I attended a luncheon the other day and had an opportunity to sit with several of the key people involved with the Network North organization. We discussed the whole notion of mental health and mental illness and came to the conclusion that so many people today are walking a tightrope among the daily stresses of life. No one knows just what is going on inside another person’s head. What is troubling the stranger on the other side of the counter? Why is that person looking so sad today? Why is that child playing alone?

As we continued to discuss the issue of mental health, we also identified a real need in society for people to feel supported by other human beings and to have their dignity reaffirmed through sincere, warm, friendly contact. But who should accept the responsibility for reaching out to others? And who really needs to be helped? The answer, we discovered, is the same for both questions: EVERYONE! Yes, we all need support and reaffirmation that we count for something in this life and that life is worth living, and we must all accept the responsibility for reaching out to others to provide this support.

See if you can see this message in the following heartwarming story I found on the internet the other day.

One morning a little boy decided that he wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his back pack with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and started on his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman sitting on a park bench just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his back pack. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was relieved to see him, but she was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?

He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his surprised mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her adult son, with whom she was living, was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?”

She replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” However, before her surprised son responded, she added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”

I read the above story after my luncheon with the ladies from Network North. And immediately I realized that so often in the hurried up pace of life today we underestimate the power of touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and people come into our lives for a reason. If I had not attended the luncheon, perhaps the story would not have impacted on me quite so much.

After you put this paper down, think of the people who have touched your life in a special way. Pick up the phone and call them just to say thank you; send them an email; write a letter; go to the store and tell that clerk who helped you search for the item you couldn’t find how much you appreciated the help; tell the waitress how her friendliness made your meal so much more enjoyable.

Next time someone tells you that you look so happy or at peace with yourself, see if you can honestly say that you have “had lunch with God.”