I’ve learned that the greatest achievements aren’t always awards or prizes. My greatest achievement is nothing material; it is the valuable lesson I learned about the human spirit. Awards fade away, prizes lose their luster, but lessons learned are lessons forever.
Leslie Herrel
Dear Chicken Soup for the Soul,
Few books make you look into your soul. Your books do just that. They make you evaluate what kind of person you are. Are you the type of person who harasses people who seem different from you or are you the type who sees good in others?
My life was never perfect. I was not the most popular person around, and I was often made fun of by other students. I have many mental scars that I will never forget. I hated those kids who picked on me, and I vowed that I would never forgive them. I now wish I had lived by the golden rule: Do unto others what you would have them do to you. I did not. Instead, I picked on other people less fortunate than myself. I remember one boy in grade school who was poor, overweight and had a speech impediment. The kids in my class used to pick on him constantly. Later, in high school, I realized what I had done, and I could not forgive myself. I wished I had stood up for this person, but I couldn’t go back and change what I had done, though I wanted to.
I love your books for the lessons they teach. I have learned so much from them. They have taught me about compassion, something I seem to lack. They have shown me what it means to love, to live and to experience true sadness. I have learned that everyone is special, and that we all have our own talents. The stories on suicide showed me that no matter how bad things seem, it is not worth taking your own life. I, too, have people who love me and who would truly miss me. I realized that my parents have experienced what I am going through, and they have seen the same things that I have seen. They do know what is best for me. Most of all, I learned that I can’t be perfect, and that no one is. Those boys who picked on me, I now forgive. I know now that people change and we all grow. Though they hurt me very much, I can say that I forgive them. I hope the boy I picked on in grade school has grown to forgive me.
Your books are about others’ joys and failures. They are about learning and growing from one’s mistakes. I want you to know that I have become a better person because of the lessons in your books.
Sincerely,
Michele Fiorentini