It had been three months since Ms. Thatcher had joined an elementary school to teach mathematics. She was gradually getting to know and to understand all her students, except one. His name was Bob. Bob was the only boy who came to school dressed untidily and sat in the class completely lost in his own world. His performance had been deteriorating steadily with every single day.

It was yet another day when all the students in the class laughed out loud at Bob when he was unable to answer even the simplest question Ms. Thatcher had asked him.

At the end of the lesson, after all the students dispersed, Ms. Thatcher searched through Bob’s progress reports and the standards he had previously met. She was shocked to see that Bob used to be tops in his class!

She flipped through every page of the report and found out that Bob’s performance began to slowly decline when his mother fell ill. Few months down the line, Bob was doing badly in each and every subject. It was the time when his mother had died. Bob was now living alone with his father, who was a businessman and who traveled frequently out of town.

Apart from his performance worsening steadily, Bob’s nature and personality also began to change. The reports clearly stated that he had forgotten how to laugh and showed no interest in any activity. He had turned into a loner. All his friends had abandoned him.

Tears filled Ms. Thatcher’s eyes.

The next day, while all the students were dispersing, she asked Bob to stay for a moment. Bob sat quietly on his chair. After the classroom became empty, Ms. Thatcher went up to him.

She began to ask him if he had any problem understanding his lessons. Gradually she began to give him a comfort zone so that he would talk and share. After three weeks, she found Bob gradually improving. He was now able to answer the questions he previously failed. Every day after all the students left for the day, Ms. Thatcher gave him her personal attention. She spent extra time with him whenever possible.

Bob improved a lot over the next semester. He arrived at school on time, properly dressed, and promptly responded in class. His classmates gradually became friendly to him once again, and he showed definite signs of progress in both his schoolwork and with friendships.

On one Friday, after all the students had left the classroom, Bob came up to Ms. Thatcher and handed her a box. He requested her to unwrap the box on Sunday and left.

Sunday morning arrived. Curious, Ms. Thatcher opened it and found a bottle of perfume, half-filled. Bob had written and attached a small letter to her, saying that this bottle of perfume used to be his mother’s. He hoped Ms. Thatcher would wear it so that every time she was around, he could feel his Mom near him. He thanked her for everything she had done for him.

She suddenly checked with the calendar; it was the second Sunday in the month of May.

After reading the letter, Ms. Thatcher took the bottle of perfume in her hand and saw the tag attached to it; it read, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Ms. Thatcher realized that it was not just that she had made some difference in Bob’s life, but it was also Bob who had shown her how love and caring can make a big difference in the lives of others.

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MOTHERS HOLD THEIR CHILDREN’S HAND FOR A SHORT WHILE, BUT THEIR HEARTS FOREVER. - Anonymous

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We love each other because he loved us first. 1 John 4:19 NLT

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 NLT

Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:4 NLT

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29 NLT

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT