"A Guy in School" - anecdote

I'm not ashamed to say that I have cried the first time I read this.

And I still get this sad feeling; tis really a nice story.
Get some tissues ready.

****
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid
from my class was 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 home all his
books on a Friday?
He must really be a nerd."
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game
with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my
shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of
kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his
books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the
dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the
grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this
terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as
he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear
in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys
are jerks. They really should get lives."

He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big
smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed
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 had never seen him before. He said he had
gone to private school before 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. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more
I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends
thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge
stack of books again. I stopped him and said,
"Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with
this 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. Kyle
decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that
we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a
problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for
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. 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 dates than I had and all the girls loved him.
Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
Today was one of those days. 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
one) 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. Your parents, your teachers, your
siblings, 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 story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the
story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill
himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned
out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and
was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave
me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved
me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through
the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told all about his
weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling
that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize
it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions.
With one small gesture you can change a person's life.
For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's
lives to impact one another in some way.
Look for God in others.
--Author Unknown