It is amazing the difference one person can make!  I have always known this, but didn’t realize how much of a difference till recently.

Celebration of LIfe

Last Sunday I attended a “Celebration of Life” for a man I hardly knew.   He was married to a dear friend and I attended to be supportive of her. I knew he was a kind, caring man that had a big heart and loved unconditionally, but I didn’t know how much he had impacted other people.  As I sat and listened to a number of friends and family speak about this man, I was amazed at how many people he had touched, even from a distance.  I don’t think he knew a stranger, all those he met became friends.  Many people were able to recite pieces of inspiration and wisdom he had shared with them many years earlier, from childhood till shortly before he passed.    People from his old hometown to the public leaders in his current city were there to talk about the difference this man had made in their lives.  His kindness, generosity, and love were remembered over and over.

As I drove home I felt sad for all those who were robbed of more time with him, but happy that I had attended and was touched by his life.  I wondered if he ever realized how many people were touched by his love and his actions?  How many people thought of him daily?  How many people were better because they had known him?

Farewell

Fast forward a week, tonight I attended a “Farewell Recital” of a Foreign Exchange student who spent the past year in our town, attending our school, going to the same church I attend, and a friend of my son.    Over 150 people turned out to hear him play and wish him well.  His music touched each of our hearts.  Music knows no language barriers.  He also touched so many who were not in attendance. As Iacopo talked about the song and what it meant and who it was dedicated to, people were touched.  Tears were shed.  After the

concert many people were hugging and wishing him well.  While we are happy for his parents who are probably counting down the minutes till they see their son again, our community is sad that he is leaving.  He not only visited and actively participated in our community, he became a part of us.  When he flies across the ocean, he will take a little bit of each of our hearts with him.  Through his music, his personality, his kindness and his love he has touched hundreds if not thousands of lives.  How blessed our community has been to host such an amazing young man.  He has made a difference to so many in a year at age 17, can you imagine how many will be touched in a lifetime?

You will be with me like a handprint on my heart…. because I knew YOU, I have been changed….for good.

Each of us can have a similar impact.  We have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others, or we can sit around and watch life pass us by.   We get the opportunity to choose whether our impact is positive or negative.  Whether we will be remembered as a person who made a difference or one who has a lot of regrets about things they didn’t do.  One life can impact so many!  A smile, a kind word, a hug is all it takes to get started.   We can all make a difference, let’s start today!