It all started in 1969. A school accident put a nine year old in the hospital with a broken leg. This broken leg was special...because it was mine! My femur was snapped in half and it would take some real magic and a whole lot of luck to fix it where it would be right again. Back then there was no such thing as a titanium rod or a pin or screw to fix broken bones. We had what was called "traction". A series of ropes and pullies and weights rigged together to keep just enough pull on the leg to allow the bone to knit back together properly. It closely resembled a midevil torture rack! It meant staying in the hospital for nine weeks and doing so entirely on my back! Have you ever tried to keep a nine year old in one spot for nine weeks? You see my point.
One day, while I was laying there talking to my grandmother, (who was kind enough to sit with me every day), a man stopped by my room. He was a tall, young, nice man. He introduced himself to me and gramma. He said he was the preacher at a local church. We had been to church a few times but mostly out at a small country congregation several miles away. He noticed a checker board on the table and asked if I was up to a game! You bet! ANYTHING to break the monotony. I don't recall who won, but if it was me I am sure he let me win. He said goodbye and was gone, but the next day he was back. More checkers. This continued for a long time. Eventually his visits were timed where my mom and brother would be in my room. He always invited them to come to church when they got the chance. They did and so did I when I finally got out!
It wasn't a big curch but it was bigger than where we had gone before. All the people were friendly and spoke to mom and my brother and I. That young preacher had three kids of his own and we became friends. That was fifty-five years ago. To this day I love that young preacher and his family. He made a huge difference in my life. He also made a huge difference in the world and had no idea he was doing so. My brother became a missionary and because that young preacher took a few minutes out of his day to play checkers with a broken nine year old kid, there are thousands of Christian converts in many parts of the world. There are also two special angels in heaven I can't wait to rejoin... My Mama and Daddy.
You never know what impact you might have on others just by giving a smile, a kind word, or a minute of your time to listen and make them feel special.
To this day I am friends with all three of that preacher's kids. The oldest is probably my best friend. Fifty-five years is a long time, but true friendship can make that seem like no time. I can not imagine how different my life would have been had that tall young preacher not stopped in that day. I'm just thankful he did.