. Some are joyful and some are painful. But we all have to admit that it is love, which makes it all worthwhile. The kind of love I of which I am referring was witnessed by the volunteers and doctors at a large hospital who were looking after a little girl named Liz, who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. They discovered that her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. He hesitated only for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in the bed next to his sister and smiled as he saw the colour returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?” Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor. He thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

That 5-year old boy didn’t have to read all kinds of books and watch all kinds of documentaries to understand what true love was. The love he had for his sister was so great that he was willing to give up his own life to save hers. This is what true love is all about. When you feel this way about someone, you know you are in love, and you know you are one of the richest persons in the world.

I hope you enjoy the stories of love you will read in this issue. I also hope they remind you once again of your own stories and perhaps rekindle the flames of love from within.

The nice thing about a list like this is that each one of us can add several more lines related to our own experiences. The trick is to take these words and incorporate them into our philosophy of life. Right now, they are just words. When faced with one of life’s little challenges, you must live like you really do believe and before long you too will develop the kind of positive attitude, which will enable you to live life to fullest and become the best you can be.

I invite my readers to send in some of your own beliefs which could be added to this list so that we can share them with everyone else. Send them in by email to rkirwan@infocomcanada.com or by fax to 969-4490.

We see successful people all around us. They are the ones who seem to have the fanciest cars, biggest houses, great clothes and wonderfully satisfying jobs. Many of us look at those people and dream of achieving that level of success, if only we could discover their secret.

I once heard the president of a world famous computer company tell someone that the secret of his success could be summed up in two words, “Right decisions.”

When asked how he made right decisions, he responded, “Experience.”

Pressed further by the questioner, the president was asked how he got the experience to make the right decisions.

To that the president quickly answered, “Wrong decisions.”

Isn’t that the truth?

The older I get the more I realize how little I knew when I was young. I look back on all of the “wrong decisions” I have made in my life and shake my head knowing that I certainly wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. It is then that I realize I would not have gained the experience I now have which allows me to make the right decisions were it not for the mistakes I have made in the past.

So, does that mean that the older we get, the more chance we have of making all the “right decisions”? The answer to that depends on whether or not you are allowing yourself to take on new challenges and go along different paths as you enter each wonderful stage of your life.

There are times when we long for a safe and secure existence, remaining in that comfort zone with which we are familiar. It may seem as if we are in a rut, but it is safe and we know what to expect. It is easy to be successful in this comfort zone because we don’t take any new risks. Decisions are easy because everything remains the same.

But real living is all about taking risks. It is about experiencing new things and meeting new people. It is about expanding your circle of friends and becoming involved. When we are fully live, we grow as persons. When we stop growing, we it is because we have stopped living. It is often the fear of failure, which prevents many of us from experiencing life to the fullest, yet without failure we cannot be successful. It is quite a dilemma.

To help myself get over the fear of failure, I rely on a piece of writing I came across a long time ago that explained failure in a very positive manner. Let me share it with you.

Life is a series of ups and downs. That is what makes life so precious. We ride the emotional highs when we are successful and we experience the lows when we fail. But we should take heart in knowing that the secret of success may actually lie in our failures. Without failures from wrong decisions, we would lack the experience to make the right decisions later on in life. If there are some areas of your life right now in which you feel you are failing in some way, or in which you are not satisfied, look upon what has happened as a necessary step in achieving success. Then you will use your time to look for opportunities to use your new wisdom instead of dwelling on the failures and problems of the past.

I once heard a saying that went like this, “Everything is all right in the end! If is isn’t all right, then it isn’t the end!” So if there is something in your life that “isn’t all right yet”, just remember that “it isn’t the end until it is all right” and that since “everything is all right in the end” you really do have something to look forward to.

The other day while I was caught in traffic, my mind began to wander like it usually does when I am not preoccupied with one of my numerous daily activities. I thought back to the beginning of my career as a teacher and recalled how excited I was to finally have an opportunity to ‘teach’ children. I then projected myself to my last couple of years before retirement and realized that the early excitement I felt in my first few years had disappeared. For whatever reason, and I have stopped trying to figure out how my mind works, I thought back to my days as a youngster growing up in Lively and how my friends and I would play street hockey for hours on end until our mothers would almost have to physically drag us into the house for dinner. It wasn’t just hockey, however. A couple of phone calls was all it took and we would have a baseball game, a football game, a game of hide-and-seek, soccer, you name it. And we had fun - no referees - no adults - just a bunch of kids playing for the “Stanley Cup” or the “World Series”.

I don’t notice the excitement in the eyes of young teachers any more. I certainly know I lost the excitement many years before I actually retired. I also notice that there doesn’t seem to be many road hockey games around. You seldom see kids playing at a baseball field unless there are adults, umpires and fancy uniforms.

It reminded me about a story I once heard about a group called “The Fisherman’s Fellowship”. They were surrounded by streams and lakes full of hungry fish. They met regularly to discuss the call to fish, and the thrill of catching fish. They really got excited about fishing! Something like I felt about  teaching when I first started. Something like a young kid feels about playing hockey in the beginning.

Well, someone suggested that they needed a philosophy of fishing, so they carefully defined and redefined fishing, and the purpose of fishing. They developed fishing strategies and tactics. Then they realized that they had been going about it backwards. They had approached fishing from the point of view of the fisherman, and not from the point of view of the fish. How do fish view the world? How does the fisherman appear to the fish? What do fish eat, and when? These are all good things to know. So they began research studies, and attended conferences on fishing. Some travelled to far away places to study different kinds of fish, with different habits. Some got PhD’s in fishology. But no one had yet gone fishing.

So a committee was formed to send out fishermen. As prospective fishing places outnumbered fishermen, the committee needed to determine priorities. A priority list of fishing places was posted on bulletin boards in all of the fellowship halls. But still, no one was fishing. A survey was launched, to find out why. Most did not answer the survey, but from those that did, it was discovered that some felt called to study fish, a few to furnish fishing equipment, and several to go around encouraging the fisherman.

What with meetings, conferences, and seminars, they just simply didn’t have time to fish.

One day, Jake, a newcomer to the Fisherman’s Fellowship was so moved by a stirring meeting that he went fishing. He tried a few things, got the hang of it, and caught a nice fish. At the next meeting, he told his story, and was honoured for his catch. He was then scheduled to speak at all of the Fellowship chapters and tell how he did it. Now, because of all the speaking invitations and his election to the Board of Directors of the Fisherman’s Fellowship, Jake no longer had time to go fishing.

But soon, Jake began to feel restless and empty. He longed to feel the tug on the line once again. So he cut the speaking, resigned from the Board of Directors and said to a friend, “Let’s go fishing.” And they did. Just the two of them, and they caught fish.

The members of the Fisherman’s Fellowship were many, the fish were plentiful, but the fishers were few.

As I finished the story, the traffic began moving again and the message was clear.

If we want to keep the excitement in teachers, maybe we should just let them teach. Forget about all of the curriculum reviews, certification courses, professional development programs, provincial testing and just let them teach! 

If we children are to have fun playing hockey, baseball, soccer, football or whatever, we must let them play. Forget about systems, rules, house leagues, travelling teams, uniforms, training, certification and such. Maybe what we have to do is just give a bunch of kids some  hockey sticks, a ball, a few chunks for goal posts and then leave them alone for a few hours.

Next time you feel yourself getting caught in a rut where something you once enjoyed isn’t fun anymore, think about Jake.

I'm going to save my editorial comments until after you have had a chance to read the following story which I came across the other day. The story, entitled The Cake,  was written by a man named Joseph Walker. I stumbled onto it at precisely the right time in my own life, when I almost didn't see "the cake". Thankfully, the story reminded me that one must never be blinded to issues of long-term significance by things which may, on the surface, seem awfully important right now, but are actually really small in the larger scheme of things. Fortunately, the story helped me see the cake, and I'm very glad I did. When you finish reading the story, I think you will see what I mean and perhaps it will help you see the cake in your own life situations.

The Cake, by  Joseph Walker:

Cindy glanced nervously at the clock on the kitchen wall. Five minutes before midnight. Her parents were expected to arrive home any minute. She carefully put the finishing touches on the chocolate cake she was frosting. It was the first time in her 12 years that she had tried to make a cake from scratch, and to be honest, it wasn't exactly a culinary  triumph. The cake was lumpy and because she had run out of sugar, the frosting was bitter.

And then there was the way the kitchen looked. Imagine a huge blender filled with all of the fixings for chocolate cake - including the requisite bowls, pans and utensils. Now imagine that the blender is turned on - high speed - with the lid off. Do you get the idea?

But Cindy wasn't thinking about the mess. She had created something which was special to her - a masterpiece of flour and sugar rising out of the kitchen clutter. She was anxious for her parents to return home from their date so she could present her anniversary gift to them. She turned off the kitchen lights and waited excitedly in the darkness for them to arrive. When at last she saw the flash of the car headlights, she positioned herself in the kitchen doorway. By the time she heard the key sliding into the front door, she was on the verge of exploding and couldn't wait to share her excitement.

Her parents tried to slip in quietly, but Cindy would have none of that. She flipped on the lights dramatically and trumpeted: "Ta-daaaaa!" She gestured grandly toward the kitchen table, where a slightly off-balance, two-layer chocolate cake awaited their inspection.

But her mother's eyes never made it all the way to the table.

"Just look at this mess!" she moaned. "How many times have I talked to you about cleaning up after yourself?"

"But Mom, I was only..."

"I should make you clean this up right now, but I'm too tired to stay up with you to make sure you get it done right," her mother said angrily. "So you'll get up early and do it first thing in the morning."

"Honey," Cindy's father interjected gently, "take a look at the table."

"I know! It's a mess!" his wife said coldly. "The whole kitchen is a disaster. I can't stand to look at it." She stormed up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

For a few moments, Cindy and her father stood silently, neither one knowing what to say. At last she looked up at him, her eyes moist and red. "She never saw the cake," she said.

While it is true that our children all need to learn to be responsible and suffer the consequences of their actions, parents must never lose sight of the fact that even though things like muddy shoes, lost money, dented fenders, and messy kitchens are frustrating, they are not worth the sacrifice of a person's dignity and feelings. It is my sincere hope that my own children have learned from watching my wife and I, that when they become parents themselves, they must never lose sight of the fact that there are things in this life that may seem important right now - but at the end of the day they are not worth damaging a relationship. After all, what's a little mud, a broken object, lost money or torn clothing compared to a child's self-esteem. You can clean up the mud, replace the broken object, live without the money and fix the clothing, but any damage you do to a relationship or to someone's self-esteem will last forever.

There are times in our life when perhaps it is all right to see the mess in the kitchen. And there are times when we only need to see the cake.

You are going to meet a lot of people during the course of your life. Some will seem to be more significant in terms of beauty, wealth, influence, intelligence and social status. Others will seem to be less significant. However, one thing you should always remember is that regardless of your own status in society, or the status of others who enter your life, there is no such thing as an insignificant person and every person you meet should be treated as the most important person in your life. For, in fact, each person you encounter is the most important person in your life during the time you are with that person. And what you actually say, or what you do in the presence of that person may mean all the difference in the world to you or to that particular individual. This is one fact of life you should never forget.

To illustrate this lesson, one of my former professors gave us a surprise test one day. I breezed through the quiz until I came to the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” At first I thought this must be some kind of joke. As I looked around I could see that the entire class was stumped and puzzled.  We had seen this lady many times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's. But apparently none of us had ever thought of stopping by to ask what her name was. We all turned in the test with the last question blank. One of the students then asked the professor if the last question would count.

“Absolutely,” replied the professor. “In your life you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello.”

I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I’ve also never forgotten her name was Dorothy.

Another story I came across recently further demonstrated the lesson that you should always treat people with kindness and respect, regardless of their age or status. In the “old” days when an ice cream sundae cost much less than today, a young boy entered a small coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?”

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away.

The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, the little boy couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip. The little boy knew how important it was to always remember people who serve you, and the waitress learned a very important lesson about respect.

Finally, you should never turn down a request for help from someone in distress. The small inconvenience to your own plans may mean everything to the person to whom you reach out. This was demonstrated one night in the 1960's around 11 p.m. when an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, even though it was generally unheard of for a white person to help a black person during those conflict-filled times. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.  Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: “Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.” Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

Yes, we will all meet many people during our life. Certainly, most of those encounters will not be turning points in our existence, but you never know how much a small favour, a gentle smile, remembering a person’s name or showing genuine respect may impact on another human being. Always remember that everyone is significant and deserving of your attention, even if all you do is smile and say hello.