I was just thinking about the Holidays, remembering the good times of my youth as well as the present.  I was touched by a thought of all of the people that get so depressed that they decide that they can't go on.  I was amazed at the statistics of just how many people come to that decision during this time of year.  I don't mean in anyway to demean nor detract from the suffering that drives people to make these decisions.  It just saddens me that during this time of year that to me and many others signifies hope, there are so many that have become hopeless.

I have known a few people that have chosen to end their lives, and I will say this, in most cases, they were as fine of people as I have ever known.  I wish that I would have had the forsight to have told them that very thing!  I wish at times, we had a do over button that we could push and go back and let people know how much we think of them.  I also wish that our vision were perfect that we could see what was bothering people.  One young man that I knew caught everybody completely off guard, even his family.  I guess that at this time of year, remember to tell those that you come in contact with that you appreciate them. 

I am trying to remember all of the details of a story that I received a couple of years ago in an email.  It went something like a young man was walking home with an arm load of books.  He was the class nerd, and the butt of most of the jokes at school.  While walking along he tripped and fell, spilling his books out in front of him.  The most popular boy in school was behind him, and rather than laugh, he stopped and helped the young man up. 

Seeing that the young man had skinned up his arm, the popular boy insisted on carrying his books for him.  They walked to the young man's house, the popular boy asked if the young man could help him with some homework in one of his classes.  They became friends. 

Time went by, and at graduation, the young man with the books was chosen as class valedictorian.  In his speech, he thanked his popular friend, for a friendship that had lasted.  He then said, to the effect that he didn't think that his friend knew it, but that the day that he had tripped and fallen.  He had cleaned out his locker, and was going home to commit suicide.  He didn't want to have his mother have to come and clean out his locker after he had killed himself.  He had become despondent over his lack of friends and being the one that everyone laughed at, so he was going to end it all. 

Then a miracle happened, he tripped and fell, and in so doing found out that someone at school cared about him.  Even better, they had become friends, suddenly the other kids stopped teasing him, and life wasn't so bad.  That simple act had stopped a determined young man from ending his life.  Tears flowed from more than just two young men, the entire school was touched by that simple act of kindness.

I know that I probably butchered that story, but my point is, we never know when we help someone what kind of impact that has on that life.  We live in the greatest country in the world, and work in the greatest profession, let us not be too busy to help someone when we see the need!