"So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." FDR said that on the 4th of March, 1933. He said that at a time when many of our parents were struggling through the Depression. Many of our parents had served on the battlefields in Germany in the First World War. Today, many of us could find courage in Roosevelt's words as we struggle to make things better, take the world as we find it and attempt to make a difference.
In case you have no idea how to contextualize this idea or what you might be able to do to make a difference consider this in the context of a 'blue ribbon' story that was shared with me some years ago, and start making a difference.
""A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told each of them how they had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters, which read, 'Who I Am Makes a Difference.'
"Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honored whom and report back to the class in about a week.
"One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons and said, 'We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please report back to me and tell me what happened.'
"Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow. He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius.
"The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him. His surprised boss said, 'Well, sure.' The junior executive took the blue ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart.
"As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said, 'Would you do me a favor? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else? The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people.'
"That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, 'The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative genius. Then he put this blue ribbon that says: Who I Am Makes a Difference, on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor.' As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you. My days are really hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you!
"The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook. He looked up at his father and said through his tears, 'Dad, earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a letter to you and Mom explaining why I had killed myself and asking you to forgive me. I was going to commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just didn't think that you cared at all. The letter is upstairs. I don't think I need it after all.'
"His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of anguish and pain. The envelope was addressed, 'Mom and Dad.' The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch but made sure to let all his employees know that they made a difference. The junior executive helped several other young people with career planning and never forgot to let them know that they made a difference in his life...one being the boss's son.
"And the young boy and his classmates learned a valuable lesson. Who you are DOES make difference."
I'm not sure what this story does for you. It might make you take stock of what's important in your life. It might make you reverse habits you have ingrained in your children, the people you work with, or your own life. It might make you pay it forward and do kind things because it's a good thing to do.
So I would like to give three blue ribbons to each of you reading this. I'd like for you to choose someone to honor. Realizing that setting an example sometimes precipitates emulation, I'd like to give my mentor and Cary Clack three blue ribbons because of the many times they've made a difference in my life. The last three blue ribbons go to my older son, hoping that this will inspire him to find someone who's made a difference in his life and let them know that. Share your blue ribbons and start today making a difference.
"Words have an awesome impact. The impressions made by a father's voice can set in motion an entire trend of life." Gordon MacDonald from Always my Dad calendar
Archie Wortham lives with his wife, Suzan of 23 years, and their two sons Myles (12), and Jeremy (16) in Universal City, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio. Retired from the military in 1996, for nine years he wrote a dad's column originally called "Jeremy's Dad," then called "Jeremyles' Dad," named after both his sons. He now writes a column in San Antonio called "Men 2 Fathers." Archie also maintains the Fatherhood site, you may contact him by email at
