Subject: This is your blue ribbon, pass it on

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 19:27:12 -0500

Who You Are Makes A Difference...

       A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in
 high school by telling them the difference they each made.  Using a
 process developed by Helice Bridges of Del Mar, California, she called
 each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told
 them how the student made a difference to her and the class.  Then she
 presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters
 which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."
       Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what
 kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of
 the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread
 this acknowledgment ceremony.  Then they were to follow up on the
 results, see who honored whom and report back to the class in about a week.
       One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a
 nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning.
 He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt.  Then he gave him two
 extra ribbons, and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and
 we'd like you to go out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon,
 then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third
 person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going.  Then please report
 back to me and tell me what happened."
       Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss, who
 had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow.  He sat
 his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a
 creative genius.  The boss seemed very surprised.  The junior executive
 asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he
 give him permission to put it on him.  His surprised boss said, "Well,
 sure."
       The junior executive took the blue ribbon and placed it right on
 his boss's jacket above his heart.  As he gave him the last extra ribbon,
 he said, "Would you do me a favor?  Would you take this extra ribbon and
 pass it on by honoring somebody else?  The young boy who first gave me
 the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this
 recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people."
       That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him
 down.  He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me today.  I was
 in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he
 admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius.
 Imagine.  He thinks I'm a creative genius.  Then he put this blue ribbon
 that says 'Who I Am Makes A Difference' on my jacket above my heart.  He
 gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor.  As
 I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor
 with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you.
       "My days are really hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot
 of attention to you.  Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good
 enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow
 tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that
 you do make a difference to me.  besides your mother, you are the most
 important person in my life.  You're a great kid and I love you!"
       The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't stop
 crying.  His whole body shook.  He looked up at his father and said
 through his tears, "I was planning on committing suicide tomorrow, Dad,
 because I didn't think you loved me.  Now I don't need to."

                                               -Helice Bridges

 You are under no obligation to send this on to two people or to two
 hundred.  As far as I am concerned, you can delete it and move on to the
 next message.  But if you have anyone who means a lot to you, I encourage
 you to send them this message and let them know.  You never know what
 kind of difference a little encouragement can make to a person.  Send it
 to all of the people who mean anything important to you, or send it to
 the one or two people who mean the most.  Stick on a little message of
 why they are so special or just forward it to them.  Or just smile and
 know that someone thinks that you are important, or you wouldn't have
 received this in the first place.  :)