One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why would anyone bring all his books home for the weekend? He must really be a nerd.”
I had quite a weekend planned—parties and a football game with my friends the following afternoon—so I shrugged my shoulders and walked on. Then I saw a bunch of kids run at Kyle, knock his books out of his arms, and trip him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. When he looked up I saw a terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him, so I jogged over to him. As he crawled around looking for his glasses I saw a tear in his eye. I handed him his glasses and said, “Those guys are jerks. Don’t let them get to you.”
Kyle looked at me and said, “Hey, thanks!” He broke out into a big smile—one of those smiles that show real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I hadn’t ever seen him before. He said he had gone to a private school till now. I would have never hung out with a private-school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.
I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends, and he said yes. We hung out all weekend, and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. My friends thought the same.
After the weekend, there was Kyle again with his huge stack of books. I stopped him and said, “Boy, you’re going to build some serious muscles with that pile of books everyday!” He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. We decided on different schools, but I knew that we would always be friends. The miles between us would never be a problem. Kyle was going to be a doctor, and I was going to study business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn’t me having to get up there and speak.
On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more friends than I had, and all the girls loved him. Sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those times.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be great!”
He looked at me with one of those looks—the really grateful ones—and smiled. “Thanks,” he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat and began. “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years; our parents, your teachers, your brothers and sisters, maybe a coach ...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a true story.”
Then I watched Kyle with disbelief as he told the story of the day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He told of how he had cleaned out his locker, so his Mom wouldn’t have to do it later, and was carrying all his stuff home. He looked straight at me, and gave me a little smile. “Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.”
A gasp went through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. His mom and dad looked over at me with that same grateful smile. Not until that moment had I realized its depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person’s life for better or for worse. — Author Unknown
