There are times in our lives when we wonder if anything that we have done or accomplished in this life has had any positive effect in the lives of others, especially those of our own family. My wife and I have been most fortunate to have loving children who have often expressed their love and appreciation to both of us for the positive influence we have had in their lives. Have we been a positive influence in the lives of others? You may ask why is it important to know whether you have affected the lives of others? I believe the reason I would want to know before I go to my grave is because I have been positively influenced by people in my life. They have changed my way of thinking and doing, having made my life happier and more productive. Can there possibly be people in this world who feel I have effected them in that same way? We may have built buildings, bridges, and any number of other structures, even systems or organizations that will be standing and visible long after we are gone. But they may be insignificant compared to the influence we have had on our children and in the lives of those that we have closely associated with. I believe people who take that journey to the other side, having been aware that they were a positive influence in even one life, go with a smile of contentment on their face. It may not be apparent when seen in the casket but if we were allowed to see their spirit, I believe we would see that smile. While living, it is sometimes very hard to tell if we are worthy of emulation, we may not see the results of our labors among the children of men. The following story written by Randy Reynolds depicts beautifully the very point I am trying express:
“There was a young woman who took great pride in the growth and care of the flowers in her flower garden. She had been raised by her grandmother who taught her to love and care for flowers as she herself had done. So, like her grandmother, her flower gar- den was second to none. One day while looking through a flower catalogue she often ordered from, she saw a picture of a plant that immediately caught her eye. She had never seen blooms on a flower like that before. “I have to have it,” she said to herself, and she immediately ordered it. When it arrived, she already had a place prepared to plant it. She planted it at the base of a stone wall at the back of her yard. It grew vigorously, with beautiful green leaves all over it, but there were no blooms. Day after day she continued to cultivate it, water it, feed it, and she even talked to it attempting to coax it to bloom. But, it was to no avail. One morning, weeks later, as she stood before the vine, she contemplated how disappointed she was that her plant had not bloomed. She was giving considerable thought to cutting it down and planting something else in its place. It was at this point that her invalid neighbor, whose lot joined hers, called over to her. “Thank you so much! You can’t imagine how much I have enjoyed the blooms of that vine you planted.” The young woman walked through the gate into her neighbor’s yard, and sure enough, she saw that on the other side of the wall the vine was filled with blooms. They were indeed the most beautiful blooms she had ever seen. The vine had crept through the crevices and it had not flowered on her side of the fence, but it had flowered luxuriantly on the other side. Just because you cannot see the good result of your labour does not mean that it bore no fruit.”
A young lady in her sophomore year at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington decided to volunteer, with a few other students, at the Washington State Penitentiary. The main goal of the program was to help soon-to-be-released prisoners adapt to life on the outside. These men had lost control of their destiny. They were anxious, scared and confused. But they were determined to succeed on the outside. She said that our conversations with them were the highlight of my week for the next two years. One evening, she drove to the prison where they were to meet only to find that she was the only student there, the others had gone to a concert performance. Thirty prisoners settled in, and they asked where the other students were. They asked her why she didn’t go to the concert and she said that she would rather be here with you guys. I love you guys, and I care about you. I want to do all I can to help you succeed. The room went deathly still. No one spoke. She finally asked what was wrong? One man began to cry saying, “In my whole life, no one has ever told me that they loved me and cared about me.” Soon every one of them were weeping. Then one of them pointed to the guard and said, “ look, even old Baldy is crying, and they all laughed.
She said she didn’t know if she ever helped them, but I know that they helped me! I think back to that special group of foster brothers of mine, and I will tell myself, “Hey guys we can get through this together.”
That young lady didn’t have a bushel of fruit, but there was definitely fruit related to her labor.
This poem, “The More You Give,” relates a true characteristic about life and human nature.
“The more you give, the more you get. The more you do unselfishly, The more you live abundantly. The more of everything you share, The more you laugh, the less you fret. The more you’ll always have to spare. The more you love, the more you’ll find, That life is good and friends are kind, For only what we give away, Enriches us from day to day,”
A First Grade teacher wrote: “I was giving direction for writing assignment. I described the usual format; capital letters and punctuation. I stated this particular assignment was to be about a person whom they admired, someone who was important to them. We spoke of moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas. I ended my explanation and told them to begin. Then, I saw his hand go up, I walked over to my student, who could be quite challenging at times. In his quiet voice, he asked, “Can I write about you?” The teacher admitted that it was those moments that keeps her teaching.”