She Called Him Sweetheart

My mom and dad considered Let Me Call You Sweetheart their song.  Seriously.  As sappy as that sounded to me as a young-un, it seems like a song that we might all embrace this morning! 

You've likely heard about the almost tragedy in Atlanta this week. Yes, it was quieter because a teacher in Atlanta was able to talk to the individual threatening her school.  I am sure there were a couple (at least) of people in Connecticut who tried to do this same last December, and thus, I suspect we should all stop and think about these two life altering scenarios this morning.

In Atlanta, the teacher was successful in talking to the ammunition-loaded young man before he began shooting.  We'll never know why it worked, but we are reminded that "Heroic actions come from the heart" and that sometimes they work and sometimes they do not.  The tales of the scene remind us that we may not always succeed, but we always make a difference, by what we do. 

Take a minute to read this article over at Education Week;
She Called Him Sweetheart
It started my day and will be with me all year.

As we head back to school and onward in our lives, it is humbling to remember, we can and do make a difference by what we say and do every day, to everyone we meet. So even if you find the Let me Call You Sweetheart song a bit sappy, and no matter what your socio-political agenda, you can find a quote from someone, remarkably similar to the mindset of a teacher in Georgia who talked kindly to a boy with a gun, calling him Sweetheart.  The words, this time, worked.   
  
"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” Nelson Mandela 

“It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” Gandhi

"Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people - your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way." Barbara Bush   
       
“The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” R. Kennedy

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but they echo endlessly." Mother Teresa