Funny Inspirational Stories
All The Good Things Part 2

All The Good Things Part 1 | 2 | 3

It took the remainder of the class period to finish the assignment and as the students left the room, each one handed me the papers.
Mark said, "Thank you for teaching me, Sister. Have a good weekend."

That Saturday, I wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper and I listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday I gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling.
"Really?" I heard whispered.
"I never knew that meant anything to anyone!"
"I didn't know others liked me so much!"

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. I never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another again.

That group of students moved on. Several years later, my parents met me at the airport after I returned from a vacation. As we were driving home, Mother asked me the usual questions about the trip, the weather and my experiences in general. There was a light lull in the conversation.
Mother gave Dad a sideways glance and simply said, "Dad?"
My father cleared his throat as he usually did before saying something important.
"The Eklunds called last night." He began.
"Really?" I said.
"I haven't heard from them in years. I wonder how Mark is."
Dad responded quietly.
"Mark was killed in Vietnam." He said.
"The funeral is tomorrow and his parents would like it if you could attend."

I had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. Mark looked so handsome and mature. All I could think at that moment was I would give all the masking tape in the world if only Mark would talk to me again.

The church was packed with Mark's friends. The pastor said the usual prayers and the bugler played taps. One by one, those who loved Mark took a last walk by the coffin and sprinkled it with holy water.

All The Good Things Part 1 | 2 | 3