No Expiration Date on the Difference You Make

I was at a wedding on Saturday and ran into a man named Henry. Henry used to tutor kids in the low-income neighborhood where I lived during high school – Henry’s specialty was math.

Henry and I started talking about Mike, one of the kids I grew up with. Mike had dropped out of high school and gone in and out of jail for five years. By the time he was 24, most people had long given up on Mike.

Several years ago, Henry received an unexpected phone call from Mike. Mike had gotten out of jail and was trying to turn his life around. But Mike had one problem: Mike couldn’t pass the math section of the GED. (passing the GED is considered equivalent to earning a high school diploma.)

After not talking to him for years, Mike called Henry and said, “You are the only person I know who understands math. Can you help me pass the GED?” Henry worked with Mike. Mike passed the GED.

I find this story moving and inspiring because so often in life, we cannot see that we are having an impact.

But here was Mike, going in and out of jail for years, getting into all sorts of trouble, but in the back of his head, never forgetting that there was a guy named Henry who cared about him.